6 Nations 2017: Italy v Ireland, 11th February

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ITALY v IRELAND
Date: Saturday 11 February 2017
Kick Off: 2:25pm (GMT)
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

TV Coverage: Live on ITV

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Angus Gardner (Australia) & Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)

Italy: 15-Edoardo Padovani, 14-Angelo Esposito, 13-Tommaso Benvenuti, 12-Luke Mclean, 11-Giovanbattista Venditti, 10-Carlo Canna, 9-Edoardo Gori; 1-Andrea Lovotti, 2-Leonardo Ghiraldini, 3-Lorenzo Cittadini, 4-Marco Fuser, 5-Andries Van Schalkwyk, 6-Maxime Mbanda, 7-Simone Favaro, 8-Sergio Parisse,

Replacements: 16-Ornel Gega, 17-Sami Panico, 18-Dario Chistolini, 19-George Biagi, 20-Abraham Steyn, 21-Giorgio Bronzini, 22-Tommaso Allan, 23-Michele Campagnaro.

Ireland: 15-Rob Kearney, 14-Keith Earls, 13-Garry Ringrose, 12-Robbie Henshaw, 11-Simon Zebo, 10-Paddy Jackson, 9-Conor Murray; 1-Cian Healy, 2-Rory Best (captain), 3-Tadhg Furlong, 4-Donnacha Ryan, 5-Devin Toner, 6-CJ Stander, 7-Sean O'Brien, 8-Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: 16-Niall Scannell, 17-Jack McGrath, 18-John Ryan, 19-Ultan Dillane, 20-Josh van der Flier, 21-Kieran Marmion, 22-Ian Keatley, 23-Craig Gilroy.

Full credit to Ireland, ruthless in attack and their pack carried like a group of monsters.

Italy though

rodders wrote:I agree Rapid but I'd extend that across the backs,...

Yeah I agree totally, I didn't make myself very clear. The reason why Sexton's presence is needed is because we don't have anyone else like him.

The first half against Scotland was crying out for leaders, Sexton could maybe have turned things around a bit earlier.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Full credit to Ireland, ruthless in attack and their pack carried like a group of monsters.

Italy though

It was surprising how bad Italy were, they looked at times like they couldn't be bothered which is strange given their coaches

marty2086 wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Full credit to Ireland, ruthless in attack and their pack carried like a group of monsters.

Italy though

It was surprising how bad Italy were, they looked at times like they couldn't be bothered which is strange given their coaches

Personally I think O'Shea is very over rated. Think he has won one AP as manager (for Quins?) and nothing else. Italy look like they are going backwards.

1. Ireland were out to prove a point after Scotland. Italy were in the wrong place at the wrong time. NZ did it to Italy as well after the Ireland turned them over in Chicago.

2. The 2 teams that supply the bulk of the Italian team are adrift at the bottom of the pro 12

I'm not that surprised. Maybe a little because it happened in Rome.

I fear Italy will get a nasty hammering against England at home.

GunsGermsV2 wrote:

marty2086 wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Full credit to Ireland, ruthless in attack and their pack carried like a group of monsters.

Italy though

It was surprising how bad Italy were, they looked at times like they couldn't be bothered which is strange given their coaches

Personally I think O'Shea is very over rated. Think he has won one AP as manager (for Quins?) and nothing else. Italy look like they are going backwards.

Nope won the Challenge Cup too and were runners up last year when Botica in rather dodgy circumstances kicked the ball to his future team mates to help them out, he also won a few Anglo Welsh trophies too.

Winning the AP was no mean feat given the competitiveness of it

They have gone backwards but given the number of changes they have made and they are seriously lacking in experience

A lot of the next generation of players are a bit too polite for my liking. Extremely talented, but I don't see the next POC, POM or Sexton type leaders. I still think we miss POM's leadership on the pitch and I hope he comes into the fray for the rest of the competition. Maybe Sean O'Brien MkII, he looks to be an abrasive character.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:A lot of the next generation of players are a bit too polite for my liking. Extremely talented, but I don't see the next POC, POM or Sexton type leaders. I still think we miss POM's leadership on the pitch and I hope he comes into the fray for the rest of the competition. Maybe Sean O'Brien MkII, he looks to be an abrasive character.

:OK:Sometimes you need a mouthy, moany, whinging basterde to keep the emotion going as much as the rhythms - emotion can be adrenaline.  You mightn't need it in the second half against Italy but you need a certain angry fire in the big games.

