Ireland left with regrets as Italy hang on for bonus point victory at the RDS

Ireland 21 Italy 27

Ireland were left with a pocketful of regrets, tantalised by what might have been had added greater accuracy and vision to their endeavour in this Six Nations Championship tussle. Too many opportunities went abegging, some of the premise of handling mistakes, others by not appreciating the acres of space in the wider channels. The home side didn’t pillage enough points in the periods in which they were dominant.

And yet they could have won it. Katie Corrigan’s intercept try and Dannah O’Brien’s brilliantly struck penalty to the corner gave the home side a platform to snatch a win in the final minute but Italy scrambled heroically in defence as they had done for much of the game to effect a match-winning turnover on their line.

If Ireland had Italy’s passing skills, they would have won this match with a little to spare but the basics of the game let them down at times, the set piece, the lineout again an issue, and the handling, the number of knocks-on, insurmountable as it transpired.

Ireland’s shortcomings should not detract from the merit of Italy’s win; superior handling and execution facilitated their bonus-point triumph. Irish captain Sam Monaghan produced a colossal display on her return, Aoife Wafer was superb, albeit that she spent a little too much time on the touchlines, awaiting passes that never materialised.

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Béibhinn Parsons beat multiple tacklers every time – she will rue one handling error that cost her a try she deserved – but the home side lacked composure and clarity at crucial times. Ireland started brightly, Parsons, Monaghan, and Christy Haney prominent, but it was an Italian mistake on seven minutes that proved pivotal.

Italy fullback Vittoria Ostuni Minozzi tried to intercept an Eve Higgins pass intended for Parsons, one-handed, and in deflecting it to the ground, received a yellow card. However, there was to be a further punishment, television match official Chris Assmus directed Hollie Davidson to examine the absence of Italian cover and the Scottish official agreed and awarded a penalty try.

Seven points to the good and with a player advantage the home side seemed set fair, especially as Parsons, Monaghan, Brittany Hogan, Linda Djougang, and the excellent Wafer made inroads with every carry.

Irish indiscipline handed the Italians a way back into the game, two penalties enabled the visitors to make it to the Irish 22 from where a compact Italian lineout maul shunted the Irish pack over the line, allowing hooker Vittoria Vecchini to touch down.

Ireland had a chance of a quick riposte, but captain Monaghan turned down an easy three points, a decision that looked even more questionable when outhalf Dannah O’Brien failed to find touch from the centre of the pitch into a stiff breeze.

Italy made the most of their good fortune and responded with a 10-point salvo. Centre Beatrice Rigoni kicked a penalty to the corner. Ireland managed to stop the maul this time, but Sara Tounesi’s power got the Italians to the threshold of the Irish line and from there, secondrow Valeria Fedrighi dotted down. Rigoni kicked the conversion and the centre then added a penalty three minutes later.

Italian outhalf Veronica Madia’s kick through pulled up a couple of metres short of the Irish line, Lauren Delany elected to run across her 22 and was nailed in a tackle that left her injured and requiring a stretcher. The home side were penalised at the ruck and Rigoni’s penalty gave Italy a 15-7 at the interval.

Ireland once again started with purpose and vigour but failed to take their chances. Italian number eight Ilaria Arrighetti’s decision to kick to the far touchline was hugely ambitious and it came up some 20 metres short and landed in Irish hands. A simple draw and pass would have led to a try for the home side but the Italians scrambled and somehow managed to bundle Katie Corrigan into touch in the corner.

Ireland needed to better appreciate the space which was on the edges but rarely got the ball there. They benefited from referee Davidson missing an obvious forward pass, good fortune they might have maximised but Parsons, with no one to beat and 12 metres from the Italian line, failed to grasp a pass that floated a little on the wind; the Irish wing will nevertheless be disappointed.

Alyssa D’Inca made a wonderful break in the build-up to hooker Vecchini’s second try, converted by Rigoni but Ireland, to their credit, showed resilience and struck back with a try from hooker Neve Jones, brilliantly converted from the touchline by O’Brien to narrow the gap to 22-14.

Aura Muzzo had a try chalked off by the TMO for a forward pass on 65 minutes but shortly afterwards there was to be no reprieve for Ireland as the Italian right wing finished off a superb sweeping move.

The home side were given a lifeline when Corrigan intercepted a pass as Italy set out on another counterattack and raced 30 metres for a try. O’Brien converted and then kicked a wonderful penalty to within five metres of the Italian line following a ruck transgression.

Monaghan won the lineout but despite pummelling the Italian line the visitors managed to turnover possession and kick the ball out of a play for a deserved victory, Ireland’s consolation a losing bonus point.

Scoring sequence - 7 mins: penalty try, 7-0; 24: Vecchini try, 7-5; 32: Fedrighi try, Rigoni conversion 7-12; 35: Rigoni penalty 7-15; 56: Vecchini try, Rigoni conversion, 7-22; 62: Jones try, O’Brien conversion, 14-22; 68: Muzzo try, 14-27; 78: Corrigan try, O’Brien conversion, 21-27.

Ireland: L Delany (Sale Sharks); K Corrigan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), E Higgins (Railway Union/Leinster), E Breen (Blackrock College/Munster), B Parsons (Blackrock College/Connacht); D O’Brien (Old Belvedere/Leinster), A Reilly (Blackrock College/Connacht); L Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster), N Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), C Haney (Blackrock College/Leinster); D Wall (Blackrock College/Munster), S Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury, capt); G Moore (Saracens), A Wafer (Blackrock College/Leinster), B Hogan (Old Belvedere/Ulster).

Replacements: N Fowley (Galwegians/Connacht) for Delaney (35 mins), F Tuite (Old Belvedere/Ulster) for Moore (54 mins), M Scuffil-McCabe (Leinster) for Reilly (58 mins), A Dalton (Old Belvedere/Leinster) for Breen (58 mins), S McGrath (Cooke/Ulster) for Haney (63 mins), E Corri (Blackrock College/Leinster) (66 mins), N O’Dowd (Old Belvedere/Leinster) for Djougang (76 mins).

Italy: V Ostuni Minuzzi; A Muzzo, B Rigoni, E Stevanin, A D’Inca; V Madia, S Stefan; S Turani, V Vecchini, S Seye; V Fedrighi, G Duca; S Tounesi, F Sgorbini, I Arrighetti.

Replacements: B Veronese for Sgorbini (11 mins), G Maris for Turani (HIA) (14 mins), I Locatelli for Tounesi (70 mins), F Granzotto for Madia (74 mins), L Gai for Seye (74 mins), A Frangipani for Stefan (76 mins), L Gurioli for Vecchini (79 mins).

Referee: H Davidson (Scotland)

Yellow card: V Ostuni Minozzi (Italy) (7 mins).