Finished Stadio Olimpico
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Six Nations - Superb Italy beat Ireland in Rome
Italy beat Ireland for the first time in the Six Nations with a stunning display as they won 22-15 at the Stadio Olimpico. More
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Live Commentary
Time:80'- Italy
- Ireland
80'+1 It's over, and Italy have won this amazing match in fine style! Superb, thoroughly deserved - and Ireland now need Scotland to stun France in Paris if they are to avoid the wooden spoon.
80' Penalty in front of the posts for Italy! It's all over, the home side have won this match!- 80' Italy kick the penalty into touch and have a throw in the Ireland 22m...
79' Now Conor Murray is sin-binned - off for tripping an opponent off the ball, just as Italy looked like making the breakthrough. Two man advantage!- 78' 15 phases - and Ireland have lost the ball! Parisse makes a break, and Italy are straight back into Ireland's final third!
- 77' 11 phases now for Irealnd, but the defence is so strong that they're only on the half-way line.
- 76' Italy lose the ball after a few phases, and Ireland have their chance...
- 74' Mistake from Murray: he goes with the box kick from the scrum as Ireland win it, but it's straight out and Italy have a throw in Ireland's half once more.
- 73' Minto knocks the ball on at the 22m - Ireland scrum, dead in front, and they need to get out of their own half here.
- 72' Italy win the throw-in and build forwards - Canale breaks the line and makes 10m, then Francesco Minto picks up the running.
- 71' Ireland push forward from the restart and regain the ball - but it's yet another penalty for hanging on in the tackle, and Italy kick deep into Ireland's half.
- 70' Orquera lines up that long kick - and pumps it straight through the middle! Italy lead 19-15.... and are 10 minutes away from a great victory.
- 70' Donnacha Ryan has been yellow-carded - we're not quite sure why, possibly for complaining to the ref after that penalty was given.
- 69' Another penalty for Italy after Stephen Archer collapses a maul at a line-out, and from almost half-way this is another half-chance for Italy to pad their lead.
- 69' Garcia has a crack at the very long-range kick, but it's just a little short and right - scores stay at 16-15 to Italy.
- 67' The scrum breaks down and Italy win the penalty, with Rory Best going down and looking in pain.
66' Horrific clash in mid-air sees Italy scrum-half Gori upended in mid-air by Devin Toner. Gori lands on his head and needs treatment, but stays on - ref says it was accidental, so no red card or penalty.
65' Andrea Lo Cicero subbed off to an ovation to bring an end to his 14-year Italy career.- 65' It'll be a kick at goal - Heaslip tells Jackson to take the points. And with Parisse now back on the pitch that seems a good decision. Jackson easily converts.
- 65' Peter O'Mahony so nearly made it over, but was hauled down - and Italy finally win it back, only to realise Ireland had penalty advantage under the posts for offside. Will Ireland kick or go for a try?
- 64' Still Ireland... 21 phases now!
- 63' Jackson spins the ball out to the charging Madigan - well-worked move, but he's cut down well by two tackles.
- 62' Brilliant work from Ireland, Italy are ino desperate straits without Parisse in defence...
- 61' Great charge from O'Driscoll to get into the 22m, and Healy then steps up.. now Madigan almost breaks through... now Kearney... Great work from Ireland!
- 60' Ireland win the ball from the restart and are pushing up - they can sense blood now.
- 58' Jackson knocks it over from 35m out and dead in front, and Ireland are right back in it at 16-12.
- 57' Another quick penalty for Ireland - yet again for not releasing the ball in the tackle.
- 56' Huge scrum for Ireland, won beru cleanly... but Heaslip loses his head and picks it up, only to get buried by blue shirts.
- 54' Italy regain the ball from the restart and Furno very nearly makes it through the defensive line up on the left with some lovely offloads. Favaro spills it in the end, though, and Ireland have the put-in in the 22m.
- 53' Jackson makes the most of the penalty chance, slotting it straight through to add to Italy's punishment. Can Ireland push on and make the extra man tell?
- 52' Sergio Parisse yellow carded! He goes into the bin for a trip on Ian Madigan - no doubt he tried to do it, and Wayne Barnes had little choice there.
- 51' Ireland's players look disgusted at themselves and have come charging out of the blocks here.
- 50' Tough conversion for Orquera from the right touchline - but he slashes at it coolly, and it's straight through. 16-6 and Ireland are staring down the barrel of a possible wooden spoon...
49' The final camera has the answer - and it's a try to Italy! Gio Venditti 14-6! The crowd are going mad!- 49' The camera angles look inconclusive so far - not sure we'll get a decision here....
