Ireland v Italy preview: Hosts to continue to build momentum ahead of Rugby World Cup
Ireland's Jack Crowley and Italy's Paolo Garbisi.
Ireland will get their Rugby World Cup on-field preparations underway when they face Italy in their opening warm-up match at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Riding high after their Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year, the world’s top-ranked side will be eager to continue to build momentum ahead of September.
While they are billed as one of the favourites for Rugby World Cup glory, some still question whether the Irish can finally go deep in the global competition.
Indeed, it’s been a disappointing history for the men in green as not once have they made it past the quarter-finals, something they simply must do in 2023.
Ordinarily, that would be a given for World Rugby’s number one side, but such is the cruel – and still baffling draw – even that will take a Herculean effort.
All Ireland can do right now, however, is carry on tracking on an upward curve as Andy Farrell looks to continue their progress since he took over the reins.
Farrell, like every Rugby World Cup coach, also has the tough job of trimming his squad down to 33 players, which is another subplot to this game in Dublin.
For Italy, they will be looking to spring a shock against either France or New Zealand during next month’s pool stages, and a win on Saturday would be a massive confidence booster ahead of the tournament, with head coach Kieran Crowley looking to sign off as Azzurri boss on a positive note.
Where the game will be won
We expect a match high in tempo and physicality, so winning the contact on the gainline will be key, while the execution of plays will also have a bearing on the result. Both sets of half-backs relish a quick game, and with mobile forwards on show, it’s going to be who is the most clinical side that comes out on top.
Last time they met
What they said
Farrell has challenged his team to hit the ground running against Italy this week, rubbishing the term ‘warm-up’ in these Rugby World Cup preparation games.
“First match, and we expect to be at our best; that’s the pressure that we put ourselves under. Do we achieve that? Not always, so that’s a challenge, but it’s no excuse. This is a test match for us,” he said.
“People can talk about it being a warm-up game, but there’s no ‘warm-up game’ when you’re playing at Aviva Stadium for Ireland, whether that’s the first game of the series or not. This is a test match that we’ll judge our players on.”
Meanwhile, Italy head coach Crowley was also expecting a solid outing from his troops as they look to bounce back after last week’s 25-13 loss to Scotland.
“The match against Ireland will be a new, important test in preparation for the World Cup,” he told the Italian Rugby Federation’s website.
“Other players will have the chance to play a top-level international Test match facing the world’s first-ranked team. The focus will be on our performance.”
Players to watch
Jack Crowley‘s stock has risen significantly over the past 12 months, and his performances for Munster have likely propelled him into a long and fruitful Test career. He gets a big chance to throw down another marker in the fly-half jersey on Saturday, and a strong showing could nudge him ahead of Ross Byrne in the pecking order. Of course, he first wants to lock down a place in Ireland’s Rugby World Cup squad ahead of Ciaran Frawley, but on form, he surely must travel.
Elsewhere we are intrigued to see how Caelan Doris fares on the openside in what is only his second professional game in that jersey. Ireland are well stocked in back-up blindsides who are hybrid lock/back-rows, but a solid deputy to Josh van der Flier is lacking somewhat. Peter O’Mahony has featured there on occasion, and we expect the multi-talented Doris to slot in seamlessly this weekend, forming a hardened ball-carrying trio of back-row players named as starters.
For Italy, the focus will no doubt be on England-born debutants Paolo Odogwu and Dino Lamb, who have been named in their starting team in Dublin.
Former Sale and Wasps player Odogwu, who trained with his native country during Eddie Jones’ tenure without being capped, has been selected on the right wing. Ireland will be punished if they give him an inch, as Odogwu has scored some memorable tries in the past at club level, and it’s pleasing to see him earn a cap.
The same can be said of Harlequins’ former England U20 international Lamb, who will start in the second-row, with both players eager to book a World Cup spot.
Keith Earls has been doing this his whole life 💨💨💨@KeithEarls87 #SUAF 🔴 pic.twitter.com/9ZSiuZhX7X
— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) August 3, 2023
Main head-to-head
Several individual battles catch the eye, but one that stands out to us comes on the wing, where Keith Earls goes up against Monty Ioane. Both are back in the international fold after hiatuses – Earls due to injury and Ioane for personal reasons – but are top-class players that never let their team down.
Earls’ form on his return to provincial action with Munster after such a long period sidelined towards the end of the season was staggering as he helped them claim United Rugby Championship glory. He now has a shot at one final World Cup outing, while for Ioane, he’s a threat every time he gets his hands on the ball.
In the forward pack, we are equally excited to see Ryan Baird lock horns with Sebastian Negri on the blindside flank. Baird is a special player whose power, speed and skill-set are a joy to watch, and he will be keen to prove his worth as a squad option ahead of Farrell’s tournament squad announcement.
Negri, meanwhile, is arguably even more destructive as a ball carrier – as many opposition defences have discovered – and will want to impose himself on Ireland.
Prediction
Italy have last week’s run-out in their locker, which will stand them in good stead in Dublin as they look to catch an unfamiliar Ireland side cold on Saturday. However, there is sufficient talent in the team and quality back-up on the bench to guide the Irish past the Azzurri. Ireland to win by 18 points.
Previous results
2023: Ireland won 34-20 in Rome
2022: Ireland won 57-6 in Dublin
2021: Ireland won 48-10 in Rome
2020: Ireland won 50-17 in Dublin
2019: Ireland won 29-10 in Dublin
2019: Ireland won 26-16 in Rome
2018: Ireland won 54-7 in Chicago
2018: Ireland won 56-19 in Dublin
The teams
Ireland: 15 Jimmy O’Brien, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Caelan Doris, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Iain Henderson (c), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Rob Herring, 1 David Kilcoyne
Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Tadhg Beirne, 20 Cian Prendergast, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Calvin Nash
Italy: 15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Paolo Odogwu, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza (c), 4 Dino Lamb, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Niccolo Cannone, 20 Michele Lamaro, 21 Lorenzo Cannone, 22 Alessandro Fusco, 23 Lorenzo Pani
Date: Saturday, August 5
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 20:00 BST (19:00 GMT)
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (France), Luc Ramos (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
