Six Nations: Ireland v Italy - All You Need to Know

FIXTURE

Sunday 31 March

Ireland v Italy, RDS Arena, 3pm.

ONLINE

Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.

RADIO

Listen to commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.

TV

Watch Ireland v Italy in the Guinness Women's Six Nations on Sunday from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.

Scotland v France (Saturday, 2.15pm) is also live on RTÉ Player. England v Wales in on Virgin Media Two from 5.30pm this afternoon.

WEATHER

Quite cloudy with continued showers, turning heavy in some places. Milder with highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees in light to moderate southeasterly winds.

For more, visit met.ie.

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Green shoots of recovery

While it's hard to be overly positive about a defeat, the performance of Ireland in their Six Nations opener against France pointed to a team in bounce-back mode.

The annus horribilis of 2023, when a final day defeat in Scotland secured the wooden spoon, has been put firmly in the rearview mirror first with the WXV3 win last October before some real defensive solidity in the 38-17 loss in Le Mans.

For 30 minutes, the side showed real resolve under new head coach Scott Bemand.

The concession of a third-minute try to Pauline Bourdon Sansus pointed to a potential hammering, but with half an hour on the clock it was 10-3 on the scoreboard.

Time and time again France tried to make gains but the Irish cover had real width and the decision to kick constantly – perhaps too eagerly on occasion with Nicole Fowley taking that option 19 times – pushed the hosts