ITALY vs. IRELAND
This fixture last year had a much more relaxed feel for Ireland. Joe Schmidt’s men were steamrolling towards the Grand Slam, and this was just a dip in the camber of the road rather than a bump. Now, after losing to England, there appears to be a heightened level of safety in the team that’s going to have to come away from Rome with a bonus point or nothing.
If Ireland genuinely
No Joey Carbery…https://t.co/kZy7FQy11L
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) February 22, 2019
Losing Joey Carberry did mean they had to bring Sexton in, and having exhausted James Ryan in the first two he was worthy of a break, so some changes were routine, but some of the names in Ireland’s team sheet do scream genuine concern
For Italy, the loss of skipper Sergio Parisse isn’t a total disaster. The form Abraham Steyn has shown has been spectacular so far and he will only get better the more game time he gets. However, he’s no Parisse, and for the Azzurri, it’s a bit more than no Parisse no party.
Italy can beat a strong Ireland side, we saw them do just that in 2013, and although that doesn’t feel too far away, this is a whole new level of rugby from Ireland. Italy have shown slow but steady improvement despite not winning since 2015, and I keep saying a shock is on the horizon, but I can’t see that happening this weekend, because if you look at the last couple of seasons, this fixture has raked in some serious points for the Irish.
There’s not too much to say about this fixture, as we all know what to expect, which is a shame for Italy as we all want a fair contest. But I just can’t see it being this weekend that their fortunes are reversed. If these are my famous last words, and Italy beat Ireland, then I might have to pack these predictions in.