IT’S IRELAND V Italy week in the Six Nations.
You know the drill by now: tough forward battle, can’t underestimate them, always improving, yada yada yada… ENOUGH.
Ireland are winless and the mood is at a low ebb, so let’s not get caught up in the usual rhetoric that surrounds the Azzurri. Let’s think big. Think tries.
These five Irish teams did, and to devastating effect.
2014
Last time out in Lansdowne, Brian O’Driscoll put on one last show while Ireland hand Italy 46 – 7 whoopin’ in the penultimate step of Joe Schmidt’s first championship.
The full highlights and seven tries are here, but Jonathan Sexton’s second was the pick of the litter.
2012
Two from Tommy Bowe, five from Ireland in this 42 – 10 win in Dublin. Bella.
2011
The 2015 World Cup pool meeting with Italy was a damp Mexican wave-surrounded squib, but four years earlier Ireland rounded off their first pool win in style.
Three tries for Ireland and two for birthday boy Keith Earls in a 36 – 6 win.
2009
Perhaps the most accomplished and purposeful performance from Ireland in Italy.
Declan Kidney’s men rode out a first-quarter storm from the Azzurri, but showed their Grand Slam credentials from there on in with Tommy Bowe’s hard-won intercept try paving the way for four more.
2007
17 March 2007, probably the best St Patrick’s Day since the snakes were driven towards Sellafield… until France scraped enough TMO-aided points against Scotland.
Chasing a points difference to secure the Championship, Ireland cut loose in Rome. Some might say a little too loose, but loooking back now, AC/DC never sounded so good.
If you’d rather more sober footage of the game, it’s in two parts - here and part 2 here -and we’d thoroughly recommend watching it back whenever you need a pick-me-up and a reminder of what Ireland look like playing sunshine rugby.
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