Preview: Optimistic Ireland set for stern Italian test

If France was about a performance, Italy is about the result.

With England and France being in a league of their own in the Guinness Women's Six Nations, the expectations vary from one week to the next.

When Ireland travelled to France a week ago, their prospects of a win looked to be, at best, remote. They took their medicine, a 38-17 defeat, but one in which there were plenty of positives.

One week later as they prepare for the visit of Italy to the RDS, the sight of green shoots won’t be enough to satisfy what the IRFU hope will be a record crowd for an Irish women’s international in this country.

It’s six Six Nations defeats in a row for this Irish team, with their last-gasp win over Scotland in the final game of the 2022 championship their most recent victory in the competition. But there’s a sense that this could be their best opportunity to get the train back on the tracks.

There’s confidence in the Irish camp, even if Italy are the favourites at the RDS this afternoon. Twelve months ago their fast, counter-attacking rugby ripped Ireland apart as they won 24-7 in Parma, despite Greg McWilliams’ side dominating almost every facet of the game.

While Ireland would go on to lose two more games in that Six Nations, the result in Italy was the nadir of the championship. Ireland had 62% possession and 66% territory that afternoon, and gave away just six penalties to Italy’s 14, but with their lineout returning just 11 of 16 throws their attack coughed up chance after chance.

On the other side of the ball, 27 missed tackles left them with a completion rate of just 78%, as Italy scored with almost every meaningful possession they had.

The statistics from that game make for grim reading, but there’s real optimism that 12 months on