Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'It doesn't mean everything is fixed now': Six-try Ireland critique their Italian job

(Photo by PA)

Johnny Sexton has refused to allow the 48-10 Ireland win over Italy in Rome to be a reason to gloss over what was a disappointing February, Andy Farrell’s side getting beaten in their opening matches by Wales and France. It was the worst start to a championship by the Irish in 23 years as you had to go back to 1998 to find when they had last lost their opening two matches. 

ADVERTISEMENT

That sequence was ended at the Stadio Olimpico, Ireland putting Italy to the sword in the first half to lead 27-10 and securing their four-try bonus point just three minutes into the second half. 

However, they lost their way in attack after that and were unable to drive home their dominance against an indisciplined Italian outfit that at one stage coming down the finishing straight was down to 13 players following two yellow cards.   

Video Spacer

Nigel Owens guests on the latest RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson

Video Spacer

Nigel Owens guests on the latest RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson

Ireland will now complete their championship with games in six March days away to Scotland and at home to England and Sexton is hoping the opening half in Rome, where the Irish led 27-3 until conceding in first-half injury time, is a sign of better things to come.       

“Some brilliant stuff, especially first half,” said Ireland skipper Sexton. “It was very frustrating to concede just before half-time but our intent and our concentration and how clinical we were at times was very pleasing. Stuff that we were taught and did in training finally came out in glimpses today so I’m happy for everyone.

“If you think about the Wales game (a 16-21 defeat), we played with 14 men. We think we would have played like this (against Italy) in that game. We were frustrated after the French game (a 13-15 loss) in that the things we talked about during the week we didn’t deliver on. 

“That was the frustrating part and we will probably look back with regret in terms of we didn’t play to our potential and we didn’t execute the game plan as best we could. Each game was different and today was an accumulation of what we had coming together a little bit. 

ADVERTISEMENT

“It doesn’t mean everything is fixed now. We have got to keep improving and it’s a massive test ahead going to Murrayfield, it’s always incredibly tough, and then a six-day turnaround into England. It’s still all to do. If we can get results in our last couple of games it will be an okay championship. It will be one that might have been but we want to finish on a high. That is what we said after the French game.  

“It [Scotland away] will be a step up. To be honest I would just like to enjoy today… we’ll learn some things, what kept them [Italy] in the game in terms of our discipline. We definitely can’t do that over in Murrayfield.” 

Relieved under pressure coach Farrell added: “I’m really proud of the players. They have shown real character over the last couple of weeks. It’s not nice coming after two losses and waiting a couple of weeks to try and put that right. We talked about a test of character and they stayed strong, they stayed very united together and as a group, they all pulled together and showed leaderships in different ways.

“I thought we earned the right to score some points with the way we approached the game in the first half. I thought the attitude was top class. We approached the game in the right manner and we paid the game and Italy the right respect. We punched away in the first half and the game opened up in the end.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We know if we don’t get our own intensity right we don’t earn the right to score the tries we have today. That is what we did first and foremost. Does that prepare us well for Murrayfield? Look, we take a break now, we have got a weekend off and will prepare as best we can. 

“We have two weeks leading into this game and the question being asked in midweek was, ‘Are you on a hiding to nothing?’ Well, not for us because we judge our own performance and our performance and attitude was good today.”

Reflecting on injuries to Jordan Larmour, Tadhg Furlong, Ronan Kelleher and Dave Kilcoyne, Farrell said: “We need to assess in the morning [Sunday], especially after the flight home this evening. We’ll see how Jordan will pull up. He had a bit a tightness in his hip flexor so we had Keith (Earls) on early enough because we didn’t want to take a risk there. 

“Tadhg has just gone over his ankle but he seemed to walk off pretty well. Ronan has just got a dead calf so he is good, and Dave Kilcoyne failed his HIA but he is in good spirits in the changing room.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Cape Town | Leg 1 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 3 | France Week

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

k
kumar supriya 25 minutes ago
The wheelchair rugby team breaking barriers and changing lives

