Guinness Six Nations Preview: Ireland v Italy

With players and fans alike savouring the return of Guinness Six Nations rugby, Andy Farrell’s Ireland know exactly what they have to do to put themselves in pole position for next week’s climax of the title race.

2020 GUINNESS SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, October 24

IRELAND (4th) v ITALY (6th), Aviva Stadium, 3.30pm (live Virgin Media One/UTV/ITV/RTÉ Radio 1/BBC Radio Ulster/BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra/FR2/DMAX/NBC/IRFU Live Blog)

Team News: There are four uncapped players included in the Ireland squad to face Italy, with Will Connors and Hugo Keenan named in the starting XV. Ed Byrne and Jamison Gibson-Park are in line for their international debuts off the bench.

Connors and Keenan – both aged 24 – are two of the six personnel changes made to the Ireland side that lost 24-12 to England last time out.

Keenan, a product of the IRFU Sevens Programme and one of Leinster’s standout performers since rugby restarted, joins Jacob Stockdale, who switches to full-back for his first Test start in the position, and Andrew Conway in a pacy back-three.

Jonathan Sexton captains Ireland for the fifth time, with Conor Murray continuing as his half-back partner. Winning his 30th cap, Garry Ringrose features at outside centre alongside Bundee Aki.

It is cap number 99 for Cian Healy, who will pack down alongside Rob Herring and Andrew Porter, with the latter making only his second Six Nations start and fifth in all.

There is also a second Championship start for Tadhg Beirne, who joins James Ryan in the second row. Number 8 CJ Stander provides the experience in the back row, alongside debutant Connors and Caelan Doris whose second Test start comes at blindside flanker.

Carlow man Byrne is a notable addition to the replacements along with his Leinster colleague Gibson-Park, who has amassed nearly a century of appearances for the province since his arrival in 2016.

Connacht hooker Dave Heffernan is hoping to add to the lone cap from 2017, while the bench options also include Finlay Bealham, whose only taste of Six Nations rugby was against Italy in 2016, Ultan Dillane, Peter O’Mahony, Ross Byrne and Robbie Henshaw.

Speaking about the new faces in the squad for this round four fixture, which will be broadcast live on Virgin Media, ITV and RTÉ Radio, head coach Andy Farrell said:

Obviously we’ve had a few days together to see how the new players would fit into the system, etc., and the pressures of international rugby. Being able to adapt to new calls and new team-mates and everything else.

“Will has obviously been involved with us before and he has been chomping at the bit for a while. He had a seven-month break to think about that and he has come back in pretty good form so we are excited about seeing him.

“Hugo has had a great start after lockdown. He is an exciting player that can play in a variety of ways so they are both ready to go.

“It has been seamless for both Ed and Jamison. Ed is certainly a student of the game. Obviously being in the front row and you might think I’m joking, but he picks things up very quickly. He is very knowledgeable. It has been seamless for him coming in.

“Jamison, we all know by watching him play that he is a calming influence. He definitely is that to the team. He will add a different dimension when he comes off the bench. Certainly both of them will.”

Meanwhile, Italy head coach Franco Smith has made five personnel changes to the team that lost 17-0 at home to Scotland in their most recent Six Nations outing.

Paolo Garbisi’s strong start to the new Guinness PRO14 season is rewarded with his debut for the Azzurri. The 20-year-old, who only joined Benetton Rugby as a permit player from Petrarca Padova in June, scored 14 points against Ulster on his most recent trip to Ireland.

Winger Edoardo Padovani and scrum half Marcello Violi also come into the Italians’ back-line, the latter winning his first cap in over two years. Padovani’s inclusion sees Mattia Bellini move to the left wing.

Danilo Fischetti joins his Zebre club-mates, captain Luca Bigi and Giosuè Zilocchi, in the front row, while the absence of the now-retired Alessandro Zanni in the second row is filled by Benetton’s Marco Lazzaroni.

The back row includes the same trio but in a rejigged form, with Gloucester’s Jake Polledri moved to number 8 and Benetton duo Sebastian Negri and Braam Steyn repositioned to the blindside and openside roles respectively.

