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That’s your lot. For this blog, anyway, but the hits keep on coming. Follow Wales v England with Lee Calvert right here:
Michele Lamaro, the Italy captain, speaks to ITV and is asked how he would sum up their performance. He looks pretty disgusted at being on the end of another loss. “We’ve been talking about lots of same things,” Lamaro says. “We’ve been giving everything we’ve got, and that is all you can ask of the boys … we still have to work on lots of details, margins, the way we keep pressure on them … I think we conceded 20 points in the first 30 minutes, and we have to invert that trend … but I can’t ask for something else from the boys.
“We don’t go out there and think of [just] being in the game. We think of winning. What we care about is our performance … we’re not stepping on to this field against Ireland, thinking: ‘We are going to lose by a few points and that will be OK’ … we want to smash them … It will be the same again Wales, we want to put our best performance, and we will work to have it.”
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Aki’s chat with ITV, in video form, on Twitter. More reaction coming up.
"We did some really good stuff and then we did the total opposite, that's credit to Italy." 🗣
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 25, 2023
Bundee Aki speaking to @GabrielClarke05 pic.twitter.com/6SLXUcigPL
“On the road to any grand slam you’ll always have a stumbling block … this could have been a huge banana skin,” says Brian O’Driscoll on ITV, which is obviously not meant to sound presumptuous, but does anyway. To be fair O’Driscoll did add that victory against Scotland next week is not a given, predicting that Gregor Townsend’s outfit will test Ireland.
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Bundee Aki assesses the display from Ireland: “Mixed bags,” he tells Gabriel Clarke. “We did some really good stuff, and then we did the total opposite .. but that’s just credit to Italy, we knew it was going to be a tough game, we said it all week, they are proud nation [and] we’ve just got to make sure our discipline is on the right side. I can certainly put my hand up there. It was definitely wasn’t on the right side, it was on the bad side so I certainly did help the squad there and we paid towards the end.
“But fair play to Italy, they gave it to us, but fair play to our boys for digging in deep as well.”
Is this the best Italy team he has faced, Clarke asks Aki: “They have always been a good team, they play with a lot of passion, you can see they want to play the game, they want to play expansive rugby and run the ball from the own try-line … we knew that, we just fell off a bit.”
And what do they need to seal the grand slam? “I think an overall performance … definitely on the discipline side of things … that’s one big thing we talked about the whole week … I can certainly say I was one of them who wasn’t disciplined.”
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Thanks Lee … he’s off to blog the living daylights out of Wales v England, which kicks off in half an hour. Luke McLaughlin here to bring you some reaction.
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FULL TIME! Italy 20 - 34 Ireland
PEEEEEP! It’s over. A great game and a solid win for Ireland as they move one step closer to that Grand Slam
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83 mins. “If we get it back, keep playing” shouts Andy Farrell as Italy win a lineout around halfway. And keep playing they do as Lowe intercepts the ball but can’t make it to the line before being sent into touch.
81 mins. Italy are in their own 22 and labouring with possession before Ireland give away a penalty.
79 mins. A last attack by Ireland ends as the ball is passed behind Lowe and flies into touch. Italy will have a lineout in their own half as the final act.
76 mins. Another Italian attack in the Ireland 22 that this time breaks down as they make it a little too complicated in the 13 channel and the ball goes to ground. This prompts huge schadenfraude cheers in the Ireland ranks; a vignette that says much about both sides this afternoon.
Jack Crowley is on for Ross Byrne.
74 mins. Bundee Aki is off his feet at tackle time, and Allan dinks the ball into the corner for an Italian lineout that they promptly lose.
Tommaso Allan has replaced Garbisi, who is holding an ice pack on his right shoulder.
TRY! Italy 20 - 34 Ireland (Mack Hansen)
71 mins. Ireland are up to 16 phases in the Italy half, pulling defenders in then making them work all over again. Doris and Murray have some decisive runs before the latter offloads to Hansen who steps Capuozzo to score.
Ross Byrne adds the extra. That’s the game you’d have to think.
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67 mins. Pettinelli makes a fast impression on the game with a strong run from and inside pop pass that takes Italy into the Ireland 5m zone. The ball is recycled quickly and a hopeful cross-kick from Varney just bounces away from Bruno. Poor decision, calmer heads needed from the home side.
Stephen Varney goes off, replaced by Alessandro Fusco.
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64 mins. Ireland make more replacements: Dave Kilcoyne and Conor Murray are on for Andrew Porter and Craig Casey comes onto the field.
Italy have brought in Giovanni Pettinelli and Edoardo Iachizzi for Lorenzo Cannone and Niccolo Cannone
PENALTY! Italy 20 - 27 Ireland (Ross Byrne)
63 mins. A fitful few minutes from both sides comes to a close with Ryan Baird winning a breakdown penalty. All the fancy endeavour from Ireland has been smashed on the rocks of Italy’s solid performance, so Byrne decides it’s time to take some points.
