And breathe. Italy gave Ireland one almighty shock as they took a 10-5 half-time lead — one of the only times they have led at the break against Ireland in Six Nations history. Ireland’s attack structure looked much improved at times but just not as often as Farrell and his coaching staff will like, but poor breakdown work let them down.

Full credit to Italy for a huge performance. The bench impact was massive for Ireland and ultimately got Farrell out of a big hole. For much of the game, Italy looked like the better team and Ireland needed a massive defence shift at the end to get over the lien. 

Ireland had a really mixed afternoon. Two of their tries were of the highest order, but they were hanging on at the end as they soaked up wave after wave of Italian pressure. Ireland’s defence stood firm when it mattered most, but it was a nervy finish.

The scrum will be a big talking point this week as it was a real struggle and real worry heading forward.

Here’s how the players ratings.

Ireland Player Ratings – Starters

15. Jamie Osborne – 7/10 – One of the bright sparks in the team. Took a great support line and offload from McCloskey to get over for Ireland’s first try. Won some important aerial battles.

14. Robert Baloucoune – 8/10- A man-of-the-match performance on his Six Nations debut. Worked hard to get on the ball early when Ireland were on top in the first quarter. Beat his defender at every opportunity. Scored a crucial try to get Ireland back into the lead — well taken under pressure.

13. Garry Ringrose – 5/10 – Looked sharp and eager for work in the early exchanges. Got on the ball and carried with intent, but struggled in defence at times.

12. Stuart McCloskey – 7/10 – Had some big impact carries early in the game, got his arms free to offload and put Osborne over for Ireland’s first try. Came up with a massive turnover win on the stroke of half-time. 9 carries and 7 tackles.

11. James Lowe – 6/10 – Looked sharp in the early exchanges. A point-to-prove performance. An important intercept at the end to end Italian hopes. Beat 9 defenders. 

10. Sam Prendergast – 4/10 – Becoming a real issue for this team with his inconsistent moments. Looked panicked at times, with poor decision-making in attack and around his kicking game. His defence is now a big target for opposition teams. Looks short of confidence at the moment. A poor kicking day off the tee with two bad misses. 

9. Craig Casey – 6/10 – A nervous start with some inconsistent kicking. Will be frustrated with his opportunity, though he did inject pace into the Ireland attack. Received a harsh yellow card for a high tackle that resulted in Italy’s first try.

Jeremy Loughman – 5/10 – Worked hard around the field but struggled badly at scrum time. 11 tackles and 5 carries.

2. Dan Sheehan – 6/10 – Started well in the opening quarter and looked back to his best. Lineout throwing was very good but struggled at scrum time.

Recommended

3. Thomas Clarkson – 6/10 – Had an important ball carry in the lead-up to Ireland’s opening try. Got through a huge amount of work in defence, but struggled dealing with the power of the Italian scrum and found himself taken off at half-time. 9 tackles.

4. Joe McCarthy – 4/10 – More interested in throwing his weight around than playing rugby these days. Just 6 ball carries and 5 tackles. Ireland need to work out how to better use his talents.

5. James Ryan – 8/10 – A big performance by the big second row. Got through a huge amount of work and was one of the few players who consistently stood up. 9 tackles.

6. Cormac Izuchukwu – 6/10 – Great lineout work, winning 5 lineouts and a vital steal in the second half. Needs to offer greater options around the field.

7. Caelan Doris (c) – 7/10 – Came up with some big defensive moments in the closing stages to get his team over the line. On the ball he was very good. 9 carries and 14 tackles.

8. Jack Conan – 7/10- Got Ireland back into the game with a vital try in the opening minutes of the second half. Ireland’s main ball carrier with 12 carries.

Replacements

Ronan Kelleher – 6/10 – Scrums looked better when he came on. Got through a lot of defensive work in the final quarter. 3 carries and 9 tackles.

Tom O’Toole – 5/10 – Reduced to a big defensive shift when he came on. 9 tackles in 14 minutes shows just how much pressureIreland were under. Had a big scrum in the final minute under Ireland’s posts.

Tadhg Furlong – 4/10 – It’s a rare sight to see Furlong destroyed at scrum time.

Edwin Edogbo – 6/10A 70th-minute introduction for his first cap. Forced into defensive duties for the entirety of his time on the pitch.

Tadhg Beirne – 7/10 – A big impact off the bench as he was called upon to bring his experience. 10 tackles.

Nick Timoney – 6/10 – Another of the substitutes who made a telling contribution and helped Ireland get over the line.

Jamison Gibson-Park – 7/10Ireland needed his experience when he was sprung from the bench. Good game management with some clever kicks to turn the pressure back onto Italy.

Jack Crowley – 7/10Added much-needed control and zip to Ireland’s attack. Has to start next week v England. 

Coach – 6/10 The selections of Baloucoune, Izuchukwu and Ryan were fully justified. Farrell got his bench timings spot on. At times Ireland’s attack looked good and two of the tries were outstanding, which will please Farrell. But there has to be a worry about the performance of his out half and the impact it is having on Ireland’s attack and defence.

SEE ALSO: Brian O’Driscoll Calls A Spade A Spade In Analysing Ireland’s Narrow Win Over Italy