Ireland learn valuable lessons after hard-fought win

In years gone by, analysing a win against Italy has been a hollow task.

Win by a landslide, as Ireland did in 2022 and 2021 and 2020, and the general consensus would be that we learned nothing. Win by too little, as they did in 2019, and the alarms sound, and rightly so. It was lose-lose, even when they won.

Saturday's 34-20 win against the Azzurri in Rome was far from perfect, but at the very least there’s a lot for Andy Farrell to unpack, both positively and negatively.

Kieran Crowley’s current Italian team seem to play without any short-term memory, with neither the scoreline nor the talent opposite them spooking them. The New Zealander said his side were "gutted" they couldn’t pull off what would have been one of the great Six Nations upsets, only they probably wouldn’t have seen it as such.

In moments when they would have previously rolled over, and on Saturday there were plenty of them, they came back again and again. From going seven years without a win in the championship until last year’s victory in Cardiff, there’s every chance they will welcome Wales to Rome in a fortnight and be genuine favourites.

Pierre Bruno’s try with the final act of the opening half flipped the game on its head. With an attacking lineout in Italian territory, Ireland were going all out for one more score to cap off the half. Had Bundee Aki picked the right pass as he sought to find Ross Byrne’s looping run around the corner, it could have been a 31-10 half time lead, rather than 24-17. Small margins.

Those small margin moments that could have made it a very different game entirely. James Lowe lost control of the ball over the line in the opening minute – although they made amends with a try shortly after, Mack Hansen spilled in the 22 when he