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'It doesn't mean everything is fixed now': Six-try Ireland critique their Italian job
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.
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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.
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.
It was a game of two halves for Ireland, impressive in the first and less so in the second in Rome… #SixNations #ITAvIRE https://t.co/8FCe4FCcVo
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 27, 2021
“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.
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“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.
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“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.”
Back to winning ways ?
Here's the highlights of @IrishRugby's impressive #GuinnessSixNations win over Italy. pic.twitter.com/GsrPtQuIYO
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 27, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
One that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
108 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
1 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
108 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
108 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to comments