Italy player ratings v Ireland: Azzurri dazzle with ‘Prosecco rugby’ but ‘moments of stupidity’ cost Quesada’s side
Tommaso Menoncello (centre) with an inset of Ross Vintcent (left)
Following Italy’s 22-17 defeat to Ireland in the final round of the 2025 Six Nations, here is how we scored Gonzalo Quesada’s men in Rome.
Italy player ratings v Ireland
15 Tommaso Allan: Tidy if unspectacular from Allan. Did a good job under the high ball when called upon, added that extra link when needed in attack and was once again ice-cold from the tee. 6
14 Ange Capuozzo: Just looked very dangerous whenever he got the ball, as we’ve come to expect from him really. His elusive, mazy running and ability to react to any situation saw him make some very nice dents through the line. Stephen Varney probably owes him a pint after stealing what would have been a special solo score. 7
13 Juan Ignacio Brex: A performance worthy of the captain’s armband, who was as solid as ever on both sides of the ball. Whenever he injected himself into the game, things seemed to work very well for the Azzurri. 7
12 Tommaso Menoncello: Ridiculous yet again from the classy Italian centre. He just managed to consistently make things happen for his side, notably creating the chance for Monty Ioane’s opener, and again combined incredibly well with Brex. 8
11 Monty Ioane: A game of two halves from the winger. Was used a lot in the first-half, to very good effect too as he nabbed a try and offered a threat, but was later starved of possession in the second 40. 6
10 Paolo Garbisi: A very mature performance from the fly-half, who just orchestrated his side around beautifully. His inch-perfect grubber-kick sent Ioane in for their opening try, and again combined well with the rest of his backline to get them purring in attack. Crucially, though, he looked to play when it was actually on rather than just playing joue joue for the sake of it. 7
9 Martin Page-Relo: Simply delicious from the scrum-half, who got the Italians playing some remarkable Prosecco rugby. His eye for a gap saw him slice through the Ireland defence with ease on multiple occasions, and he always looked to make something happen. A real shame to see him limping off in the second-half. 8
Back-row
8 Lorenzo Cannone: Had a very strong Championship this year, but it ended on a sour note with an injury in the first-half. N/A
7 Manuel Zuliani: He was the main talking point of Quesada’s selection, given he came in for the captain Michele Lamaro, but he more than warranted his call-up into the starting XV. Got through heaps of work around the park, particularly at the breakdown, and just carried his good form on from the rest of this Championship. 7
6 Sebastian Negri: Typically industrious throughout his shift, but came off in the first-half with a calf injury. N/A
Tight five
5 Federico Ruzza: Just worked very hard against a solid Irish pack, and never shied away from the ugly stuff. 6
4 Dino Lamb: Only just returned to the side after missing Italy’s previous two Tests, but picked up a nasty shoulder injury and came off after just 18 minutes. N/A
3 Simone Ferrari: Had the better of Andrew Porter in the scrum for most of his shift, and probably should have got more reward from it in fairness. Decent around the park too. 7
2 Gianmarco Lucchesi: Mixed bag at the lineout again, which might be put down to the disruption in the pack. Fine otherwise, but the lineout should be a given for a Test hooker. 5
1 Danilo Fischetti: Like Ferrari, you felt Fischetti won his scrummaging battle against Finlay Bealham, but later struggled to manage Tadhg Furlong upon his entry. Solid around the park though. 6
Replacements: For 90% of the game, the bench were pretty decent, but three moments of stupidity have cost Quesada’s side a famous Roman conquering. The first came from Lamaro, demoted to the bench for Zuliani today, as he cynically swatted the ball out of Jamison Gibson-Park’s hands. During his period off the pitch, Ireland asserted their dominance with two scores. Later, Ross Vintcent found himself handed a yellow card, which was later upgraded to a red upon review, which again saw Ireland cross. Just as Italy were threatening to score late on – which could have won them the game – Giacomo Nicotera copped another brainless yellow for an illegal clearout.
Again, for 90% of the time they were fine, especially considering a lot of them came on earlier than anticipated, but these two incidents just saw the game completely turn on its head. 2