- 49' Italy shove over the line and it seems they got the ball down - we'll go the TMO, for a 'Can I award the try'?
- 49' Masi charges up on the right - man outside, but he goes alone and is stopped! Italy recycle and still come...!
- 48' Another safely organised scrum - very good here today - and Parisse has to pick and go in th end as Ireland dig in. Still a logjam of defence and attack...
- 47' Huge chance for Italy - their pack has been dominant, and they will surely try to push this one over for a try.
- 46' Italy still looking for the gap - Orquera tries a chip through and Gilroy has to concede the 5m scrum.
- 45' Ireland win their throw after the penalty but kick clear - and Italy win the next and charge straight for the line. Parisse on the charge, and into the 22m.
- 44' Italy recycling well, looking for gaps... but they've blown the chance! Silly mistake by Canale to use his own players as a human shield, and Ireland get the penalty for crossing. It's kicked clear.
- 43' Italy win the kick exchange! A blunder from Rob Kearney as he fumbles the ball out deep in his own 22m. Great attacking platford for Italy!
- 42' Cagey start to the half with both full-backs exchanging kicks back-and-forth.
41' We're back in action in Rome, with the whole pitch now cast in shadow as the battle continues.- - Italy must be favourites though - with Keith Earls, Luke Marshall and Earls's replacement Luke Fitzgerald all having hobbled off injured, the visitors have Peter O'Mahony playing at wing and Iain Henderson up front.
- - Gripping stuff in Rome - magnificent work from Italy who probably deserve to be more than three points ahead. Still absolutely anybody's game here.
- 40'+1 Jackson lines it up from 35m out on the 15m on the left - beautifully done, and it's 9-6 to Italy at half-time.
- 40'+1 Ireland win the ball from that scrum and Jackson tries the up-and-under - it comes off, and Ireland now move upfield... and they win a penalty! It's against Luke McLean for not releasing Sean O'Brien in a tackle.
- 40' Ireland have a scrum in the middle of their own half after Italy's backs were forced into spilling the ball - likely to be the last move of the half.
- 39' Last chance for Italy as Lo Cicero makes a storming charge through three tackles to burst into Ireland's half from the restart. Brian O'Driscoll will come back on in a momeent for the last few seconds of the half.
- 38' Another enforced change for Ireland as Iain Henderson comes on. They'll run out of subs at this rate.
- 37' What a kick! Straight through from 50m out, and Italy lead 9-3. Italy totally dominant at the moment, and Ireland are crying for the half-time whistle.
- 36' Italy's front row have Ireland in all sorts of trouble there - and as they're twisted, referee Barnes decides it's a penalty. Almost dead in front, but nearly 50m out - and long-range kicker Gonzalo Garcia will try this one...
- 35' Ireland win the throw-in and probe forward, but magnificent defence from Italy sees them push their guests back phase after phase. Jackson is pressured into knocking on and Italy have a scrum.
- 34' Jackson hits the penalty safely out between the Italy 22m and 10m.
- 33' Orquera ends Italy's dangerous looking move as he knocks on just when he was about to deliver the killer pass out wide - Ireland steal it, then get a penalty as Sean O'Brien is pinned after a tackle. Breathless stuff at the moment!
- 32' Ireland win the scrum cleanly but Jackson's clearing kick is weak and Italy come again, pushing up into the 22m with their man advantage.
- 31' A bit of revenge for Ireland - a huge tackle bu Gilroy on Favaro, almost cutting him in half in mid-air as he collected a pass. Ball spilled forward in the process, scrum to Ireland.
- 30' Brian O'Driscoll is sin binned! The linesman spotted that infringement by O'Driscoll - it was on Favaro, not Gori, a needless and vicious stamp to the chest. Old-school stuff that's no longer tolerated, and he's off!
- 29' Two massive blows for Ireland - and now it looks like there's one here for Italy as well as it looks like Gori is down in agony.
- 28' Another big injury for Ireland - Luke Marshall now, also going off holding his arm, and Ian Madigan comes on for him.
- 27' Ireland have lost all their momentum with Earls going off and Italy come back at them - but only until Leonardo Ghiraldini flies in off his feet at a breakdown. Penalty to Ireland, out on the left, 40m out.
- 26' Earls replaced by Luke Fitzgerald - a huge blow for Ireland to lose a star winger though.
- 26' Ireland build and recycle well after winning that ball, and it eventually gets spun out to Keith Earls who makes a great run up the left. He's brought down though - hurting his shoulder in the process and is going off in agony!
- 25' It's that rarest of things: a clean scrum. Thought we'd never see one in this Six Nations...
