Ireland v Italy: Winners and losers as ‘questions loom’ over ‘sub-par’ Sam Prendergast while Azzurri scrum’s ‘merciless intent’ sends alarm bells ringing
Ireland players in a huddle with an inset of Italy players celebrating a try
Following Ireland’s 20-13 win over Italy at the Aviva Stadium, here are our key winners and losers from the Six Nations Test.
Winners
Stuart McCloskey
Another big effort from the Ulster centre, who looks right at home in the Green jersey. His fingerprints were all over this Ireland victory, with his aggressive carrying generating consistent front-foot ball to play from and then adding genuine playmaking skills with two clever assists.
He’s building a good string of Test performances together now, following on from his outing against the All Blacks back in November and then against France last time out, which will certainly please the head coach.
Jamie Osborne
Full-back seemed a major headache for Ireland heading into the Six Nations with Hugo Keenan ruled out with a broken thumb, but Jamie Osborne has certainly acted as Andy Farrell’s paracetamol to cure that. The Leinster back was a real thorn in Italy’s side across the 80 minutes, popping up in just the right places at just the right times to make a difference – proved perfectly by his try in the first-half.
Like McCloskey, this also came off the back of a decent outing against Les Bleus and he could quickly become a mainstay moving towards their impending rebuild.
Ireland bench
The Test was by no means out of reach when they arrived, but they certainly helped get their side on the front-foot and eventually over the line.
Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park, in particular, end with real credit. As individuals, they outperformed the players they replaced – metaphorically represented by Crowley’s record of two kicks from two the tee compared to Sam Prendergast’s tally of zero from two – but it was their work as unit that takes the spotlight with an injection of pace and control that was perhaps lacking previously.
Around them, the forward grouping also threw themselves into the battle up front and stemmed the flow of the Azzurri pack in the process. There were potentially some question marks over Farrell’s selection in this regard, but the bench proved him right in the end.
Italian pack
There really is a lot to like about the way the Italian pack go about their business, and both the starters and bench players really stood up with impressive efforts. They seemed to have the upper hand for the majority of the game across the park, particularly in the breakdown with Manuel Zuliani nabbing five turnovers alone, and they also enjoyed a decent day at the lineout and maul too.
But it was the scrum that deserves to take the headlines. Mirco Spagnolo sending Tadhg Furlong into the stratosphere was the highlight of their efforts, but that was just one example of outright dominance. They simply tore through their Irish counterparts with merciless intent from minute one to 80, building a consistent platform for their side to play from in the process.
Tommaso Menoncello
With Nacho Brex out of the starting side, there was a real emphasis on Menoncello and he willingly delivered by offering genuine ball-in-hand threat and quickly becoming his side’s go-to option in attack. Around that, this just felt like a really mature performance from the centre, one that shows just how important he is within this side and not just part of a double-act.
Undecided
Andy Farrell
A win is a win, for sure, but you still feel like there are some questions looming over his side. As mentioned last week, Italy are improving rapidly and certainly warranted more than just a losing bonus point, but this was yet another Test match where Farrell’s side could not explode into life.
There were signs of improvement, particularly in the tight, but it was an unconvincing win and an unconvincing performance that could lead to further changes.
By no means is he a loser, though, with his side getting their Six Nations campaign back on track. A win is certainly better than a loss.
Losers
Sam Prendergast
Is it time to take him out of the firing line? There is certainly a player in him, and he will only get better with time and experience, but this was a sub-par performance.
Ireland just struggled to make any real headway ball-in-hand when the Leinster man was at the helm, with the attack potentially a touch confused and lacking genuine identity. That was only put under the microscope further when Crowley entered the pitch and flipped that on its head with his desire to play at tempo.
There were also further defensive issues, missing four of his 12 tackle attempts, which only adds to the growing narrative surrounding him. You feel he really needs to make a statement at some point in this Six Nations. Playing Italy could so easily have been his time to do that, but it just didn’t quite happen.
Craig Casey
He was given a golden opportunity to emerge from Gibson-Park’s shadow, handed the starting shirt over the Leinster ace who took up a spot on the bench, but it again felt like one he missed. There were a few uncharacteristic errors dotted through his game, and copping the yellow card did not help his case much either, and that will sting.
Casey is so often the deputy in this scrum-half unit, and when he is given chances like this needs to take them with both hands. He is such a talented player, but this will frustrate him.
Ireland scrum
A week on from Paris, the Irish scrum came under the cosh as the Italians ripped through with ease. Yes, there is an injury crisis in the front-row, but even the vastly experienced Furlong found himself sent into orbit by the aggressive nature of the Azzurri pack.
The scrum is such a pivotal area of any Test, particularly in the Six Nations, but this is two Tests in succession where they have struggled to get any real foothold in that battle, and it could become a target.
England will certainly look to take them to the cleaners next weekend, given how good their scrum is right now. A quick fix is needed.