Grand slam pursuit With a disjointed 34-20 bonus-point victory over Italy, Ireland avoided a significant upset and remained on track for Guinness Six Nations glory.
Andy Farrell’s depleted squad performed poorly in Rome but ultimately prevailed due to two tries from Mack Hansen, as well as scores from James Ryan, Hugh Keenan, and Bundee Aki.
Throughout a grueling match at Stadio Olimpico, fearless Italy had the world’s best team unnerved.
Stephen Varney’s try, Pierre Bruno’s spectacular breakaway score, and Paolo Garbisi’s 10 points kept Kieran Crowley’s hosts in contention with 15 minutes remaining, as they trailed by only four points.
However, the Irish, aided by nine points from Ross Byrne, survived the scare to remain on track for a championship complete sweep as they head into March meetings with title rivals Scotland and England.
In-form Ireland arrived in the Italian capital pursuing a third consecutive tournament victory, but without several star players injured.
Huge swaths of green jerseys filled the stands as they witnessed a team led by rookie halfback duo Byrne and Craig Casey get off to a scintillating start.
James Lowe, who received a favorable decision to score a try in the 32-19 victory over France two weeks ago, was denied a quick score on this occasion as replays revealed he dropped the ball just before grounding with a one-handed finish while under pressure from Ange Capuozzo.
However, stand-in captain Ryan quickly alleviated Irish disappointment by capitalizing on a Lowe assist following a magnificent Aki offload to score inside three minutes.
Since defeating Declan Kidney’s Ireland by a score of 22-15 at home in the championship a decade ago, Italy has not won at home.
Invigorated by the mercurial abilities of fit-again fly-half Garbisi and quick fullback Capuozzo, they contributed to a thrilling match and soon struck back when Wales-born scrum-half Varney scored after Lorenzo Cannone’s strong running.
Fullback for Ireland Keenan then wriggled through several tackles to dive over before Aki, who was instrumental in his team’s first two tries, broke free to extend the scoreboard in the middle of a breathless first half after a Garbisi penalty had temporarily narrowed the gap.
Following a brief lull during which Casey recovered from being flattened by Italian lock Niccolo Cannone and prop Finlay Bealham departed injured, Farrell’s men secured the bonus point with only 35 minutes remaining when Hansen dove over wide on the right at the end of sustained pressure to subdue the home crowd.
But the visitors had little time to savor the cushion as their lead was cut in half to seven points in the final moments of a tense first quarter.
Bruno intercepted Aki’s pass in his half and sprinted approximately 70 meters to put the game back in the balance and instill new hope among Azzurri supporters.
Another Garbisi penalty reduced the margin to 24-20, and Farrell appeared concerned in the stands after Aki was denied a second score of the day because replays showed he lost possession on the ground before regaining it.
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