MY NAME IS SUPRIYA KUMAR FROM INDIA PLEASE FIND TIME TO READ THIS CAREFULLY.              AS WE ALL KNOW INDIA IS NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF MAGIC SO DO NOT IGNORE THIS. BE CAREFUL HERE, NOBODY CAN HELP YOU FROM AFRICA OR EVEN SUGGEST HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR EX OR LOVE BACK, ANY TESTIMONIES OF MOST SPELL CASTER FROM AFRICA HERE MUST BE IGNORED, BECAUSE MOST OF THEM ARE SCAM I MEAN REAL SCAM AND FROM AFRICA WHICH I WAS A VICTIM AND I GOT RIPPED OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BECAUSE I WAS SO ANXIOUS TO GET MY HUSBAND JOHN BACK AFTER HE LEFT ME FOR OVER 2YEARS WITH MY 3YEARS OLD SON JERRY,I HAVE APPLIED TO 7 DIFFERENT SPELL CASTER HERE I MET ON THIS BLOG AND ALL TO NO AVAIL THEY ALL ASK FOR SAME THING SEND YOUR NAME YOUR EX NAME ADDRESS AND PICTURE PHONE NUMBER ETC WHICH I DID OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND MOST OF THEM WERE FROM AFRICA, I WAS SO CONFUSED AND I WAS ALWAYS SICK BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND I WAS SO DESPERATE TO HAVE JOHN BACK TO ME I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND COULD DIE FOR HIM. UNTIL A FRIEND TOLD ME ABOUT THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS THE GREATEST SPELL TEMPLE, (templeofdreams1@gmail.com) TEMPLE OF BLACK AND WHITE (GOOD AND EVIL) IN INDIA, AND I DECIDED TO SEND A MAIL TO THE TEMPLE. THE SECRETARY TOLD ME THAT ALL MY PROBLEM ARE OVER SINCE I HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT INDIA FOR HELP, HE TOLD ME TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN ME AND MY EX HUSBAND JOHN AND I DID, I TOLD HIM ALL THAT HAPPENED FROM THE BEGINNING. AND HE SAID TO ME MY CHILD WHAT YOU JUST EXPLAINED TO ME NOW IS A LITTLE PROBLEM TO HANDLE COMPARE TO SERIOUS PROBLEMS THE TEMPLE HAS HANDLED, I WAS SO SHOCKED AND I SAID TO MY SELF WHAT PROBLEM COULD BE MORE SERIOUS THAN THIS. HE TOLD ME WHAT I NEEDED TO DO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT WHAT HE SAID LOOK SIMILAR TO WHAT I HAVE HEARD IN THE PAST(THAT I WAS TO PAY FOR THE ITEMS NEEDED), I WAS HAVING DOUBT ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF PAST EXPERIENCE, BUT I DECIDED TO TRY SINCE THE TEMPLE IS LOCATED IN INDIA (ASIA) AND NOT AFRICA (NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA) THEY COULD BE REAL AND DIFFERENT. SO I GAVE THEM 50% OF MY TRUST. THIS WAS LIKE A MAGIC AND DREAM COME TRUE TO ME, AFTER TWO DAYS WHEN THE SPELL HAS BEEN CASTEED, JOHN BEEPED MY PHONE AT ABOUT 9:PM I COULD NOT SLEEP THAT NIGHT BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE JOHN AND WANT HIM BACK. BY 7:AM THE NEXT MORNING HE GAVE ME ANOTHER  MISSED CALL I DECIDED NOT TO CALL BACK AS I WAS STILL ON SHOCK,   AT ABOUT 10:AM THAT MORNING HE CALLED AND I PICKED HE SAID CAN WE SEE AFTER WORK TODAY I SAID YES SO HE ENDED THE CALL IMMEDIATELY I GOT OFF WORK HE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME WERE TO MEET HIM, I WAS STILL ON SHOCK, BEHOLD WHEN I GOT THERE I SAW JOHN CRYING WITH TEARS ALL OVER HIS EYES, AND HE SAID TO ME MY WIFE, I AM SO SORRY IMMEDIATELY I HUGGED HIM AND KISSED HIM WHICH I HAVE MISSED ALL THIS YEARS. ALL THANK TO TEMPLE OF DREAMS. IF YOU ARE A MAN OR A WOMAN READING THIS AND YOU ARE PASSING THROUGH SIMILAR PROBLEMS LIKE MINE, DO NOT FAIL TO CONTACT THIS GREAT TEMPLE. HE IS REALLY INDEED A REAL SPELL CASTER.           THE WORST OF ALL IS THAT I DON’T KNOW THE PARTICULAR DOCTOR THAT HELPED ME AS I WAS TOLD THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 300 SPELL CASTERS WORKING IN THE TEMPLE, UNLIKE THE SINGLE SCAM DOCTORS IN AFRICA. I AM NO LONGER AFRAID OF THE SPELL CASTERS IN AFRICA BECAUSE THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS ASSURED AND GAVE ME HUNDRED PERCENT PROTECTION AND ALSO HELPED ME RECOVER 50% OF MY MONEY THAT I PAYED TO SCAMS FROM AFRICA SOME SERVICES RENDERED IN THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS (1) If you want your ex back. (2) To cure HIV/AID or related illness (3) You want to be promoted in your office. (4) You want women/men to run after you. (5) If you want a child. (6) Are you a contractor and you want to win contract (7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever. (8) If you need help spiritually. (9) How you been scammed and you want to recover you lost money.     (10)Stop Divorce (11)Invoking of Money Ritual (12)To verify if your online lover is real (13)To verify if your online loan is real (14)To be very brilliant (15)If you are looking for a good job (16)If you are old and want to look young (17) If you want to be free from threats of spell caster in AFRICA And many more.. Email... templeofdreams1@gmail.com  

