Who Will Win?
On Sunday 11th February, Ireland will host Italy in the Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Ireland will be big favourites for this clash. After all, last year they won the Grand Slam. In addition, this will be their first home test match since their Rugby World Cup exit at the hands of New Zealand. As a result, they will have a point to prove against an Italian side that they’ve previously dominated.
But, Italy cannot be discounted entirely. After all, they’ve defeated Ireland before and they made Andy Farrell’s men work hard for their 34-20 victory last time out.
Think you know which way Ireland vs Italy will go? Vote in our poll.
Head-to-Head
Recent head-to-head form suggests that Ireland should win this game comfortably. This is because Ireland have won all of the last five meetings between the two teams. During this time, they’ve averaged 44 points per game compared to Italy’s 14.
History shows us that the first try could be important here. After all, the team that has scored the first try has won 80% of the last five matches.
Team Form
Ireland are coming into the 2024 Six Nations Championship with a point to prove. Despite winning last year’s tournament and claiming the Grand Slam, Andy Farrell’s men will feel as though they should have progressed further at the Rugby World Cup, where they were eliminated by New Zealand at the quarter-final stage.
By contrast, Italy are in a rut. They’ve claimed the wooden spoon during the last six championships, and they were once again eliminated from the Rugby World Cup at the pool stage. Here, they suffered bruising defeats against France (60-7) and New Zealand (96-17). Due to this, the Azzurri will see the 2024 tournament as a chance for a reset.
Below our team form guide, you can see in-depth stats about how the two sides have performed in their last five games, including stats about the number of tries they’ve scored, their overall points difference and the number of times they’ve scored the first try. We’ve also detailed how often each team has scored the first points in a game and how often they’ve won the race to 10 points.
Player Head-to-Head
Past Ireland vs Italy matches have been littered with phenomenal individual performances, and this year’s clash is likely to be no different.
But, who will be the star of the show? Well, here’s how Johnny Sexton and Tommaso Allan have performed in recent clashes between the two teams. Perhaps one of these stars could spearhead their team’s performance?
Other Fixtures
The upcoming Ireland vs Italy match promises to be must-watch viewing. However, there are plenty of other great rugby matches on the horizon, including clashes between England, Scotland, Wales and France.
Take a look at all the upcoming fixtures and latest results at both club and international level.
Live Updates
Harry Byrne has kicked a conversion.
A wonderful passing move by Ireland is finished off by Calvin Nash
A stunning solo try from James Lowe
Tommaso Menoncello (Italy) is shown a yellow card
The Ireland maul march their way over the white wash for Dan Sheehan to touch down.
Jack Crowley does the business as their conversion attempt goes over.
The pick and go results in a try for Ireland as Jack Conan goes over.
Jack Crowley makes no mistake with that conversion attempt.
A wonderful passing move by Ireland is finished off by Dan Sheehan
Ireland are only a few metres out, surely they must score! And they do with Jack Crowley touching down.