Champions Make Rusty Start

Ireland's Italian Job didn't finish with the team coach hanging over a mountain top and the green self-preservation society did enough to emerge with maximum points from their hit-and-run heist in Rome. However the triumph was scarcely anything to write home about. Perhaps Ireland are now victims of their own success. Once upon a time a 23-point winning margin away to dogged Italy would have been perceived as a great result, but the champions toiled terribly for the first hour before they eventually put this fixture to bed. 

Even English pundit Brian Moore quipped that the rainbow over the proceedings was considerably more colourful than anything on the pitch beneath.

Therefore, it is a classic case of glass half full, glass half empty. Ireland did not win with style nor run Italy ragged, but restricting their opponents to a mere three points and winning with a margin of 23 points was a considerable achievement. At this early stage in the tournament, it is difficult to know how good or insufficient a 23-point gap will prove to be if the championship ends up being decided by a points differential comparison with another team.

Coach Joe Schmidt is absolutely correct in stating that his players will have to go up at least one level when France come to town on Saturday. The hot and cold French stumbled past Scotland but they are capable of anything. Ireland may be boosted by the return of Healy, Heaslip, O'Brien, and Sexton which will provide them with ample quality. If the hosts play their best rugby, they will win. If their efforts are mediocre for a second successive week, they cannot expect France to be as impotent as the Italians.

Finally, the Italian adventure will be fondly remembered by a trio of Munster players. Conor Murray belatedly opened the try-scoring account halfway through the second half. His provincial colleague Tommy O'Donnell soon added another try with a fine individual effort, while Ian Keatley kicked fourteen points on his Six Nations debut. It wasn't a bad day at the office, but Ireland have hit such heights over the last year that an average performance becomes much more noticeable and open to criticism from people who now expect so much from the promising Irish. Still, it's one out of one and a grand slam, championship, and triple crown are still available to the men in green.

Italy 3 IRELAND 26; at Rome; Saturday February the 7th 2015

15 Kearney

14 Bowe

13 Payne

12 Henshaw

11 Zebo

10 Keatley (4 penalties, 1 conversion) replaced by Madigan (1 conversion)

9 Murray (TRY)

8 Murphy

7 O'Donnell (TRY)

6 O'Mahony

5 O'Connell [captain]

4 Toner

3 Ross

2 Best

1 McGrath