Chasing the bonus point: Ireland’s record in Rome

Things didn't exactly go to plan for Ireland on the opening weekend of the Six Nations.

Touted by many people as the tournament’s dark horses, Scotland lived up to that moniker at Murrayfield, blowing away a visiting side who took 40 minutes to really get going.

Throughout the first half Joe Schmidt’s side were out-thought and out-fought, but they showed enough after the break to suggest it isn’t time to hit the panic buttons just yet.

Luckily this year’s fixture list has been kind to Ireland, and after a few days licking their wounds and re-grouping they head to Rome to try and get their campaign back on track against Italy on Saturday.

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And despite their opening defeat the introduction of the bonus point system means they can recoup the points lost in Edinburgh if they can rack up the tries in their next four fixtures.

But while on paper a fixture against the Azzurri might appear the best opportunity for Ireland to secure an extra point, history shows it will be far from a straightforward task.

Indeed, since Italy joined the Six Nations in 2000, Ireland have only managed to score four tries or more on four of their eight visits to Rome.

And they have managed it only once in their last four visits - and that came in 2009.

Ireland’s last three trips to the Italian capital have produced a crop of just three tries - one in 2011, two in 2015, and none in 2013 when they were subjected to a particularly humiliating 22-15 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico.

Ireland’s biggest return in Rome came in 2007, when they scored eight tries in a 51-24 rout at the Stadio Flaminio.

Two years later they crossed the whitewash five times as they ran out 38-9 winners - the 29-point winning margin the biggest they have managed in Italy.

However the well has since run dry, and since Italy moved to the Stadio Olimpico in 2012 Ireland have averaged a try a match, with a 50 per cent winning record.

And so while Ireland’s record in Rome hardly suggests the Azzurri hold some sort of jinx over them - it is clear there is work to be done if they want to steady the ship with a handsome win on Saturday.

Ireland’s Six Nations record in Rome:

2001: Italy 22 Ireland 41 Tries scored: 5 (3 Henderson, Horgan, O'Gara) Final position: Italy 6th Ireland 2nd

2003: Italy 13 Ireland 37 Tries scored: 5 (Stringer, O'Driscoll, Kelly, Humphreys, Murphy) Final position: Italy 5th Ireland 2nd

2005: Italy 17 Ireland 28 Tries scored: 3 (Murphy, Stringer, Hickie) Final position: Italy 6 Ireland 3

2007: Italy 24 Ireland 51 Tries scored: 8 (2 Dempsey, 2 Hickie, Easterby, D'Arcy, Horgan, O'Gara) Italy 4 Ireland 2

2009: Italy 9 Ireland 38 Tries scored: 5 (2 Fitzgerald, Bowe, Wallace, O'Driscoll) Final position: Italy 6 Ireland 1

2011: Italy 11 Ireland 13 Tries scored: 1 (O'Driscoll) Final position: Italy 6 Ireland 3

2013: Italy 22 Ireland 15 Tries scored: 0 Final position: Italy 4 Ireland 5

2015: Italy 3 Ireland 26 Tries scored: 2 (Murray, O'Donnell) Final position: Ireland 1 Italy 5