Six Nations LIVE rugby: Italy vs Ireland score and latest updates from Rome

It’s up the steps and in the afternoon comes Ireland, James Ryan ahead, Craig Casey moving left and right to warm his ankles.

Michele Lamaro is at the head of the Italian line with a healthy roar from the crowd.

There’s some rain forecast in Rome later, but for now, it’s a very pleasant spring early afternoon in the Italian capital. The crowd seemed a little disappointed for their opening tournament against France, but the Six Nations executives thought it was due to it being held on a Sunday – the TV audience was very, very good, I’m told. Hopefully there will be a lively atmosphere with potential Grand Slammers in town today.

There was a crunch and a gush of anticipation every time Ange Capuozzo took the ball at Twickenham two weeks ago and the young fullback managed to leave England open a few times despite very limited opportunities. While the interest in Capuozzo meant that the development of some of his back-line colleagues was somewhat overlooked, Capuozzo is a huge threat out in the open and Ireland has come up with a plan to counter him.

Mack Hansen this week talked about how visitors will try to deal with the 23-year-old: “He’s an eye-catching player, so if we catch him and smash him a little, it will help us,” he said.

“He’s not the greatest player in the world but he’s so fast that we’ll probably have to go three-hundred to take care of him.

“But when it comes to that, we’ll also need to focus on every player in that backline – they’re all super fast talismans.”

Italy also has a new 10-12 axis, and while Paolo Garbisi’s return is good news for Kieran Crowley, it’s even more intriguing that the coach chose Tommaso Menoncello for the center. The young fullback has been on the wing for the first two rounds of the championship, but sees his future in midfield where his mix of physique and defensive acumen should make him an ideal fit. During his brief stint at Benneton, former England defensive coach Paul Gustard described Menoncello as one of the top five young players he has ever worked with, which speaks to the 20-year-old’s talent.

With his colleague in Treviso, Juan Ignacio Brex, he is quietly having another impressive Six Nations. The duo have done well for Benneton over the past 18 months and this should put their shifting Irish center partnership to the test.

Even if Johnny Sexton is in full form, there’s a good chance Ross Byrne has started this game and it should be a good challenge for Sexton’s club reserve. Both he and Craig Casey were impressive in injecting their own style into Ireland’s molds to see a win against France – Byrne’s varied kick game should test Italy’s back trio.

The 27-year-old would have liked to have Garry Ringrose by his side, given how important the center is in tying everything together for both club and country, but a strong midfielder from Bundee Aki and Stuart McCloskey only threatens Ireland’s carry-on. is increasing. . Could we see a slightly modified approach in the phase game?

Ireland may be in a good position to continue the Grand Slam chase, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t many bumps to go over during this tournament. Tadhg Beirne lost in their effort to secure a win against France for the remainder of the tournament, while Johnny Sexton and Garry Ringrose also lost – the center just pulled out yesterday.

With Sexton away, of course, there will be plenty of focus on how Ross Byrne filled the ten shirts of his Leinster teammate after an impressive supporting role against the French. Craig Casey is also in first place, while Caelan Doris goes six to house Jack Conan in the back row.

Ireland XV: Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; Iain Henderson, James Ryan (captain); Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan; Craig Casey, Ross Byrne; James Lowe, Bundee Aki, Stuart McCloskey, Mack Hansen; Hugo Kenan.

Successors: Dan Sheehan, Dave Kilcoyne, Tom O’Toole, Ryan Baird, Peter O’Mahony; Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Jimmy O’Brien.

A handful of changes for Italy, bolstered by Paolo Garbisi’s halfway return. The young ten players had only a watch recap for the first two rounds, but are now eligible to take their place in a revamped midfield that also includes Tommaso Menoncello – he and his partner Juan Ignacio Brex have done a lot of fun things for Benetton this season.

Simone Ferrari steps in to replace front-row Marco Riccioni, while Kieran Crowley splits from a six-two split into a more traditional five-three, while the bench is fine-tuning.

Italy XV: Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari; Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza; Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (captain), Lorenzo Cannone; Stephen Varney, Paolo Garbisi; Pierre Bruno, Tommaso Menoncello, Juan Ignacio Brex, Edoardo Padovani; Ange Capuozzo.

Substitutes: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli; Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi, Tommaso Allan.

Well, it’s less than an hour before kickoff in Rome, so let’s take a closer look at these two sides and some of the highlights worth watching this afternoon…

Andy FarrellThe men head to the Stadio Olimpico after their convincing bonus point wins against Wales and France.

Here, the Press Association picks out some of the main points discussed before Saturday afternoon’s third-round match.

Irish head coach Andy Farrell admits his side of resurgent Italy poses a “serious threat” to Guinness prospects Six Nations glory.

The world’s top-ranked nation heads to Rome in title-winning form after resounding bonus points wins over Wales and France, but fears getting stuck.

While Italy have been long-time wooden spoon winners, they have recorded clear wins against Wales and Australia in 2022, and then stunned the reigning Grand Slam champions France with a 29-24 loss at the start of this year’s championship.

Farrell believes that Azzurri, whose only Six Nations success against the Irish came ten years ago, now has enough talent to fulfill his ambitions and is ready for a tough journey to the Stadio Olimpico.

“We have the utmost respect for Italy,” he said.

“Italy are chasing home wins and it’s a big scalp, so we know the feeling they’ve always had, but the skill they’ve shown in this regard now makes them a serious threat to us.

“We are aware of that and our preparation says it. There is an awareness of what we are facing this week and it will be a difficult week.”