The mother, father and Italian cousin of all slogs
Ireland got their Six Nations title defence off to a winning start but it was, for the most part, not pretty viewing. Here is how we rated the men in green after their 26-3 victory.
Rob Kearney – 7
Ireland’s best attacking weapon and the only back in green to break the Italian defensive line. Handy with the boot, for tactical kicks, when called upon. 65 metres gained on 13 carries.
Did well to pouch a steepling up-and-under with Sergio Parisse boring in for a huge hit. Conor Murray tried to find him with a chip with an Irish penalty coming but he could not out-jump his man. Unlucky that kick to the corner [41 minutes] bounced over his head.
Jared Payne – 6
Quiet start for the Ulster player but showed good strength to present clean ruck ball under immense Italian pressure. Came to life in the second half, twice linking up well with Henshaw on the left wing.
Robbie Henshaw – 6
Will be disappointed with his careless knock-on, out wide on the left, that ended a promising four-on-two overlap. Some good defensive hits but fell off Kelly Haimona once as he gambled on a line-shooting hit. Costly knock-on, three yards from the whitewash, early in the second half.
Simon Zebo – 5
Took a knock early in the game but recovered well. Forced inside in the opening stages but did not get a chance to open his legs up. Only six carries, for three metres gained, as the game passed him by.
Ian Keatley – 7
Showed tactical awareness with his kicking out of hand and impressive from the tee. Only flaw in the opening 40 was to put too much on an up-and-under punt. Made a couple of big, defensive contributions. Landed all five kicks.
Conor Murray – 6
Looked rusty at times as he started his first game in a month. Put Keatley in trouble with a loose pass and popped another poor ball to O’Donnell as the tryline beckoned. Distribution improved as he was afforded breathing room in the second half. Crashed over from close range for Ireland’s first try.
Jack McGrath – 6
Won an important, early battle with Martin Castrogiovanni and held up Kelly Haimona to win an attacking 22 on the Irish 22. A workhorse around the pitch.
Rory Best – 5
His line-out throwing was a mix of bravery [long darts] and accurate and he was often used as the ball-carrier in attacking mauls. Missed two of his six tackle attempts. Taken off extremely early in the second half as Schmidt looked to Sean Cronin’s strike-running.
Mike Ross – 7
Had Matias Aguero’s number at scrum-time and was responsible for earning one of Keatley’s first-half penalties. Managed a rare offload in the hear of battle. Gave his all for 50 minutes before Marty Moore took his place. Should start against France.
Devin Toner – 5
Along with Peter O’Mahony, he was the pack’s biggest ball carrier. Imperious, as usual, at the line-out but struggled to clear out blue shirts – one of his main tasks – at the breakdown.
Paul O’Connell – 6
Good about the park with gusto but no rousing moments to spark his teammates. Great claim and feed to Jordi Murphy to set up the drive that eventually led to the Murray try. A menace on Italy’s line-out too.
Peter O’Mahony – 6
One of Ireland’s best performers on an afternoon of slog, effort and commitment. Made a good, first-half line break and showed real appetite for battle. The definition of hard yards with 16 carries.
Did really well after he was drafted into the starting line-up, 15 minutes before kick-off. Won his team a scrum near their defensive red-zone and frustrated the hosts at the breakdown. Fumbled near the tryline, on 49 minutes, but Murray’s pass was poor. When the Italian defence finally wilted, he scored a superb try after streaking and fending past three blue jerseys.
Jordi Murphy – 6
Used for the two-yard, headlong dashes into traffic. Gave away the penalty, late in the first half, that got Italy on the scoreboard. His powerful drive set Italy on their heels before Murray’s try. Important ankle-wrapping tackle to bring Tommaso Allan late on.
Replacements
Sean Cronin – 6
[On for Best ’46] Was more of a threat with ball-in-hand than Best and his line-out throwing was steady. Smashed Sergio Parisse late on.
James Cronin – 5
[On for Jack McGrath ’69] Had to simply close out the match and did the job required.
Marty Moore – 5
[On for Ross ’51] Stayed strong as Italy wheeled scrum to help win 57th minute penalty.
Iain Henderson
[On for Peter O’Mahony ’65] Will be delighted with the run out and should provide bustling cover off the bench next weekend.
Isaac Boss – 5
[On for Murray ’68] Needed to land a couple of Italian ankles in the closing stages as the home side pressed.
Ian Madigan – 5
[On for Keatley ’67] Set O’Donnell free with a nice, flat pass and chipped over the conversion. Should be Johnny Sexton’s deputy next weekend.
Felix Jones – 5
[On for Payne ’67] Would have liked to have shown off his attacking game but was needed to hold out an Italian consolation.