60 mins. This Italy team are simply glorious fun. The latest installment of this is running a loop pattern off a scrum five near their own line, recycling once and Brex booming it out with a kick. If nothing else, this side have halted the feeling of their games being a non-event; I want to watch them every week.
NO TRY! Ireland (Bundee Aki)
58 mins. Ireland work it right after Doris has a good run to suck in some defenders. Aki is chopped down by Niccolo Cannone, but the Irish centre can reach out to score as he’s not held. But wait! He fumbled it on the ground before his went over the line!
No try, and Italy will have a tricky scrum five to navigate.
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56 mins. Ireland start emptying their bench
Peter O’Mahony, Dan Sheehan, Ryan Baird all on for comes on for Jack Conan, Ronan Kelleher and Iain Henderson
PENALTY! Italy 20 - 24 Ireland (Paolo Garbisi)
55 mins. Garbisi pulls his team close from the tee.
54 mins. They waste no time at all in running it out and find Capuozzo who has glimpse of space before McCloskey comes over and seatbelt tackles him. That’s the third time the Irish centre has been pretty high with his technique and he needs to be careful.
Italy will have a lineout on the Irish 22.
52 mins. Ireland can do nothing on an advantage for Italian defenders not rolling away – which was a very fussy decision by Ref Adamson who didn’t seem to give them any time at all to get moving before be blew up .
The visitors take a lineout into the corner, but Lorenzo Cannone nicks it!
50 mins. The home defence do fine job of ferociously containing the Irish attack, eventually making the ball unplayable, which give them time to suck some air in as they prepare for Ireland scrum in the 22.
47 mins. Ireland have their first foray of the half into the Italian 22. Van Der Flier has a carry and is walloped by Fischetti, but the green waves keep coming, albeit they might be overworking it a bit.
Marco Riccioni has replaced Ferrari in the front row.
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43 mins. An early penalty for Italy finds touch on the Irish 22 and it’s another catch and drive from the home side before they release it left. Guess what happens next? Yep, they make a mess of the ruck allowing porter to nick it. But, the Azzuri recover and hold up the tackle off the ground to win a scrum.
SECOND HALF!
Garbisi, left footed, kicks deep and we’re back underway.
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HALF TIME!
PEEP! Everyone have a few minutes to suck that forty minutes in.
TRY! Italy 17 - 24 Ireland (Pierre Bruno)
40+1 mins. Ireland try a fancy backs move late in the half when they could’ve ended the half by getting the ball off the field. Bruno rushes up and gets amongst the loop passes to rob the ball and bolt 70 metres to score.
Garbisi converts.
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39 mins. Italy settle back in to spraying the ball about, but Ireland have wised up and are not bothering to put anyone into the ruck so they can fan out and cover the inevitable wide play.
As per usual, the Italian ruck becomes a maladroit mess and the visitors get the ball back.
TRY! Italy 10 - 24 Ireland (Mack Hansen)
35 mins. Loads of carries from the Ireland forwards are battered back before the ball is released to the right via McCloskey to Hansen who dives into the corner before Lorenzo Cannone can get to him.
Byne pulls the conversion wide.
Finlay Bealham has gone off injured for Tom O’Toole
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33 mins. Ireland have secured a long lease on the Italy 22 in these last minutes of the half. More drives at the Italy line are contained by the blue defence, but inevitably they drift offside and will have to contain more green possession close to the line.
31 mins. From the lineout, Ireland are battering the Italy line with big forward carries that the Azzuri defence repel before Porter runs into his own player to give away a penalty. Italy will take some heart from actually stopping a try on an Ireland 22 entry for the first time.
Luca Bigi comes on for Italy as Giacomo Nicotera needs and HIA.
28 mins. In a shocking development, Italy actually catch and drive a lineout on the Ireland 10m line, with the maul making some decent grount. But once again, the control of the technical breakdown details desert the home side and Casey snaffles the ball as it pops out of the ruck.
He runs into Niccolo Cannone as he chases his own and it looks like the Italian lock has maybe stepped across him and shouldered the little scrum half. Ref Mike Adamson has a look at it, and thinks is nothing more than an obstruction pen.
Harsh decision that, for me.
24 mins. James Lowe mangles gathering a pass deep in his 22, which gives the Italian pack a chance to give the Irish eight a right old shove from a scrum five. Ireland hold them steady and the attack up the right from Italy is a bit lumpen and they lose it at the ruck.
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TRY! Italy 10 - 19 Ireland (Bundee Aki)
20 mins. As good as Italy are with ball in hand, Ireland are one better with pretty much every possession gleaning points. The speed of Irish ball has the home side in all sorts of bother in defence, this time working a four on two on the left touchline which Aki finishes in the corner.
Byrne curves a cracker of conversion over from way out west.
