Cool heads under pressure a positive for Farrell

An assuring element of Ireland's three Six Nations victories this season has been that when it's looked like momentum was moving away from them, they've consistently shown an ability to bring it back on side.

In Cardiff in Round 1, their big goalline stand on the stroke of half-time shut the door on a Welsh comeback at a crucial stage, before they wrestled back momentum in the final quarter to secure the all-important bonus-point.

A week later against France, they replied instantly to Damian Penaud's breakaway try which sent the French in front, and after it looked like the visitors were gaining control early in the second half, their fitness and depth on the bench saw them exert their dominance the longer the game went on.

In Rome, there were similar moments when it looked like Ireland were starting to swim against the tide. Heading into the final quarter, Ireland's 24-10 lead had been whittled down to 24-20, and for a brief moment there was a feeling around the Stadio Olimpico that we could potentially be seeing one of the all-time Six Nations upsets.

It called for cool heads and dry pants, and that's what Andy Farrell's side delivered.

"Once the pressure comes on and there's a bit of belief in the stadium from an Italian point of view, then that’s the type of pressure that you want to see people under," the Irish coach said after Saturday's 34-20 win.

"And understanding that it’s not all going to go your way and still trying to find a way and coming away with a 14-point victory is very pleasing.

"And dealing with a brilliant atmosphere, I mean, the Italian commentary got their crowd going as well. It was 50-50 and they certainly made themselves heard, didn't they, the Italian crowd?"

There were other stages in the game when