Ireland storm past the Azzurri
Declan Kidney will be a relieved man this morning, comforted by the margin of victory over Italy in Dublin yesterday. Getting the result was all important after a loss to Wales and the postponement in France. There were nervous moments in the first half but in the end it was a routine win, 42-10 for Ireland. Tommy Bowe grabbed a brace of tries whilst man-of-the-match Sexton accumulated 17 points in an almost flawless goal-kicking display. Also on the score sheet were Tom Court, Andrew Trimble and Keith Earls who had opened the Irish scoring with a close range finish inside twenty minutes.
There is a feeling that the final margin of victory reflected more Italian shortcomings than any brilliance on the part of Ireland. The Azzurri, like their national anthem prior to kick-off, appeared to stop playing at a crucial time, allowing Ireland to turn the screw in the second half and record a comfortable victory. Had the Italians managed to hold Ireland to 10 points apiece at half-time, the second half could conceivably have been a much tighter affair. As it was, Italy shipped a soft try to Tommy Bowe immediately after having scored themselves through Sergio Parisse. The Irish were far more comfortable with that cushion going into the break, and were then able to kick on closing out the match in convincing fashion as the Azzurri opposition wilted.
Perhaps fearing the consequences of taking one too many risks, Kidney unsurprisingly chose to stick with the same starting 15 and replacements he intended to face France in Paris. This meant Donnacha O'Callaghan retaining his starting place ahead of his Munster team mate Ryan. It also meant an unchanged back-row despite the difficulties they faced versus Wales. Andrew Trimble and Gordon D'Arcy were retained in the backs and Keith Earls would finally deputise for O'Driscoll in the centre with Tommy Bowe preferred on the wing. Kidney will have been looking for an improvement on the Welsh performance, and whilst the opposition clearly weren't of the same calibre there were notable performances across the playing field.
The outstanding performance in the backline came from Rob Kearney who looks every bit a British and Irish Lion. The Leinster fullback was a powerful presence in the game, running excellent lines and regularly breaking the first and second tackle. His confidence under the high ball was equally as impressive. Obviously Tommy Bowe deserves a mention for his tries, but he was also keen to be involved throughout, coming of his wing and forcing Italy to scramble on several occasions. On the other wing Trimble, although less involved than Bowe, had been running good support lines without much joy. His patience told however, as the Ulster wing ran in a late score from over halfway.
One player in need of a performance this weekend was Gordon D'Arcy. He had struggled with the physicality of the Welsh backline, and looked ineffective in attack. Yesterday was an improvement, defensively and with the ball in hand. He made one clean break during the opening period and proved evasive in the tight. Keith Earls bagged a try and didn't let anyone down at thirteen, but tougher tasks lie ahead. France are certainly a step up, and Earls may struggle defensively particularly if Ireland choose to deploy a drift defence. On this weekends showing however, he deserves to keep the shirt.
His place kicking aside, which was impeccable until a near miss at the end, Jonny Sexton had a solid afternoon. Ireland could arguably have played smarter territorially in the first half but generally Sextons play was sound with his pass which put Bowe in for a second try timed to perfection. In contrast, his half-back partner had a more challenging afternoon. Truth be told, Murray didn't do a lot wrong, but his delivery was generally slower than should be expected and he was caught in possession on more than one occasion. Eoin Reddan brought a spark to the game when he was introduced midway through the second half, but Murray should be worth sticking with in the long run.
It's been said before, but in the back-row Ireland have three devastatingly powerful ball carriers. They lack the required balance to work as a truly world class unit but against Italy this was never likely to hinder the team. Stephen Ferris was the pick of the trio this weekend, whilst Peter O'Mahony made his first appearance coming on for O'Brien after an hour. Ferris carried the ball magnificently and was directly involved in both Tommy Bowe scores. Was the Ulsterman motivated by an attempt to atone for his alleged 'tip-tackle' which cost Ireland against the Welsh?
Donnacha Ryan was given a further twenty minutes alongside O'Connell in the second-row, yet in that time he managed to show more than O'Callaghan had in an hour. Ryan and his captain linked well in the loose whilst the lineout suffered no ill effects with Rory Bests darts generally on target. Ryan has an excellent temperament and looks more experienced than he actually is. He doesn't look at all phased to be playing at this level and it's only a matter of time before he finds himself in that starting jersey. The front-row struggled with the Italian opposition at times, but with scrums essentially a lottery at the moment there isn't too much cause for concern, providing the first choice all stay fit and healthy.
Ireland head back to Paris to fulfil the postponed fixture this coming Sunday, so there is the possibility of one or at the most two changes to avoid fatigue in some key positions. Ryan would be a safe bet to start if Kidney wanted to change, and a rotation at scrum-half could be on the cards with Eoin Reddan coming in for Murray.
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