Ireland Secures Narrow Victory Over Italy in Thrilling Six Nations Clash

In a gripping Six Nations encounter, Ireland managed to hold off a determined Italy side to secure a 22-17 victory in Rome. The win keeps Ireland's faint hopes of a third consecutive Six Nations title alive, as they now sit three points clear of France and four ahead of England in the standings.

Key Moments

• Hugo Keenan opened the scoring for Ireland in the first half, setting the tone for a competitive match.
• Dan Sheehan was the star of the show, scoring a hat-trick that took his Six Nations tally to an impressive 13 tries.
• Italy responded with tries from Monty Ioane and Stephen Varney, but their discipline issues cost them dearly. Michele Lamaro was sin-binned just before halftime, and Ross Vintcent was shown a red card in the second half for a high hit on Keenan.

Match Summary

Sheehan's third try put Ireland in a commanding 22-10 lead, but Varney's late try gave Italy a glimmer of hope. Despite intense pressure from the home side in the closing stages, Ireland's defense held firm to secure the win.

Upcoming Fixtures

Attention now turns to the next round of Six Nations matches, with Wales hosting England in Cardiff and France welcoming Scotland to Paris.

Line-ups

Italy: Allan; Capuozzo, Brex (capt), Menoncello, Ioane; Garbisi, Page-Relo; Fischetti, Lucchesi, Ferrari; Lamb, Ruzza; Negri, Zuliani, L Cannone. Replacements: Nicotera, Spagnolo, Zilocchi, N Cannone, Lamaro, Vintcent, Varney, Marin. Sin-bin: Lamaro (40), Nicotera (80) Red card: Vintcent (56)

Ireland: Keenan; Hansen, Ringrose, Henshaw, Lowe; Crowley, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Bealham; Ryan, Beirne; Conan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt). Replacements: G McCarthy, Boyle, Furlong, J McCarthy, O'Mahony, Murray, Prendergast, Aki.

Referee: Luke Pearce (Eng)