Zebre flanker Maxime Mbanda is standing by to win his 21st cap off the bench. Earlier this week, at the team hotel in Rome, Mbanda received the Cavalieri al merito della Repubblica (Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) medal and certificate, which honoured his sterling work as a volunteer ambulance driver with the Croce Gialla (Yellow Cross) in Parma during the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Guinness Six Nations Fixtures/Results

Guinness Six Nations Table

IRELAND: Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster); Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (capt), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Caelan Doris (UCD/Leinster), Will Connors (UCD/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster).

Replacements: Dave Heffernan (Buccaneers/Connacht), Ed Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht), Ultan Dillane (Galway Corinthians/Connacht), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Ross Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster).

ITALY: Jayden Hayward (Benetton Rugby); Edoardo Padovani (Benetton Rugby), Luca Morisi (Benetton Rugby), Carlo Canna (Zebre), Mattia Bellini (Zebre); Paolo Garbisi (Benetton Rugby), Marcello Violi (Zebre); Danilo Fischetti (Zebre), Luca Bigi (Zebre) (capt), Giosuè Zilocchi (Zebre), Marco Lazzaroni (Benetton Rugby), Niccolò Cannone (Benetton Rugby), Sebastian Negri (Benetton Rugby), Braam Steyn (Benetton Rugby), Jake Polledri (Gloucester).

Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi (Benetton Rugby), Simone Ferrari (Benetton Rugby), Pietro Ceccarelli (Brive), David Sisi (Zebre), Johan Meyer (Zebre), Maxime Mbanda (Zebre), Callum Braley (Benetton Rugby), Federico Mori (Kawasaki Robot Calvisano).

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce, Christophe Ridley (both England)
Television Match Official: Tom Foley (England)

Pre-Match Quotes: Jonathan Sexton (Ireland) –

With the restrictions that have come in now and the country is gone back to level 5, there’s obviously a sense that the whole country will be watching us. Most of the time we’re very lucky that we’re always being looked at. I suppose it’s an even bigger responsibility, but Italy are going to be in the same boat as us as well.

“Both teams will be very motivated, but any time you play for Ireland it’s a big responsibility. There’s a little bit of extra onus on us this week. Obviously we need to win the game first and foremost. That’s most important obviously. It could come down to points difference and bonus points.

“That will come later in the game, but we need to try and win the game first and foremost. Putting on a show isn’t something we spoke about, but putting in a good performance…it’s something that we’re very conscious of and want to do.

“It’s fantastic for all the teams and it’s the same with the Gaelic and the hurling. Those big games get to go ahead. Like I’ve said, we’re very privileged to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re very lucky.

“There’s a lot of people who can’t do that and wish they could. It’s great news all round and hopefully the women finish off their Six Nations on a high.”

Franco Smith (Italy) –

We work day after day to improve ourselves but in no sport can you increase your strength and quality in one day. We’ve an excellent base to work from and be able to grow step by step.

“The group has a very young average age and thanks to our two domestic teams, we can make a qualitative leap, but we must remember that Rome was not built in a day. This for us is a beginning and an opportunity to create our new culture, with an enlarged group that will form the basis for the future of the national team.

“The long period we’ll spend together in these six weeks of living together and working will help us to get to know each other better and work together to improve ourselves.

“Intensity for us is a very important parameter to try to become increasingly competitive. It’s a factor that we want to improve to have an extra weapon in our favour. We also need to be more physical. That’s an aspect we have focused on in our preparation for these last two matches.”

Pre-Match Links –

Head-To-Head: Ireland v Italy

Free Digital Match Programmes – Ireland Men & Women

In Pics: Ireland Captain’s Run At The Aviva Stadium

Catt Predicts Big Futures For Ireland’s New Caps

Ryan Expects Tough Challenge From Smith’s Azzurri

Recent Meetings –

2017: RBS 6 Nations: Italy 10 Ireland 63, Stadio Olimpico

2018: NatWest 6 Nations: Ireland 56 Italy 19, Aviva Stadium; The Rugby Weekend Test: Ireland 54 Italy 7, Soldier Field, Chicago

2019: Guinness Six Nations: Italy 16 Ireland 26, Stadio Olimpico; Rugby World Cup Warm-Up: Ireland 29 Italy 10, Aviva Stadium

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