Women's Six Nations: Italy v Ireland - All you need to know

Ireland take on Italy in Parma on Saturday afternoon (4.45pm) in the third round of the TikTok Women's Six Nations looking for a first win of the campaign.

Sobering defeats to Wales and France have sent Greg McWilliams’ team into a battle to avoid the wooden spoon.

Next week’s game against England is a foregone conclusion so this match-up with the Azzurre and the final day showdown against Scotland are the realistic targets.

TV

The game is live on Virgin Media Two.

RADIO

Live commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1

ONLINE

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

WEATHER

Parma is set for sunny conditions with the temperature around 17C in a gentle breeze.

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The sides meet off the back of two losses each in the competition so far.

Italy fell to a 22-12 defeat to France on the opening day before a 68-5 hammering at the hands of England.

France, who beat Ireland 53-3 two weeks ago, needed a late try to see off an impressive Italy outfit.

The Irish showed glimpses of good handling and running angles in their loss at Musgrave Park but the stat of 43 missed tackles stands out.

Defence will have to be the bedrock of this performance if they are to have a chance of upsetting the odds. The hosts start as 12-point favourites.

Ireland's recent record against Italy is good, winning the last four games, including a RWC qualifier in Parma in 2021.

A look back at the scorers from the last three matches, however, shows a heavy reliance on players currently missing out through