Ireland responded to the French defeat in less than convincing fashion after they struggled for long spells to put Italy away and held on to win 22-17 in Rome on Super Saturday.
Man had hoped that after Grand Slam hopes were shelved following defeat to France that Ireland would bounce back in style and put pressure on France and England as they looked to become the first side to win three Six Nations Championship in-a-row. However that didn’t happen as Italy dominated for the bulk of the first-half, cutting through the Irish defence time and time again.
If wasn’t for Michele Lamaro’s yellow card before halftime and Ross Vincent’s 20-minute red card Ireland could’ve been in serious trouble and even with a one-man advantage for…