When and where is it on?
Ireland’s opening Rugby World Cup warm-up match is against Italy on Saturday night at the Aviva Stadium. The teams take to the pitch at 7.45pm with the action under way at 8pm. Andy Farrell’s team are playing for places and form heading into the September 8th tournament kick-off in Paris.
How can I watch it?
Ireland v Italy is live on both RTÉ 2 and Amazon Prime in the UK. Coverage on RTÉ (including RTÉ player) is under way at 7.30pm.
Is this Ireland’s only game before the World Cup?
Next up after this weekend’s game is Ireland’s biggest pre-World Cup test, against England at the Aviva Stadium. That’s on Saturday, August 19th, (kick-off 5.30pm) before the final game of the Nations Series against Samoa in Bayonne on August 26th completes their Rugby World Cup preparations.
What to expect from Italy?
Ireland’s last meeting with Italy was a little over five months ago in the Six Nations, a patchy 34-20 win in Rome, while the Italians’ most recent visit to the Aviva ended in a 57-6 defeat in the 2022 Six Nations. Italy’s last win (one of only four in 35 meetings) against Ireland came 10 years ago in Stadio Olimpico.
Italy ended a seven-year wait for a Six Nations win against Wales in 2022 and then beat Australia last November. But they’ve lost their seven games since. Kieran Crowley’s team were competitive, and at times brilliant, during the most recent Six Nations despite another wooden spoon at the end of it.
According to Matt Williams these improved Italian performances had their genesis in 2016 when Conor O’Shea took control of the national team and brought in another Irish man, Stephen Aboud, to drive the elite player and coach development pathways.
[ Matt Williams: Disparage improving Italy at your perilOpens in new window ]
This is the fourth time in the last six World Cup cycles that Ireland have hosted Italy in a warm-up game, the exceptions being 2011 and 2015, when the two countries were drawn in the same pool. The Azzurri played their first preparatory game when pushing a shadow Scottish side to a hard-earned 25-13 win in Murrayfield last Saturday. Big changes will be expected for their trip to Dublin, but talismanic fullback Ange Capuozzo will not be among them as he recovers from a shoulder injury.
How important are the warm up games?
Ireland’s final World Cup squad of 33 players will be confirmed on Monday, August 28th. Two days after the Samoa match. The likelihood is that one hooker, a lock, a backrower, a scrumhalf, outhalf, centre and outside back plus one more will miss the cut. So from now until then, particularly in the three warm up fixtures, the 41-man Irish training squad are playing for places.
Is Johnny Sexton playing?
The next two games would have been the Irish captain’s Aviva Stadium send off, with the 37-year-old drawing the curtain on his glittering career after the Rugby World Cup in France in September. But two weeks ago an independent disciplinary committee handed him a three-match suspension.
That came following a hearing into his post-match conduct after Leinster’s Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle. Meaning his most recent competitive game, and what has turned out to be his last match in Dublin, was Ireland’s Grand Slam sealing Six Nations win over England in March. An injury sustained there also ruled him out of the business end of Leinster’s season. Robbie Henshaw, however, has no concerns of his outhalf being undercooked for the start of the World Cup campaign.
[ Johnny Sexton focused on business world after retirementOpens in new window ]
Team news
Jack Crowley will wear the Ireland number 10 jersey for just the second time when Andy Farrell’s team begin their World Cup preparations against Italy at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 8pm, live on RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports 2).
The 22-year-old’s sole start in three Irish appearances was as a late call-up from the bench in last November’s win over Australia before he helped steer Munster to their momentous URC title. Crowley will start alongside his 23-year-old provincial halfback partner Craig Casey, for whom this will be just a third start at scrumhalf after making eight of his previous 10 appearances off the bench.
Opportunity knocks for Jacob Stockdale, who last played for Ireland in the win over Japan in July 2021, Stuart McCloskey and the 35-year-old Keith Earls, who will be winning his 99th cap. They are joined by Robbie Henshaw in an experienced three-quarter line, with Jimmy O’Brien’s selection at fullback giving his mate Hugo Keenan a rare rest day as O’Brien is afforded a chance to underline his versatility.
Up front, the 22-year-old secondrow Joe McCarthy will partner captain Iain Henderson in making his first Test start, having won his only previous cap as a replacement in that aforementioned win over Australia last November.
Ireland (v Italy): Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster); Keith Earls (Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster); Jack Crowley (Munster), Craig Casey (Munster); Dave Kilcoyne (Munster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Tom O’Toole (Ulster), Iain Henderson (capt, Ulster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Ryan Baird (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster).
Replacements: Tom Stewart (Ulster)*, Cian Healy (Leinster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Caolin Blade (Connacht), Ciaran Frawley (Leinster)*, Calvin Nash (Munster)*.
*denotes uncapped player
Weather?
Met Eireann’s forecast for the Aviva on Saturday evening is partly cloudy with some showers, with temperatures falling from 16 degrees and a wind speed of 13km/h.
Who’s on the whistle?
Saturday’s game will be refereed by Frenchman Mathieu Raynal.
[ Mathieu Raynal stands by time-wasting call against AustraliaOpens in new window ]
Any tickets?
Ticket sales for Saturday’s game had passed the 40,000 mark by Monday evening. They can be purchased on Ticketmaster with the remaining adult tickets on Tuesday afternoon ranging from €50 to €85.
