Italy made Ireland work hard for their first Six Nations win of 2026 on Saturday afternoon.
Under Gonzalo Quesada, Italian Rugby has taken a step forward and have shown early signs in this campaign that they’re not going away so easily.
Their fight was obvious. While every Italian team plays with passion and pride in the jersey, this felt different.
They were under the Irish skin from the moment that they caught Dan Sheahan trying to go over the attempted tackle from the tap and go penalty. They weren’t fooled by it because they had clearly profiled Ireland’s players and tactics in different areas and they came with expectation and confidence after seeing off Scotland the week before.
The game has plenty of winners and losers away from the scoreboard.
Italy in general have earned more respect and will travel to Paris in a quest for their next upset. Despite losing the game, their performance was hugely positive, and if it weren’t for a questionably called forward pass, they might have caused another upset.
From Ireland’s perspective, their scrum will be under the microscope in Twickenham. With all the talk of the Irish loosehead troubles, even Tadhg Furlong got lifted from the pressure between his second row and the power of the Italian front row. It’s not something that we often see, and shows that there’s a collective problem for Ireland to sort out in the scrum.
Andy Farrell, under the guidance of John Fogarty as scrum coach, may opt for a second-row pairing that will help his front row to deal with the backlash that will come from England losing in Murrayfield. If England are analysing Ireland to identify opportunities and entries into the game, they’ll likely ask questions of the scrum first.
Edwin Edogbo’s size would help the Irish pack in the scrummaging battle. However, he has only experienced 11 minutes or so as an international player. It was exciting to see him taking to the field at the Aviva and his frame would certainly be felt in the scrum. However, there’s a balance to strike when going to Twickenham and Irish coaches will be conscious of many things when selecting their pack.
England will have a strong set piece, and Ireland will need to take that into their own considerations around selection. With a lineout operator at blindside flanker, Farrell could choose to bring Edogbo for another run out in the second row. Izichukwu had a positive influence over proceedings at the Aviva, but Farrell could opt for his heavier pack to take on England, possibly moving Tadhg Beirne to the number six jersey.
England also kick the ball quite a bit, and therefore these selection decisions should take that into account too. Picking your heavier pack to deal with scrum issues could have ramifications on your pack mobility in a kick battle, another factor to think about.
Robert Balacoune impressed for Ireland
On the kick battle, Robert Balacoune did everything that was asked of him last Saturday. Along with James Lowe, it has to be noted that Ireland were better aerially and posed an attacking threat out wide. Both should retain their positions in the team for the trip to London at the weekend.
Despite the criticism that he’s received, Lowe still possesses power on the wing, and defensively he was the one that intercepted the last Italian attack to give Ireland one last shot at the bonus point, while securing the win that hung in the balance. His attacking energy in the last minute of play, brushing off attempted tackles to find his support showed his quality and there’s little decision to make on the left wing.
Balacoune won an early ball in the aerial contest, something that Ireland struggled with in Paris. Granted, Italy are a different opposition to France, but when you consider his raw pace and footwork in possession, Balacoune is a threat that’s different to other Irish wingers. His try showed the x-factor that he possesses, making him an easy selection for next week.
The Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park combo clicked as they both came off the bench to increase the tempo from Ireland’s side. Italy had already attempted to play an unstructured and fast-paced attack to mimic what France did to make Ireland uncomfortable.
Gibson-Park and Crowley lived within that fast-paced environment and made very positive contributions along the way through their decision-making. Crowley passed the ball one player wider to the second Irish forward in midfield and pushed a bit wider in phase play as well. It helped Ireland to get softer shoulders in their attack, aided by Gibson-Park’s intent around the breakdown when he came on.
Objectively, Prendergast didn’t have his greatest day in an Irish shirt, that happens. Yet Ireland still put together slick attacking sequences during his time on the pitch. He paved the way for Crowley, who openly spoke about the view that players get from the bench. The ability to analyse the game and bring a different solution when you get put in.
The biggest stain on Ireland’s win last weekend had very little to do with the rugby itself, and everything to do with the reaction online. Andy Farrell was infuriated by the treatment of his players in the aftermath. No matter which out-half plays, both get slated to varying degrees. It’s anyone’s right to criticise tactically or to strategically compare.
However, comments in the public forum have turned vitriolic. Players have strengths and weaknesses and coaches make selections based on what they see. We might not agree, but it’s everyone’s duty to continually support those that tog out in green.
In every game there are positives and negatives. Ireland failed to score a bonus point at home, yet they’d have taken a standard win with just seconds remaining on the clock.
Farrell got a reaction from some players that were given a shot and from others that emerged from the bench. Expect more tweaks to his team selection ahead of an even bigger challenge in Twickenham on Saturday afternoon.