Ireland tiptoed out of Rome with an unconvincing victory, claiming the four-try bonus point but enduring a serious scare from Italy. Quinn Roux, Jacob Stockdale, Keith Earls and Conor Murray crossed the line for an Ireland side again struggling for fluency.
Edoardo Padovani and Luca Morisi scored tries for Italy to lead 16-12 at half-time, but Ireland edged home to leave the Azzurri still without a Six Nations win under Conor O’Shea’s stewardship.
Ireland’s struggles were underlined by Johnny Sexton muttering angrily to himself and kicking out in frustration when he was replaced late on for Jack Carty to make his Test debut. Bundee Aki sustained a head injury and Sexton played through a minor leg problem that led to Murray taking over goal-kicking duties.
Joe Schmidt, the head coach, wanted Ireland – and chiefly the half-backs Murray and Sexton – to rediscover the rhythm which underscored their stellar 2018. That quality continues to elude Ireland and their playmakers, but Schmidt’s side must at least be credited for emerging unscathed from a tricky situation.
The captain, Peter O’Mahony, said beforehand that Ireland’s 22-15 defeat against Italy in Rome during 2013 still sends shivers down his spine. The Munster flanker led his men to avoid any further such trauma at the Stadio Olimpico, but this was another performance littered with indiscipline and inaccuracy.
Roux and Stockdale handed the visitors the perfect start with two tries in the first quarter, but Ireland had already wasted several scoring platforms by then. The Connacht lock Roux capped a 19-phase move by ploughing in for their first try, with Stockdale then exploiting a cheap knock-on to canter home almost unimpeded.
Both Italy tries came from Ireland errors, first they overthrew a lineout in their own 22 and the home side pounced, Tommaso Allan firing a ball over the top for Padovani to nip home. Then Tito Tebaldi pinched the ball at the base of an Ireland ruck to spark a field-length counterattack which ended in Morisi powering over.
Ireland’s half-time problems could even have been worse had the full-back Rob Kearney been punished for what appeared a deliberate block on Tebaldi.
The marauding Italy scrum-half chased his chip deep in Ireland territory when Kearney stepped into his path and sent him tumbling. The referee, Glen Jackson, ignored the incident entirely though, in a clear let-off for Schmidt’s side.
Ireland improved after the interval, though not nearly enough to touch anything like the heights of a 2018 that included the grand slam and the November win against New Zealand.
Earls stepped his way over the line to wrestle back Ireland’s lead, before Murray’s sniping finish secured the try bonus point. The Munster player so nearly claimed the score of the match, only to be dragged down metres short. Italy fell for the latest Schmidt special move, with this one seeing Sexton run a wraparound decoy line allowing Earls to blast through midfield. Hauled down just shy of the line though, his pass fell astray and the move broke down.
Job done for Ireland in the end, but precious little else, leaving Schmidt’s side needing to step up several levels to face France and the grand slam-chasing Wales.