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PENALTY! Italy 10 - 13 Ireland (Paolo Garbisi)
17 mins. The home side will not be cowed and go straight back to running everything, this time Capuozzo lateral in how own half before flinging a pass to Menoncello who absolutely gasses Ross Byrnes to chip it forward. The kick is covered by Casey, but it’s an Italy penalty for Hansen bunting Menoncello late after his kick.
Garbisi calls for the tee and the kick is good.
TRY! Italy 7 - 12 Ireland (Hugo Keenan)
13 mins. More delicious Italian running patterns nearly put Bruno away up the left touchline, but he puts a foot out. Ireland decide it’s time to show what they can do on first phases as nearly the entire backline handle the ball to put Keenan into space who pirouettes through a couple of tackles to score.
Byrne slots two points from in front.
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10 mins. From a lineout Italy run a beautifully timed first phase pattern to that man Lorenzo Cannone again, who hits a glorious angle to carry the ball 30 metres into the Ireland 22. The recycling is imprecise which takes the momentum out of the attack and Porter eventually gets a turnover.
Cannone is cutting though Ireland’s midfield like a volcanic heat knife through pre-melted butter.
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TRY! Italy 7 - 5 Ireland (Stephen Varney)
6 mins. It’s finally time for Italy to have some possession in the Ireland half and they go wide left from a quick tap. Bruno has a bit of space then his pass off the ground is fumbled by Capuozzo. Byrne kicks poorly and on the counter-attack Italy go left then right for Cannone to have a massive run up to the line and Varney dives over from the base of the ruck.
Garbisi converts.
Good lord!
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TRY! Italy 0 - 7 Ireland (James Ryan)
2 mins. Ireland receive another poor kick, Aki forces through two tacklers and offloads one-handed to Ryan who makes no mistake with the finish.
Poor defending, you have to say.
Byrne misses the conversion.
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NO TRY! Italy 0 - 0 Ireland (James Lowe)
1 min. Italy settle into a familiar pattern of running some phases around their 22 that go not very far before Garbisi clears it. Ireland return the ball up the left hand side, via Van Der Flier running free, popping to Keenan who feeds Lowe to gallop for the corner.
Capuozzo covers across and Lowe can’t ground cleanly, according to the TMO.
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Kick Off!
Ross Byrne has the ball and he boots us into action.
We’ve just had an “Ireland’s Call” the likes of which we’ve never witnessed, and not in a good way.
Imagine a vaudeville band, bladdered on bathtub gin, honking their instruments while the people singing have literally no idea where the song is up to.
The teams are out under a cloudy but dry Rome sky; they’ll settle in for the anthems and we’ll soon have a game.
Pre match reading…
All the talk of strikes this week has led our columnist, Ugo Monye, to weigh in on the wider issue facing rugby. Read more here…
Teams
Italy welcome back their sparkly-eyed talisman, Paolo Garbisi, who takes his place in the 10 shirt and pushed Tommaso Allan onto the bench. Menoncello moves into the centres and Pierre Bruno regains his starting berth on the wing. The luckless Jake Polledri misses out with a further injury.
Andy Farrell makes six changes to his team, but I wouldn’t describe them as wholesale, as he has the luxury of dropping in players who have each had key roles in the recent renaissance. The biggest omission is Johnny Sexton - recovering from an injury but may well have missed this week in any case – replaced by Ross Byrne. Craig Casey, the Munster man who never misses a chance to sniff something, will be his halfback partner.
The absence of Sexton hands James Ryan the captaincy, and Garry Ringrose misses his chance to win his 50th cap with a late injury.
Italy: Ange Capuozzo, Edoardo Padovani, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Pierre Bruno; Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari, Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli, Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi, Tommaso Allan
Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Stuart McCloskey, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Ross Byrne, Craig Casey; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham, Iain Henderson, James Ryan (captain), Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Dave Kilcoyne, Tom O’Toole, Ryan Baird, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Jimmy O’Brien
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Preamble
A lot can happen in ten years. The United Kingdom at last count had 37 general elections and 19 Prime Ministers during the time since Italy last overcame Ireland back in 2013.
The Azzurri are back in Rome as a very different team to most of the intervening period, and while the victories are not rolling in so far in 2023, unlike Wales they are no longer being humiliated – far from it. After running France very close and giving England something of a fright in the second half at Twickenham, Kieran Crowley’s team will be heading onto home grass today knowing they can test and push any team if they play their best.
But, today’s opponents are Ireland. And this isn’t 2013 Ireland; the injury flayed, Luke Marshall in midfield, three yellow cards, Brian O’Driscoll stamping on people Ireland – this is Andy Farrell’s 2022-23 Caravan Of Victory. The only continuity from that difficult day a decade back is Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony are still around, as well as the ever latent yet indomitable Dave Kilcoyne.
A win is coming again for Italy, but not today.
