Italy arrived in Dublin in a positive mood after a narrow loss to England in Rome. They left completely overwhelmed by Ireland’s heavy machinery. The hosts’ hooker Dan Sheehan scored twice, just as they did when they sealed the Grand Slam last season, and the versatile Ireland backline was as precise and punishing as ever.
Italy were outgunned in every aspect, suffering a series of scrum penalties, while Gonzalo Quesada’s side were unable to defend against the attacks often unleashed by Andy Farrell’s ruthless side. The hosts’ performance was such that Italy’s performance should arguably be judged on more winnable games. Ireland are two wins from two, with Wales next at home, while France went out in completely dominant fashion on the opening weekend.
Against Steve Borthwick’s England at the Stadio Olimpico, Italy’s defenders were given the space to showcase their skills, but there was no such advantage here. They started well, though, and had a chance to take the lead from the penalty spot when Robbie Henshaw was penalized. Paolo Garbisi made a terrible mistake on the tee, and Quesada may have been questioning his decision not to start Tommaso Allen.
Ireland soon calmed down with a brilliant score from Jack Crawley: not only was this the Munster’s first try for Ireland, it was also his first for the senior team. The former half-back linked up well with his centre-back partner Craig Casey and showed impressive tenacity to allow himself to be relieved within seven minutes.
Joe McCarthy, star of Ireland’s crushing victory in Marseille, scored under pressure from James Lowe before Ireland once again closed in on the Azzurri try line, stepping out of the defense and scoring The brush with Garbisi showed wisdom and strength. The wing answered his own question shortly after with a powerful, hard-fought turnover.
Seemingly to emphasize Ireland’s physical superiority, Sheehan chose to run straight through Italian defender Angie Capuozzo just outside the try line. The score was 10-0 at the time, and soon Crowley used his skills to make it 12-0. The no-look pass that launched the attack looked a bit forward for the onrushing Hugo Keenan, but there was no doubt that Keenan once again found delightful sympathy at the short side to create space for Sheehan.
Ireland’s next score was less of a mix of silk and steel and more of heavy artillery: Sheehan collected the ball behind the rolling hammer, which gained momentum after Lowe added his weight. Jack Conan lands on the 8th. The score was 19-0 at half-time and Italy, despite their best efforts, were once again faced with merely trying to limit the damage in the second 40 minutes.
Italy’s chaos was collapsing and a recent penalty against them earned Ireland a bonus point 10 minutes after half-time. Sheehan had the ball again on a hard hit, a shot that was worryingly easy from the perspective of Quesada and his assistants. After Keenan’s onslaught in midfield, a fine tackle from Stephen Varney saw Sheen miss out on his hat-trick in the corner.
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Henshaw stumbled, his double being denied, perhaps by a harsh touch. With a quarter of the game remaining, the score was still 24-0 and it was 29-0 when Lowe raced down the left wing, ignoring Monty Ioane’s attention and forcing his way through.
Exeter’s Ross Vintcent came on as a substitute with just over 10 minutes remaining on his first international appearance, but the game was long over. Ireland will face Wales in Dublin 13 days later, Scotland host England on the same day and Italy travel to Lille to face France.
Wales’ defeat in Saturday’s nail-biting clash with England was a result that upended the Six Nations’ recent theme – while Scotland’s heroic defeat to France was a forgettable one for Gregor Townsend’s side Familiar feeling. Ireland beat Italy at home? There is no doubt about this.