- 25' Ireland have the push-in, dead in front and just outside their own 22m - must be so careful not to give away a penalty here.
- 24' More great work from the Italians as Parisse and Furno link up on the right - the charge is stopped at last and Ireland get a scrum after a knock-on, but there are far too many missed tackles.
- 23' It's there! Italy lead 6-3! Orquera's kick is a beauty, starting out on the left and spinning back and straight through the posts. No less than Italy deserve, they've been getting on top for some time now.
- 22' Another penalty to Italy as Healy fails to roll away after tackling Parisse, stopping him putting the ball back to recycle - Orquera has a chance from out on the left, a good 40m again.
- 21' O'Driscoll tries to hit on the counter-attack, the move culminating in an attempted chip-through - one that is collected by Luke McClean, who returns it with interest.
- 20' Orquera's kick looks decent for power, but needs to come around a bit... no! He hits the post, and it bounces back out into play. Big let-off for Ireland.
- 19' Advantage Ireland, so at least we're spared a scrum and the Irish fly-half kicks clear... but it's quickly turned over as Sean O'Brien fails to get to his feet after a tackle, giving away a penalty just on the left, 40m out...
- 18' Italy pushing forward patiently - up to 10 phases now - but the move falls apart as Orquera's pass to Gonzalo Garcia comes ricocheting forward off his outstretched hands.
- 17' On this evidence we'll have another nailbiter on our hands today - both sides obviously desperate to avoid that wooden spoon.
- 16' Ireland's kick for touch isn't great - but it looks like genius compared to the line-out as Bessts's throw sails over everyone. Collected by Zanni who runs off, and Italy are on the front foot again.
- 15' Another great break from Italy straight from the restart, Gori nipping through a group of six green shirts to make 20 metres before offloading to Parisse... but Parisse, when tackled, hangs on and gives away a penalty.
- 14' It's the simplest of kicks for Orquera, and we're level at 3-3.
- 13' So close for Italy! They push forward brilliantly and make it right to the line, getting within a couple of metres - but undone by Rory Best comingin offside. Penalty under the posts, and Parisse opts to take the points.
- 13' Now Italy have a penalty as McCarthy tackles Geldenhuys in the air - better punt this time, and Italy have a throw on Ireland's 10m.
- 12' Italy steal the ball from Ireland's line-out, with Parisse again getting in ahead of Donnacha Ryan, whose jumping hasn't been great in this campaign.
- 11' Taken very cleanly at the line-out by Italy, and Orquera clears - but it's only onto the 22m. Poor one.
- 10' Murray chips over into touch just 8m out - Italy throw, but this is a very good opening for Ireland.
- 9' Lovely break by Conor Murray to break the gain line as he collects a tap-down from a line-out. Staking his claim for a Lions spot perhaps?
- 7' Straight from the restart Ireland peg Italy back again - excellent stuff in a fine start from the visitors so far.
- 6' It's there! Ireland lead 3-0. Superb opening kick from Jackson - whose head looks redder than ever for some reason. Struck perfectly, straight through the middle.
- 5' Penalty to Ireland! Murray tackled by Ghiraldini, who fails to roll away - and it's a penalty dead in front, 30m out.
- 4' Ireland blunder at the throw-in, with Parisse nipping in to steal it - but the Italians quickly lose the ball and Ireland will come again.
- 3' Ireland win the throw-in and come forward until there's a knock-on - the scrum results in a penalty that is booted out, and Ireland now have a throw in the Italy 22m.
- 2' Ireland collect the ball safely deep in their own 22m and quickly win a penalty as Italy try to get a fast start. Nicely cleared to touch by Jackson.
1' The match gets under way in Rome, Italy kicking off.- 14:30 Today's ref is England's Wayne Barnes.
- 14:29 Italy's anthem is equally badly done - must be a problem with the PA system. But the crowd does the home side proud with a huge and gutsy singing of the Italian's marvellously plinky-plonky anthem.
- 14:28 Yikes - Irish anthem absolutely mangled by the hosts - perhaps the worst rendition I've ever heard!
- 14:25 The Stadio Olimpico is packed for this final match of the season, taking placed beneath clear skies but at a chilly 9 degrees.
- 14:20 Ireland have Brian O'Driscoll in the starting line-up to collect his 125th cap - an amazing record, but he's something of a surprise considering that he barely knew where he was at the end of the France match last week. Let's hope he has truly and fully recovered from that battle.
- 14:15 Ireland, meanwhile, have been horribly patchy: sublime against Wales, at least for the first half; underwhelming against England as they lost to that side in Dublin for the first time in a decade; and crazily frustrating against both Scotland and France as they somehow failed to win.