Judging by the player mic that was hooked up to Stander at one point during a Munster game, I'd say he's a natural talker and motivator.  Maybe it's not demonstrative that you can detect it by just looking at a group of players in the distance, but he's talking and punching all the time - talking and punching.
I like Sexton's grim reaper face too.  He lets the players around him know that they're in a serious game right here and best be playing that way.  It helps sustain alertness.
Heaslip seems to be another player that if things are looking like crumbling he at least attempts a circle of the wagons and get some intensity back in the ranks.

I know Schmidt's side operates more on techniques and patterns but a bit of Paulie teeth-knashing epic angry war hero stuff wouldn't go amiss at times either

SecretFly wrote:
Judging by the player mic that was hooked up to Stander at one point during a Munster game, I'd say he's a natural talker and motivator.  Maybe it's not demonstrative that you can detect it by just looking at a group of players in the distance, but he's talking and punching all the time - talking and punching.

That is all well and good but CJ has a very strong Saffer accent and is almost impossible to understand when he gets excited

eirebilly wrote:

SecretFly wrote:
Judging by the player mic that was hooked up to Stander at one point during a Munster game, I'd say he's a natural talker and motivator.  Maybe it's not demonstrative that you can detect it by just looking at a group of players in the distance, but he's talking and punching all the time - talking and punching.

That is all well and good but CJ has a very strong Saffer accent and is almost impossible to understand when he gets excited

Who give's a schidt! I was laughing at his eagerness and his desire to keep hitting "Go for him, he doesn't like being hit!"

Very useful to have a run out like that after the irritation of the first half in Edinburgh. Yes, it was an exercise against witches' hats but the drilling looked first class and it would have taken a very good side to stop Ireland on Saturday.

Can't imagine the French being as obliging next time out but if our decision-making is as sharp as against Italy, we should be OK. This campaign is starting to look like Wales's in 2013. Atrocious first half of the championship, greatly improved second half but still a loss. After that, though...

Absolutely wouldn't be starting Sexton against the French, by the way, officially fit or not. The French are going to be lining him up, fairly or unfairly, just as they did last year, and I won't be be too delighted to see him going off after half an hour, holding a shoulder or some other part of his anatomy.

The French will be their usually physical self as Im sure the Scottish can attest to today, Laidlaw, Barclay and Hardie all off injured within 41 mins and Strauss was barely standing at the end

I didn't see the very start of the Scottish/French game and was surprised to see no Laidlaw but didn't want to ask any 606 people at the time as they were hot into the game that was happening.

Was Laidlaw seriously injured?

Foot in a medical boot and he was on crutches - you'd have to doubt that he'll be fit in a fortnight. Very serious butcher's bill all round, according to the France v Scotland thread.

Yeah France Vs Scotland was not a pretty sight.

This whole "get me a freak" mentality of the talent scouts in the top 14 seems to be rubbing off on the French national side. I've not seen such a physical battering in the 6N for quite some time.

Laidlaw went off around 24 mins and we had 5 HIAs only 1 of which (Dunbar) was declared fit to return. The contact area was fierce.

You'll need your meaty forwards at their best to contain that French pack.

I'm looking forward to the scrum battle though, that one will be interesting. If POM is fit I'd pick him in a couple of weeks. With home advantage I reckon ireland will win.

The French also played the ref very well. The last quarter Scotland needed to keep the ball alive as much as possible to work those huge forwards around the park. The French very cleverly broke the game up with penaltys and were happy to knock the ball on since every scrum resulted in a French penalty anyway.

All in all a tough day at the office for Scotland.

heard Nige will ref Ireland-France? if that's true, that's about as worst as it gets for France and better not even bother to get some sort of scrum advantage.

I was wondering where Nigel Owens was. Hadn't really detected him reffing any match yet? Had he? Thought they might have been giving him a 6N off...him getting on and all

I've never seen a French team get anything out of Nigel Owens - apart from in the Champions Cup, when it was two French sides playing each other....

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:I've never seen a French team get anything out of Nigel Owens - apart from in the Champions Cup, when it was two French sides playing each other....

Shush Luckless. We don't want tempting fate by pointing out such things. Just let Nige do his thing.

whocares wrote:heard Nige will ref Ireland-France? if that's true, that's about as worst as it gets for France and better not even bother to get some sort of scrum advantage.

Yeah scrumming legally will be a huge disadvantage to France

SecretFly wrote:I was wondering where Nigel Owens was.  Hadn't really detected him reffing any match yet?  Had he?  Thought they might have been giving him a 6N off...him getting on and all

He was reffing the Ulster game at the weekend and hanging out in one of his several Irish holiday homes, didn't have to buy a pint the whole weekend according to reports.

I hope it works. But Nige is a stickler for non-biased reffing. He'll drink all the drink but still let the buyers know "This doesn't mean I'm going to let you get a try bonus point. All I'm promising is the win."