Bad weather is a great leveller in sport and conditions don't come much worse than those on Saturday. The wind was so strong and swirling that at times it bordered on the ludicrous. The underdog usually welcomes these conditions and Italy were probably no exception in this regard. On a better day the scoreline would have been different, and Ireland probably would have put a lot more points on the board.

The important thing, however, is that we won on a day when things could have gone wrong.

Our lineout has been the platform on which our style of play and success have been developed this season. Its effectiveness was greatly reduced on Saturday, but it remained the area in which Ireland were clearly dominant. Because of the difficulty the Italians had in winning their ball, they were forced to try variations, which resulted in Ireland's first try, scored by Malcolm O'Kelly. It must surely have been the softest try any Irish forward has touched down since Terry Moore scored a similar one against England many years ago.

However, it was a critical score, coming as it did after 28 minutes. Prior to kick-off, few people would have predicted it would take so long for Ireland to get on the scoreboard - and remember, we were playing with the wind.

The Italians had defended very well up to that point and Ireland were beginning to get frustrated. If O'Kelly's opportunistic try had not arrived when it did, we could have been in big trouble.

At 12-0 behind, the Italians must have felt they had a chance for a huge upset. They certainly created enough chances to score, but fortunately for Ireland they did not take them. Left wing Denis Dallan will have nightmares for a long time over the ball he dropped in the second half, not just with the line at his mercy but beside the posts at that.

When Shane Horgan scored Ireland's third try, the margin looked sufficient to get us home, and so it was. All that Ireland needed to do after that was play down the clock and that's what they did.

The strength of the Italian defence surprised me. They were queuing up for the tackles and really put their bodies on the line when they needed to. Because it was impossible to move the ball wide, where they looked more vulnerable, they were able to commit numbers to the fringes of the rucks and mauls. They also slowed down the Irish possession, making it more difficult for us to play.

They have a lot more good players now, but surely there must be a better outhalf available than Roland de Marigny, who looked totally out of his depth, literally from the start. What he was trying to do with the first kick-off I'd like to know.

If Italy could finish off the chances they create they would win a lot more matches and pose a lot more serious problems to teams. They are better scrummagers than the Scots or the Welsh, and probably better defenders as well.

We probably should not over-analyse this performance. It was going to be difficult anyway after the heady heights of Twickenham. With some minds already focused on the Triple Crown match here next Saturday against Scotland, the Irish coaches might not be too happy about the team's inability to impose itself in the second half when they had to play a driving, recycling game. Our possession was simply too slow and our runners never achieved the momentum necessary to draw in the defence. If our backs had been given quick ball with space, they would have done a lot of damage.

Selection for next week's game should be straightforward enough. Second row Paul O'Connell will obviously return with O'Kelly as his partner. Eddie O'Sullivan may also be tempted to try Geordan Murphy at full back, to which he is better suited than the wing.

New Zealand referee Kelvin Deaker did not impress hugely. It was a difficult game but, nevertheless, he missed a lot of infringements and I felt he made some strange decisions. Ireland can't complain, however, because by and large we were the beneficiaries of his mistakes. On days such as this was, the match was never going to be a great spectacle. But the referee's performance didn't help it.

The team can now prepare for the final game of the championship, which is of far greater significance than anybody expected prior to the game against England. Let's hope the weather will have improved by then, because I wouldn't fancy a game against Scotland under the same conditions. It would suit them down to the ground, because their only chance against this Irish side would be if they could disrupt and harass, just like the Italians did for long periods on Saturday.

In an interview with Johnny Watterson