A DATE WITH Italy might not set pulses racing in the same manner as the other fixtures on Ireland’s Six Nations schedule, but this year, of all years, the clash with the Azzurri should prove a particularly valuable one for Andy Farrell.
With a maximum haul of 10 points collected from their opening two outings against Wales and France, Farrell has been able to shake up his selection yet his Ireland team will still travel to the Stadio Olimpico as heavy favourites.
With only a handful of internationals left before the World Cup, it’s a welcome opportunity to test his squad’s depth in a competitive fixture, against an Italy side who have the potential to be properly competitive.
With that in mind, all eyes will be on Ireland’s half-back pairing in Rome, with the inclusion of Ross Byrne and Craig Casey for their first Six Nations starts the most notable of the six changes to the team that lined out against France.
For Byrne, it’s another chance to further his case as second in line for the Ireland 10 shirt. Jack Crowley, who starts on the bench, and Joey Carbery, who has travelled to Italy with the squad, will both hope to have something to say about that in the months ahead.
At scrum-half, Casey’s inclusion is just as intriguing. The 23-year-old made his Ireland debut in Rome two years ago but has had to bide his time. The Munster player has been capped nine times at Test level but his only previous start came in a July 2021 defeat of the USA.
While Casey appears to have pushed ahead of Conor Murray at Munster, Farrell has shown a preference for a one-two of Jamison Gibson-Park and Murray – the latter stepping up impressively in Gibson-Park’s absence against Wales and France.
With two strong appearances off the bench under his belt already in this Six Nations, Casey heads into the game in form. The livewire Limerick native always brings plenty of energy to the pitch, but if his first Six Nations start is to go to plan, he will need to strike the right balance in his approach.
“He’s always got energy, but it’s a lot more than that,” Farrell said.
He’s worked extremely hard on playing quick, being dynamic but being calm enough to make the right decisions as he’s getting there.
“I suppose as a youngster, you want to show your energy and how fit and skilful (you are)… because his pace has always been fantastic, you know, but his decision making in and around not losing the speed of the game is a tricky one, because you’ve got to be calm in your mind and still keep the speed in the feet.
“To manage the two is a tricky one and he’s doing very well in that regard.”
Casey and Byrne have combined well when summoned from the bench across the opening two fixtures, but leading a team and controlling proceedings from the first whistle presents a different type of challenge.
“What’s been impressive for them coming off the bench is they’ve watched the game, they’ve got a feel for the game and they understand how to control what they were trying to achieve,” Farrell continued.
“A little bit of a different dynamic for them, starting the game, but we expect the control that they’ve had. It was the right thing for the right moment and we expect that to be the same from the start of the game.
“We want to obviously take our game to Italy and they’ll be at the forefront of that.”
Their opportunity to lead from the start is made all the more valuable given this is an Italy team that can play. While Italy have just one losing bonus point to show for their endeavours, they managed to trouble both France and England at various stages of their two opening fixtures.
Bolstered by the return of star out-half Paolo Garbisi, they have the tools to cause Ireland some problems, with Farrell going as far as to say this is the most dangerous side Italy have ever produced.
“I thought England squeezed them really well a couple of weeks ago, but they fought hard, didn’t they in the second half and hung on in there and made it a tough old second-half for England. It shows the character that they’ve got.
“You’re talking about all those individuals and the flair etc that they’ve got, but that’s all because of the systems that Kieran’s (Crowley) put in there.
The systems, everyone’s accountable on attack. It reminds me a little bit of how Japan play where everyone is on their feet and everyone’s got a responsibility. It’s a tough enough place to defend against, isn’t it, when you’ve got 15 guys coming at you the whole time.
“There’s a reason why space is made for individuals to be able to put their best foot forward. And that’s because of the coaching that Kieran’s brought into them.”
Ireland will arrive in Rome cautious but confident as they look to keep their Grand Slam ambitions on track, and whatever happens tomorrow, Farrell will be expected to revert to a more familiar selection for the round four trip to play Scotland on 12 March.
The Ireland boss said captain Johnny Sexton will be available for that game, and added that Tadhg Furlong and Jamison Gibson-Park will also be fit.
That means there will likely be further disappointment down the line for those in the 37-man squad yet to feature.
“Well, we wouldn’t have guys around in the first place if they weren’t team-first and we wouldn’t have guys in the squad if they didn’t epitomise everything that we want them to be as a whole squad,” Farrell added.
“Yeah, they are guys that have played for Ireland before and are in good form, but you can’t give everyone a game. You’ve got to pick the best squad and that’s my job, to pick the right team to make sure that we’re performing in the right manner.
“At the same time, there’s an element of trust in all the guys who have not been selected for us. They get the feedback, the reasons why and they’re as hungry as anyone else to prove that they’re always going to be ready when needed.”
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