0 Go to comments
k
kumar supriya 55 minutes ago
What to watch in women’s rugby: PWR, Super Rugby Women’s and more

MY NAME IS SUPRIYA KUMAR FROM INDIA PLEASE FIND TIME TO READ THIS CAREFULLY.              AS WE ALL KNOW INDIA IS NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF MAGIC SO DO NOT IGNORE THIS. BE CAREFUL HERE, NOBODY CAN HELP YOU FROM AFRICA OR EVEN SUGGEST HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR EX OR LOVE BACK, ANY TESTIMONIES OF MOST SPELL CASTER FROM AFRICA HERE MUST BE IGNORED, BECAUSE MOST OF THEM ARE SCAM I MEAN REAL SCAM AND FROM AFRICA WHICH I WAS A VICTIM AND I GOT RIPPED OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BECAUSE I WAS SO ANXIOUS TO GET MY HUSBAND JOHN BACK AFTER HE LEFT ME FOR OVER 2YEARS WITH MY 3YEARS OLD SON JERRY,I HAVE APPLIED TO 7 DIFFERENT SPELL CASTER HERE I MET ON THIS BLOG AND ALL TO NO AVAIL THEY ALL ASK FOR SAME THING SEND YOUR NAME YOUR EX NAME ADDRESS AND PICTURE PHONE NUMBER ETC WHICH I DID OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND MOST OF THEM WERE FROM AFRICA, I WAS SO CONFUSED AND I WAS ALWAYS SICK BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND I WAS SO DESPERATE TO HAVE JOHN BACK TO ME I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND COULD DIE FOR HIM. UNTIL A FRIEND TOLD ME ABOUT THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS THE GREATEST SPELL TEMPLE, (templeofdreams1@gmail.com) TEMPLE OF BLACK AND WHITE (GOOD AND EVIL) IN INDIA, AND I DECIDED TO SEND A MAIL TO THE TEMPLE. THE SECRETARY TOLD ME THAT ALL MY PROBLEM ARE OVER SINCE I HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT INDIA FOR HELP, HE TOLD ME TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN ME AND MY EX HUSBAND JOHN AND I DID, I TOLD HIM ALL THAT HAPPENED FROM THE BEGINNING. AND HE SAID TO ME MY CHILD WHAT YOU JUST EXPLAINED TO ME NOW IS A LITTLE PROBLEM TO HANDLE COMPARE TO SERIOUS PROBLEMS THE TEMPLE HAS HANDLED, I WAS SO SHOCKED AND I SAID TO MY SELF WHAT PROBLEM COULD BE MORE SERIOUS THAN THIS. HE TOLD ME WHAT I NEEDED TO DO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT WHAT HE SAID LOOK SIMILAR TO WHAT I HAVE HEARD IN THE PAST(THAT I WAS TO PAY FOR THE ITEMS NEEDED), I WAS HAVING DOUBT ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF PAST EXPERIENCE, BUT I DECIDED TO TRY SINCE THE TEMPLE IS LOCATED IN INDIA (ASIA) AND NOT AFRICA (NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA) THEY COULD BE REAL AND DIFFERENT. SO I GAVE THEM 50% OF MY TRUST. THIS WAS LIKE A MAGIC AND DREAM COME TRUE TO ME, AFTER TWO DAYS WHEN THE SPELL HAS BEEN CASTEED, JOHN BEEPED MY PHONE AT ABOUT 9:PM I COULD NOT SLEEP THAT NIGHT BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE JOHN AND WANT HIM BACK. BY 7:AM THE NEXT MORNING HE GAVE ME ANOTHER  MISSED CALL I DECIDED NOT TO CALL BACK AS I WAS STILL ON SHOCK,   AT ABOUT 10:AM THAT MORNING HE CALLED AND I PICKED HE SAID CAN WE SEE AFTER WORK TODAY I SAID YES SO HE ENDED THE CALL IMMEDIATELY I GOT OFF WORK HE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME WERE TO MEET HIM, I WAS STILL ON SHOCK, BEHOLD WHEN I GOT THERE I SAW JOHN CRYING WITH TEARS ALL OVER HIS EYES, AND HE SAID TO ME MY WIFE, I AM SO SORRY IMMEDIATELY I HUGGED HIM AND KISSED HIM WHICH I HAVE MISSED ALL THIS YEARS. ALL THANK TO TEMPLE OF DREAMS. IF YOU ARE A MAN OR A WOMAN READING THIS AND YOU ARE PASSING THROUGH SIMILAR PROBLEMS LIKE MINE, DO NOT FAIL TO CONTACT THIS GREAT TEMPLE. HE IS REALLY INDEED A REAL SPELL CASTER.           THE WORST OF ALL IS THAT I DON’T KNOW THE PARTICULAR DOCTOR THAT HELPED ME AS I WAS TOLD THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 300 SPELL CASTERS WORKING IN THE TEMPLE, UNLIKE THE SINGLE SCAM DOCTORS IN AFRICA. I AM NO LONGER AFRAID OF THE SPELL CASTERS IN AFRICA BECAUSE THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS ASSURED AND GAVE ME HUNDRED PERCENT PROTECTION AND ALSO HELPED ME RECOVER 50% OF MY MONEY THAT I PAYED TO SCAMS FROM AFRICA SOME SERVICES RENDERED IN THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS (1) If you want your ex back. (2) To cure HIV/AID or related illness (3) You want to be promoted in your office. (4) You want women/men to run after you. (5) If you want a child. (6) Are you a contractor and you want to win contract (7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever. (8) If you need help spiritually. (9) How you been scammed and you want to recover you lost money.     (10)Stop Divorce (11)Invoking of Money Ritual (12)To verify if your online lover is real (13)To verify if your online loan is real (14)To be very brilliant (15)If you are looking for a good job (16)If you are old and want to look young (17) If you want to be free from threats of spell caster in AFRICA And many more.. Email... templeofdreams1@gmail.com  

