Ireland 57 – 6 Italy

Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park, Michael Lowry (two), Peter O’Mahony, James Lowe (two), Ryan Baird, Kieran Treadwell score for Ireland; Italy’s Hame Faiva sent off for high tackle on Dan Sheehan, before visitors reduced to 13 after uncontested scrums forced by red card

Michael Lowry scored twice on his Test debut as Ireland racked up 57 points from a peculiar contest vs Italy

Michael Lowry notched two tries on his Test debut for Ireland as Andy Farrell’s charges registered a 57-6 Six Nations victory over an Italy side reduced to 13 players for nearly an hour at the Aviva Stadium. 

Nine tries were scored in total by the hosts through fly-half Joey Carbery, scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, full-back Lowry (two), flanker and skipper Peter O’Mahony, wing James Lowe (two), lock Ryan Baird and replacement Kieran Treadwell, with Italy hooker Hame Faiva sent-off for a high tackle on Dan Sheehan in the 19th minute.

The necessity for uncontested scrums as a result of the red card and an earlier injury to Italy’s starting No 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, then left Italy down to 13 men until the Test’s conclusion, giving the contest a distinctly bizarre feel for much of proceedings in Dublin.

Uncontested scrums and 13 players, Italy were better suited to a rugby league encounter. Instead, they faced an afternoon of toil in the Irish capital, succumbing to an inevitable 35th Six Nations defeat in succession dating back to 2015.

Ireland hit the front as early as the fourth minute when Carbery – starting again with fit-again Johnny Sexton among the replacements – finished a stunning sequence of offloading within the Italy 22 after O’Mahony had set No 8 Caelan Doris sprinting in.

Having made the linebreak, Doris offloaded brilliantly out of the tackle for Sheehan, who then found Carbery on his inside to race in for an ideal beginning.

Joey Carbery scored Ireland’s first try as early as the fourth minute in Dublin

Irish accuracy at the ruck and speed of ball was impressive but it was Italy who would score next, as full-back Edoardo Padovani powered a penalty over from comfortably more than 50 metres on 14 minutes after Tadhg Beirne had been caught offside on a kick.

An Irish breakdown offence saw Italy back to the cusp of the Ireland 22 within minutes, but resolute defence and strong aerial work from Lowe under a towering Paolo Garbisi kick saw the hosts exit with no damage done.

On 19 minutes the most significant moment of the match arrived when a shrill blast of the whistle mid-game by Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli meant dreadful news for Italy, as replacement hooker Faiva was shown a straight red card following a TMO review for connecting with the head/neck area of Sheehan in a tackle.

Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli shows a red card to Italy’s Hame Faiva following a TMO review

Although slightly harsh based on replays, the red card when baring in mind the appropriate framework for high tackles in world rugby’s laws, was the appropriate sanction.

With starting hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi already having departed with a serious arm injury, uncontested scrums as a result of a red card meant further catastrophic news for the visitors, with the law stating they must be reduced by a further player to 13.

When the red card forced uncontested scrums, Italy had to go down to 13 players with No 8 Toa Halafihi departing

Ireland took immediate advantage when Lowe handed off Padovani down the left before finding Gibson-Park on the inside for a free run-in and second try.

Jamison Gibson-Park ran in Ireland’s second try just past the first quarter

The home side looked likely to score in near enough each forthcoming attack up against two fewer players, and on the half-hour Lowry sped over for his first try in Irish green, skipping out of the challenge from Italy centre Juan Ignacio Brex to arc over as he has done countless times at club level for Ulster already this season.

Lowry crossed for his first try at Test level for Ireland’s third

With two minutes left of the first half skipper O’Mahony got in on the scoring act as Ireland wrapped up the bonus-point, with the likes of Josh van der Flier and Beirne carrying hard for big metres in the lead-up, and tiring Italian defenders unable to make up the wealth of space down the channels.

An offside against Gibson-Park for being ahead of a Carbery kick in the final play allowed Italy to register three more points to leave things 24-6 at the break. A superb breakdown penalty won by Italy skipper Michele Lamaro handed Garbisi another penalty chance early into the second period, but he was off-target with a poor kick.

Peter O’Mahony – Ireland’s captain on the day – scored their fourth

Ireland were slow to get going again, though, with the breakdown becoming something of a lottery in terms of penalties swinging one way and the next, and further points were not added until the 52nd minute when Lowe stooped to collect and finish a massive overlap after Beirne had gone close.

Sexton returned to the fray following the hamstring injury which kept him out of Ireland’s Round 2 defeat to France in Paris, and within minutes of his arrival had set-up Lowry for his second try, the former racing round on a customary wraparound before offloading for the diminutive Ulsterman to score.

Lowry’s second came via a Johnny Sexton assist

A series of knock ons frustrated Ireland as they sought to rack up a big score, and it took a wicked charge-down by Baird for their next score, with the ball travelling some distance and falling perfectly for the fleet-footed second row to scoop up and score.

Ryan Baird celebrates his try – Ireland’s seventh in the Test

With four minutes remaining Italy were reduced to 12 players for the closing stages when back-row Braam Steyn intentionally batted the ball out of play in not too dissimilar fashion to England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie vs Scotland in Round 1, earning a sin-binning.

Lowe scored his second in the very next phase, with Lowry unselfishly passing on with a hat-trick score certainly on the cards.

James Lowe scored two tries in the victory – his first scores in the Six Nations

Ireland then closed out the match with a try in the very final play as substitute second row Treadwell hit a hard line to take a Craig Casey pass and punch over.

Stats of the match

What’s next?

After next weekend’s fallow week, Ireland travel to face England at Twickenham in Round 4 on Saturday, March 12 (4.45pm kick off GMT) in a mammoth Test which will effectively end the title hopes of the side who loses.

Italy will face Scotland in Round 4 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome also on Saturday, March 12 (2.15pm kick off GMT), as the Azzurri continue to seek a first Six Nations Test victory since February 2015 – a victory which came against Scotland in Edinburgh.