HIGHLIGHTS | Ireland v Italy | A tough and brutal battle in Dublin! With drama to the last second!

Following their opening-round defeat in Paris, Andy Farrell had demanded "intent" from his side. Instead, the home crowd witnessed a disjointed first half. While fullback Jamie Osborne provided an early breakthrough - finishing a vintage sequence of Irish phase play after an offload from centre Stuart McCloskey - the conversion was missed by Sam Prendergast, setting the tone for a difficult afternoon for the young fly-half.

Italy, brimming with confidence, refused to be cowed. Their scrum, led by last week's Guinness Player of the Match, Simone Ferrari, was a revelation, repeatedly dismantling the Irish front row. When Ireland scrum-half Craig Casey was sent to the bunker for a high challenge on Lorenzo Cannone, the Azzurri pounced. From the resulting maul, hooker Giacomo Nicotera powered over, and Paolo Garbisi’s conversion handed Italy a deserved five-point lead at the interval.

The turning point
The second half began with Farrell turning to his reinforcements, most notably legendary tighthead Tadhg Furlong and eventually number ten Jack Crowley. Though back rower Jack Conan managed to burrow over from a trick lineout play to level the scores at 10-10, the game remained on a knife-edge. Italy thought they had retaken the lead when wing Louis Lynagh finished a sensational break from midfield sensation Tommaso Menoncello, only for the TMO to rule the try out for a forward pass.

A nervous finale
Despite the Irish surge, Italy’s scrum dominance remained a factor. Substitute prop Mirco Spagnolo earned an astonishing scrum penalty that allowed Garbisi to bring the visitors back within a converted try. Italy threw everything at the hosts in the closing minutes, but a massive tackle from Garry Ringrose halted a late surge.

In the final act, with Italy on the attack deep in Irish territory, Monty Ioane’s speculative pass was intercepted by James Lowe, who raced downfield where Ireland were able to kill the clock and secure a hard-fought victory. While the hosts avoid a catastrophic result ahead of their clash with England, Farrell will be left with plenty of questions regarding his side's set-piece and starting fly-half selection.

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