1 Go to comments
R
Rick Slocum 1 hour ago
Former All Black Craig Newby lands head coach role in England

I want to share my experience to help others avoid falling into the same trap. A few months ago, I was scammed by someone I trusted online.They promised to help me invest my money and make good profits, but everything turned out to be a lie. I lost a huge amount of money, and it felt like my whole world was crashing down.l almost gave up until I came across a legit recovery company online. PRO WIZARD GIlBERT RECOVERY. At first, I was scared to trust anyone again, but something told me to give them a chance. I contacted their customer service, and they were very professional and understanding. They guided me through every step of the process and assured me they would do their best to help me recover my lost money.After a few weeks of investigation, they tracked down the scammers and helped me recover all my money back to my account. I couldn't believe it — it felt like a miracle! I'm sharing this to let everyone know that there are still legit companies out there like  PRO WIZARD GIlBERT RECOVERY  helping victims of online scams. If you're in the same situation, don't give up. Always verify the company before trusting anyone. I'm forever grateful for their help, and I highly recommend them to anyone going through the same thing. Get in touch with them with the information below:  

Email: (prowizardgilbertrecovery(@)engineer.com

Telegram: https://t.me/Pro_Wizard_Gilbert_Recovery

Homepage:  https://prowizardgilbertrecovery.info

3 Go to comments
A
AnastasiaPenova 2 hours ago
Italy player ratings vs France | 2025 Six Nations

It’s hard to imagine the frustration and helplessness a 65-year-old person with limited computer skills must feel when facing the aftermath of a crypto scam. Recovering a hacked trading wallet can feel like a nightmare, especially when every step seems to lead you into an endless loop of failed solutions. That’s exactly what I went through over the past four weeks. After my trading wallet was compromised, the hacker changed my email address, password, and even removed my phone number from the account. In a last-ditch effort, I turned to Google and stumbled upon a review about MUYERN TRUST HACKER. I was skeptical, like anyone would be in my position. But the glowing reviews, especially from people with similar experiences, gave me a glimmer of hope. Despite my doubts, I decided to reach out to them for assistance. The team at MUYERN TRUST HACKER immediately put me at ease. The fact that they were willing to schedule a 25-minute session to help me properly secure my account after recovery was invaluable. Today, I’m grateful to say that my stolen crypto has been fully recovered, and my account is secure again. This experience has taught me that sometimes, even when you feel like all hope is lost, there’s always a way to fight back. Reach out to MUYERN TRUST HACKER. Even if you’ve already tried everything, their expertise and persistence might just be the solution you need. telegram at muyerntrusthackertech or web: ht tps :// muyerntrusthacker . o r g for faster response.

6 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Top 6 demand contributes to Championship clubs' imminent Cup exit Top 6 demand contributes to Championship clubs' imminent Cup exit
Search