Ireland Lead the Way After Mallett's Spirited Italians Fade
Six Nations: Ireland top the table after beating Italy 38-9
Ireland moved to the top of the Six Nations table with this convincing win in Rome today. The scoreline may have been cruel on Italy, who were much improved after their abject display at Twickenham, but after two rounds of the championship Declan Kidney's side are inexorably on their way to a grand slam showdown with Wales in the last game of the tournament in Cardiff next month.
The Irish never quite matched the verve of their display against France and they actually trailed for much of the first half, but once they got used to the novelty of playing in warm sunshine there was only one winner. Ireland put a gloss on the score when they snatched two tries in the last five minutes, the last word coming from Brian O'Driscoll, who had a quiet game by his standards, but they are improving week by week under their new coach. The last months of the doleful reign of Eddie O'Sullivan seem an age ago.
Kidney's opposite number, Nick Mallett, though, will face an inquest at home. He may never recover from his bizarre decision to play his flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrum-half against England. Bergamasco returned to the back row yesterday but he would not be human if his humiliation at Twickenham is not affecting his game and he was not quite his old self. Some consolation for the coach was the performance of Luke McLean, who was assured enough at fly-half on his first start in the Six Nations to suggest that Italy have finally found a worthy successor at No10 to Diego Dominguez. As his name suggests, McLean is not exactly a local boy. In fact the 21-year-old is from Townsville in north Queensland while Mallett's lack of homegrown talent also forced him into recalling the New Zealander Paul Griffen at scrum-half.
Griffen's resplendent sideburns seem to have grown in the 16 months since he last wore the blue shirt and he bristled himself for much of the game but, while Italy were competitive, their discipline let them down.
After 45 seconds the Biarritz full-back, Andrea Masi, was shown a yellow card for a dangerous high tackle and Salvatore Perugini followed him to the sin-bin later in the half. Like England at Cardiff, Italy could scarcely afford to play superior opponents for a quarter of the game with 14 men. But, taking advantage of a first-half breeze, Italy edged ahead through a couple of McLean penalties before, in what was to be typical of their luck, the game turned Ireland's way.
At the end of the first quarter Tommy Bowe intercepted a pass from Gonzalo Canale and out sprinted Kaine Robertson to run 60 meters for the first of their five tries and in the last move of the half Ireland regained the lead from McLean's third penalty. Italy were defending heroically before the Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris peeled off an Irish maul to slip a clever pass to Luke Fitzgerald to slip over by the posts.
After the interval Ireland gained a stranglehold on the game, David Wallace smashing through Masi's tackle to score. There was no lack of fight from Italy, quite literally when Mauro Bergamasco clipped O'Driscoll and a seven-man brawl ensued on the touchline, but they were rarely able to venture into Irish territory. Then, when Fitzgerald threw a quick lineout to the substitute Gordon D'Arcy, the young wing took the pass from his Leinster team-mate to score a fourth try.
Mallett looked thunderstruck and there were boos from the crowd as Italy left the field. Ireland are set fair, though. Kidney stressed last night that their next opponents, England, would not be underestimated but it is difficult to see Martin Johnson's side preventing the Irish from a tilt at that first grand slam in 61 years.
The Irish never quite matched the verve of their display against France and they actually trailed for much of the first half, but once they got used to the novelty of playing in warm sunshine there was only one winner. Ireland put a gloss on the score when they snatched two tries in the last five minutes, the last word coming from Brian O'Driscoll, who had a quiet game by his standards, but they are improving week by week under their new coach. The last months of the doleful reign of Eddie O'Sullivan seem an age ago.
Kidney's opposite number, Nick Mallett, though, will face an inquest at home. He may never recover from his bizarre decision to play his flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrum-half against England. Bergamasco returned to the back row yesterday but he would not be human if his humiliation at Twickenham is not affecting his game and he was not quite his old self. Some consolation for the coach was the performance of Luke McLean, who was assured enough at fly-half on his first start in the Six Nations to suggest that Italy have finally found a worthy successor at No10 to Diego Dominguez. As his name suggests, McLean is not exactly a local boy. In fact the 21-year-old is from Townsville in north Queensland while Mallett's lack of homegrown talent also forced him into recalling the New Zealander Paul Griffen at scrum-half.
Griffen's resplendent sideburns seem to have grown in the 16 months since he last wore the blue shirt and he bristled himself for much of the game but, while Italy were competitive, their discipline let them down.
After 45 seconds the Biarritz full-back, Andrea Masi, was shown a yellow card for a dangerous high tackle and Salvatore Perugini followed him to the sin-bin later in the half. Like England at Cardiff, Italy could scarcely afford to play superior opponents for a quarter of the game with 14 men. But, taking advantage of a first-half breeze, Italy edged ahead through a couple of McLean penalties before, in what was to be typical of their luck, the game turned Ireland's way.
At the end of the first quarter Tommy Bowe intercepted a pass from Gonzalo Canale and out sprinted Kaine Robertson to run 60 meters for the first of their five tries and in the last move of the half Ireland regained the lead from McLean's third penalty. Italy were defending heroically before the Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris peeled off an Irish maul to slip a clever pass to Luke Fitzgerald to slip over by the posts.
After the interval Ireland gained a stranglehold on the game, David Wallace smashing through Masi's tackle to score. There was no lack of fight from Italy, quite literally when Mauro Bergamasco clipped O'Driscoll and a seven-man brawl ensued on the touchline, but they were rarely able to venture into Irish territory. Then, when Fitzgerald threw a quick lineout to the substitute Gordon D'Arcy, the young wing took the pass from his Leinster team-mate to score a fourth try.
Mallett looked thunderstruck and there were boos from the crowd as Italy left the field. Ireland are set fair, though. Kidney stressed last night that their next opponents, England, would not be underestimated but it is difficult to see Martin Johnson's side preventing the Irish from a tilt at that first grand slam in 61 years.
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