James Ryan built on his performance off the bench in Paris with an excellent hard-nosed display having been entrusted with the start against Italy. The 69 minutes before being replaced by debutant Edwin Edogbo properly represented his talent, his selflessness on behalf of the team coupled with a feisty presence that agitated and irritated the Italian players.
It was specifically Ryan’s carrying game that was so important in getting Ireland over the gainline, a prime example in the build-up to Jamie Osborne’s try. His footwork in contact allowed him to win collisions against multiple tacklers and those precious metres enabled his team to work off front-foot possession at the breakdown. It also served as a reminder of how…