- 14:11 Italy have enjoyed one of their best Six Nations campaigns ever this year: they began the season with a historic win over France, totally outplaying the Six Nations favourites, and they very nearly did the same to England last week with a magnificent second-half display.
- 14:10 Six Nations table
- 14:05 Depending on the result in the Scotland v France match later, this could prove to be a wooden spoon decider: Ireland are fourth on three points, Italy fifth on two points.
- 14:00 Welcome to our LIVE coverage of Italy v Ireland as the final day of the Six Nations gets underway.
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Summary
Italy versus Ireland Venditti 49’ Tries Orquera 50’ Conversions Orquera 14’, 22’, 70’, 81’, Garcia 35’ Penalties Jackson 5’, 42’, 53’, 58’, 64’ Drops
Live Team Line-Up
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ItalyManager: Jacques Brunel
On the Field
- Lo Cicero
- Ghiraldini
- Cittadini
- Geldenhuys
- Furno
- Zanni
- Favaro
- Parisse
- Gori
- Orquera
- McLean
- Garcia
- Canale
- Venditti
- Masi
Subs
- Rizzo
- Pavanello
- Botes
- Minto
- Derbyshire
- Benvenuti
- De Marchi
- Giazzon
Injured
None
Suspended
None
- Lo Cicero
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IrelandManager: Declan Kidney
On the Field
- Healy
- Best
- Ross
- McCarthy
- Ryan
- O'Mahony
- O'Brien
- Heaslip
- Murray
- Jackson
- Earls
- Marshall
- O'Driscoll
- Gilroy
- Kearney
Subs
- Fitzgerald
- Marshall
- Toner
- Cronin
- Archer
- Madigan
- Henderson
- Kilcoyne
Injured
None
Suspended
None
- Healy
So Italy beat Ireland for the first time.Ireland are very unlucky with all their key players out injured and having to play their substuites out of position.Ireland are rebuilding at the moment and like one commentator mentioned Ireland need a good Physio. I think they need a miracle to cure the players with broken bones.
Great game ..well done to both teams.
Bye, bye Declan.
Shameful and unprofessional display. Time for kidney to go and time for change, we just are not good enough, too many pub-side errors and complacency. Most of you are not proud enough or passionate enough to wear the shirt of your country. Shame on you all.
PH and now?
Italia, Italia, Italia!
Absolutely Brillaint! What a laugh! Europe's Bail our merchants now add a potential wooden spoon to their proud sporting history!!!
how rory best stayed on for 70 minutes when he couldnt find his man in the lineout all day is beyond me. well with kidney i guess its no surprise. heasilp yet another 80 minutes played .....yet another game with no yardage made. i just hope france beat scotland by the required amount of points so that we get what we deserve.....which is the spoon.
Brilliant! Happy St Patrick's day weekend!!! Bail out merchants are now wooden spoon merchants!!
Well, I s'pose everybody is waiting for the decider; wotever, Italy are doing well and as usual the '6 Nations' manages to create a great World- Wide enviable spectacle; c'mon ye Scots; dinnae tak the Wooden Spoon back wi ye; we haf enuff 'Spurtles' here a'l reddy. Rob; Aviemore
Gareth, would talk utter crap! Wayne Barnes is having a great game, even the Irish commentators are saying he's been nothing but fair. Steve Walsh is the biggest danger, he has history of bias against England and was even banned for 3 weeks at the last WC !
Come on Italy.
i just hope this is the last time i see paddy jackson in an irish shirt. i feel so sorry for him...he looks so lost and out of his depth at this level.
o driska you dirty player you knew wat you were doing and deserved a red. one way to end youre carear
its one thing being a poor poor rugby team which we undoubtly are but now we are becoming the laughing stock of the rugby world. as a proud irish rugby man......this is so embarassing.
Irish rugby is a pure and utter shambles. any time an irish player is tackled he goes off injured. too many lightweight soft players. its a game for big strong fast men, yet we continue to produce and select lightweight soft brittle players. Rory best, jamie heaslip, paddy jackson. brian o driscoll, keith earls and rob kearney nowhere near good enough. I really hope we get the wooden spoon this year because its what we deserve. irish rugby been in serious decline since 2009 and it will continue to regress for the next 10 years at least.
Italy all over the irish..Ireland look terrible .. Come on Italy smash them up!!!
Italy have been getting better and better over the last few years and this year better than ever the days of ruleing out Italy are truly over ,may the best team
Cian Healy shouldn't even be playing but in some ways it would be poetic justice if he continues giving Italy convertible penalties!
