Tag Archives: italy rugby

Ireland 29 Italy 10  Sean McMahon reporting from the Aviva Stadium  You would have to feel for the marketing team in the IRFU for trying to sell this game to the masses. Not only is it difficult to capture the imagination when it comes to a warm-up game against a team Ireland beat on an annual basis but there must …

All going according to plan, Jean Kleyn will make his Ireland debut on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.  The 25-year-old South African has completed his three-year residency period which sees him qualify to play for Ireland just in time for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He’s been named to start on Saturday which could also see an international debut for …

Ireland have announced their team for their opening Rugby World Cup warm-up game against Italy on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium (KO 2 pm).  As expected, the team is a blend of youth and experience as those who are selected will be desperate to make an impression in order to be selected for the final 31-man squad that travels to …

After what felt like a painfully long summer, Ireland will finally be back on the rugby pitch this weekend as they host Italy at the Aviva Stadium in their first warm-up game ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.  This will be the first of four warm-up games as Ireland will also take on England (August 24) and Wales (August …

The Cheetahs have confirmed this afternoon that Franco Smith will take over as head coach of Italy after the 2019 World Cup.  Smith is currently the head coach of the Cheetahs and the club confirmed today that the 46-year-old will take up his new position on 1st January 2020. Smith will continue his current role throughout the upcoming Currie Cup …

Conor O’Shea’s future as the Italian head coach has been thrown into jeopardy following reports that the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) made an approach to Franco Smith, head coach of the Toyota Cheetahs. O’Shea’s current contract is set to run until the end of next year’s Six Nations campaign, however, the Guinness PRO 14 outfit confirmed via Twitter that Smith …

French rugby publication Midi Olympique has published its team of the 2019 Six Nations championship and it includes two Irish players despite Ireland suffering a disappointing campaign which has called into question their World Cup credentials later this year.  Across the 15 fixtures, there have been many standout performances and it’s always a challenge to produce a team such as …

The nominees for the official Six Nations Player Of The Championship have been announced and unsurprisingly, the list is dominated by Wales.  A total of six players have been nominated and these were selected by the media. The ultimate winner will be decided by an online vote which you can take part in here. Voting closes at 12 noon on …

The 2019 Six Nations Championship culminated in a special weekend or ‘Super Saturday’, as it was dubbed, which saw Wales clinch their first Grand Slam since 2012.  Scotland’s stunning second-half comeback will live long in the memory and Italy blew a big opportunity to get their first win over France since they last managed that feat in 2013. With everything …

To follow up our earlier piece which looked at the top individual performances from the 2019 Guinness Six Nations, here we take a look which teams produced the best stats in wide-variety of categories throughout the championship.  Points Scored  England – 184 Wales – 114 Scotland – 105 Ireland – 101 France – 93 Italy – 79 Tries Scored  England – …

The Six Nations is over for another year which saw Wales emerge with a first Grand Slam since 2012 and a first championship title since 2013.  Warren Gatland’s final Six Nations match in charge of Wales will live long in the memory as they produced an emotional and dominant performance which Ireland had no answer for. For Ireland, the post-mortem …

The Six Nations is over for another year and 2019 will be remembered for Wales securing their first Grand Slam since 2012 and their first championship title since 2013.  Warren Gatland’s side produced a suffocating performance in Cardiff which Ireland had no answer for as they eased to a 25-7 victory over Joe Schmidt’s side. That win sees Wales up …

Italy 14 – 25 France  Italy’s wait for a first Six Nations win since 2015 goes on as they couldn’t show the composure required to come out on top against an unstructured France side in Rome. Italy dominated the match for long periods but they spurned numerous try-scoring opportunities. They will look back at this 80-minute performance with a lot …

The Six Nations enters its final weekend and the championship is still up for grabs with Wales, Ireland and England all in contention to lift the trophy on Saturday.  Wales can secure a first Grand Slam since 2012 and a first championship title since 2013 if they can get the better of Ireland in Cardiff while a loss for Warren …

England bounced back from their disappointing defeat to Wales last time out by recording a heavy win over Italy at Twickenham on Saturday.  Eddie Jones’ side crossed the whitewash eight times as they physically dominated their opponents from the first whistle. The result means that England are still in a decent position to win the championship but results will need …

England 57 Italy 14 England put in a totally dominating performance at Twickenham as they scored 57 points which included eight tries en-route to a routine win over Italy. Eddie Jones named a physical backline with the likes of Ben Te’o, Joe Cokanasiga and Manu Tuilagi all included and they certainly made their presence felt throughout the game. England were …

There was no shortage of exciting moments from Round 3 of the 2019 Guinness Six Nations.  From Italy putting it up to Ireland for large periods at the Stadio Olimpico to the French flair on display in Paris and of course, Josh Adams’ last-gasp try to seal the win against England at the Principality Stadium – there is plenty of contenders …

After round three off the 2019 Guinness Six Nations, Wales are in pole position for the championship and the Grand Slam after their 21-13 victory over England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.  Elsewhere, France got their first win of the tournament with a victory over Scotland in Paris while Ireland are still in contention thanks to their bonus point win …