Six Nations: Ireland 36 Italy 0
Damned if they did, and damned if they didn’t, Ireland duly did record an 11th Six Nations win over Italy in a row, and a ninth in succession over the Azzurri with a bonus point. In so doing, they moved to the top of the table, two points clear of England, and boosted their points differential before hosting Wales here next Saturday week.
In scoring six tries to none, Ireland also kept Italy scoreless for the first time in the 37 meetings between the countries.
The Irish lineout (as in Marseille, 13 from 13) again purred like a kitten in a new home, providing the platform for another couple of close-range tries, and the scrum – with Finlay Bealham in his 38th Test but only a fourth Six Nations start – also dominant.
As a far from feverish Sunday afternoon crowd waited expectantly for the tries to flow, there was much to admire in Ireland’s attacking rugby, not least after the, eh, entertainment of the day before.
Jack Crowley really enjoyed himself, albeit three missed conversions will annoy him, and pulled the strings with some really classy touches as he used his footwork, strength and passing range close to the line.
Of course, the carrier always had options inside and out, flat and behind, and in the absence of some big hitters, Ireland underlined their strength in depth. Ryan Baird and Jack Conan added oomph, James Ryan adding plenty of energy in what was an ideal and commanding first outing as captain for Caelan Doris.
In the absence of the first-choice centres, Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw underlined the Irish depth in midfield, the Ulster player adding to the team’s offloading quota with a good, understated display, while Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe and the ever-excellent Hugo Keenan – denied ball while making three brilliant defensive plays last week – were the game’s most potent runners.
The down side was that Ireland didn’t convert 12 clean line breaks (just one conceded) and close-range set plays into more scores, but they still look a class above in this championship.
To begin with, Ireland seamlessly slipped into their attacking rhythm and possibly played more running rugby in the opening seven minutes than we’d seen in Saturday turgid double-header combined.
[ Ireland 36 Italy 0: How the Irish players rated in the shutout at the AvivaOpens in new window ]
Beginning with Keenan’s mark, tap and 30-metre carry to halfway, Ireland went through 13 phases, Henshaw injecting momentum with a couple, of muscular, leg-pumping line breaks. Crowley cleverly linked with Calvin Nash before bouncing to his feet as Craig Casey’s carry and soft pass drew Ange Capuozzo and opened the door to the tryline for his outhalf.
For a while, Ireland invited Italy into the game, in part through Lowe knocking on Casey’s pass off a stalled lineout maul and their wayward exits, both Casey and Lowe slicing kicks.
Even so, they were generally comfortable in defence, Joe McCarthy setting the tone when reading Niccolò Cannone’s telegraphed pull back to Paolo Garbisi by frogmarching him back 10 metres behind the gainline. Lowe also demonstrated his strength over the ball with a good steal after a Keenan tackle and Sheehan having charged down Stephen Varney, Ireland struck again in the 24th minute.
From a scrappy scrum and penalty advantages 40 metres out, Keenan took a sharp, penetrating out-in line off Crowley’s no-look short pass with Lowe a distracting decoy out angling out. Phases later, going left, Crowley drew two men to free his right hand with a round-the-corner offload to Henshaw, who also offloaded deftly for McCloskey to unselfishly put Sheehan over.
The third try was down entirely to the pack, as first they won another scrum penalty which Crowley kicked to the corner. Although Sheehan stumbled when accidentally tripped after breaking off from the catch-and-drive, the forwards kept it to themselves until Conan drove over.
The start of the second half was particularly sleepy as many of the replenished crowd gradually returned to their seats and Ireland gradually rediscovered their mojo. After a crooked Italian throw, another scrum penalty to the corner was the catalyst, Sheehan hitting Baird before being shepherded over the line by a phalanx of fellow forwards almost unopposed.
It looked as if Henshaw had the try his performance deserved with a strong finish through two tackles after Keenan had brilliantly latched on to Casey’s chip up the middle with a 50-metre break to spark a 20-phase attack. But the finish was ruled out for a double movement, and besides Sheehan had knocked-on short of the line when brilliantly denied in the corner by Varney.
[ Ireland 36 Italy 0: As it happenedOpens in new window ]
Keenan departed after receiving treatment, with Harry Byrne coming on and Crowley shifting to fullback, but despite this and an influx of replacements, Ireland’s attack retained its flow through another 10 phases before McCloskey hit Lowe on the edge with a lovely, square on skip pass. The winger had plenty to do, but with Garbisi offering a flimsy challenge and Capuozzo outmuscled, a quartet of Italians couldn’t stop the try.
There was another longueur but you always felt that Ireland had another try in them, and with two playmakers involved in another multiphase attack, sure enough a sixth followed. McCloskey’s wonderful offload in a congested midfield gave Crowley a second touch before linking with Jamison Gibson-Park, who deftly put Nash over for his second try in two Six Nations starts, Byrne even landing a touchline conversion, before Gibson-Park was denied by Garbisi in the last act.
By then thousands had left. Italian job done again.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 7 mins: Crowley try, 5-0; 24: Sheehan try, Crowley con, 12-0; 37: Conan try, Crowley con, 19-9; (half-time 19-0); 50: Sheehan try, 24-0; 61: Lowe try, 29-0; 77: Nash try, Byrne con, 36-0.
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan (Leinster); Calvin Nash (Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), James Lowe (Leinster); Jack Crowley (Munster), Craig Casey (Munster); Andrew Porter (Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht); Joe McCarthy (Leinster), James Ryan (Leinster); Ryan Baird (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster, capt), Jack Conan (Leinster).
Replacements: Jeremy Loughman (Munster) for Porter, Rónan Kelleher (Leinster) for Sheehan, Tom O’Toole (Ulster) for Bealham, Harry Byrne (Leinster) for Keenan (all 57 mins); Iain Henderson (Ulster) for Ryan (61); Jordan Larmour (Leinster) for Henshaw (64), Josh van der Flier (Leinster) for Baird (66); Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) for Casey (73).
ITALY: Ange Capuozzo (Toulouse); Lorenzo Pani (Zebre), Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton), Tommaso Menoncello (Benetton), Monty Ioane (Lyon), Paolo Garbisi (Montpellier), Stephen Varney (Gloucester): Danilo Fischetti (Zebre) Gianmarco Lucchesi (Benetton), Pietro Ceccarelli (Perpignan); Niccolò Cannone (Benetton), Federico Ruzza (Benetton); Alessandro Izekor (Benetton), Manuel Zuliani (Benetton), Michele Lamaro (Benetton).
Replacements: Giosuè Zilocchi (Benetton) for Ceccarelli (h-t); Mirco Spagnolo (Benetton) for Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera (Benetton) for Lucchesi (both 56 mins); Federico Mori (Bayonne) for Pani, Martin Page-Relo (Lyon) for Varney (both 57); Andrea Zambonin (Zebre) for Ruzza (63), Ross Vintcent (Exeter) for Zuliani (68). Not used: Tommaso Allan (Perpignan),.
Yellow card: Menoncello (56 mins).
Referee: Luke Pearce (Eng).
