A Roman Holiday Jaunt for Ireland as Sorry Italy Surrender nine Tries

A DETERMINED and fluent Ireland ripped a desperately poor Italian side to shreds in Rome with an irresistible nine-try display which yielded hat-tricks for CJ Stander and replacement wing Craig Gilroy, the latter’s taking just 14 minutes.

- Brendan Gallagher

For the Irish it was a record Championship win and very much put their Six Nations campaign back on track after losing first up in Scotland last week. Pre-tournament favourites in the eyes of many, they needed to get straight back on the horse and could scarcely have achieved that in more impressive style.

For Italy, however, it was a deeply worrying display and will only reignite the debate over Six Nations promotion and relegation.

Still supposedly fresh in just the second round, this was one of their worst Six Nations performances in history. Their once feisty and competitive forwards have morphed into a powder puff pack.

Italy’s tactics were also bizarre, deliberately not kicking for touch – where clearly they didn’t fancy their chances – but simply feeding Ireland’s dangerous broken field players with a succession of ill-directed punts. That was always going to end in tears yet they continued it until the bitter end.

With England and France away in quick succession you now truly fear for Italy. Of course as rugby fans you sympathise as well, the odds are horribly stacked against them, but the truth is they are going backwards at an alarming rate of knots.

Ireland meanwhile look in excellent shape. They played with a precision and intensity in a first half that spoke of a side disgusted with the way they started against Scotland last week when they were badly left in the blocks.

As was the case at Murrayfield last week there was a late disruption to contend with, this time the withdrawal of skipper Rory Best with a bug rather than a traffic delay, but on this occasion nothing was going to distract them. The correct focus was in place.