Ireland coach Andy Farrell was pleased that his side managed to get over the line against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in what he described as a “proper Test match.”
Farrell’s men were put under intense pressure by an ever-improving Azzurri side, particularly during the second half, where Ireland’s lead was as narrow as four points at a stage.
The world’s top-ranked side managed to hold on to a 34-20 win courtesy of a Mack Hansen double and tries from Hugo Keenan, Bundee Aki and captain on the day James Ryan.
Nervous second period
The nerves were clearly getting to Farrell, who could be seen biting his nails in the second half. The coach underlined how dangerous this Italy side is and is delighted to come away with a bonus point win.
“Was I biting my nails? My mother’s going to go mad. I shouldn’t have done that. It was a tough match. It was a proper Test match,” Farrell said
“You know when they get the field position that they’re craving that they’re going to be unbelievably dangerous.
“Which Irish fan wouldn’t have been biting their nails when the cross-field kick (from Ignacio Brex at 27-20) went in and bounced very close. That’s what Test matches are all about and that’s how it should be.
“To come away with the bonus-point win, we’ll take that and move on.”
The Azzurri made it difficult for Ireland who came into the clash on the back of two solid wins against Wales and France in the opening two rounds.
The return of Paolo Garbisi at fly-half for Italy showed as the talented playmaker did his utmost to keep his team in the game in tandem with Ange Capuozzo.
Ireland’s stand-in skipper, Ryan, was happy with the win but insists his side needs to improve going into the final two rounds against Scotland and England.
“We made it quite difficult for ourselves at times, particularly in the first half,” he said.
“That’s still a positive for us in a way because we’re three from three, top of the table, but there’s still a lot more for us.
“We have a good two weeks to get ready for Scotland and we have to be better.”
“We want to get over the line”
Italy have lost all their games in this year’s Six Nations, but their performances have been impressive and always improving. However, head coach Kieran Crowley was frustrated that his team could not get over the line against Ireland.
“We don’t want to become a team that gets pats on the back because we’re playing well and showing good style – we want to get over the line,” he said. “We’re absolutely gutted about that result today.
“Yes, they’re the number one side in the world but we thought we could really give them a crack and we gave them a crack. We just weren’t accurate enough in certain areas.”
READ MORE: Six Nations: Ireland claim third straight maximum but pushed all the way by Italy
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