Ireland do enough to beat Italy in scrappy encounter

Ireland 16 Italy 9

Italian Job done this week, but with nothing like the élan or level of performance required to beat either France or Argentina, much less the All Blacks, over the next two weeks. At least Ireland needn’t worry about going into next Sunday’s pool decider untested, or without work to do.

A performance that initially promised much failed to ignite, despite the best intentions of a 53,187 sell-out clad almost entirely in green, to rouse those in green on the pitch. The net effect was a relatively flat occasion to go with a flat Irish performance lacking in intensity and accuracy, suggesting that mentally they were possibly too expectant of a win.

While Italy were themselves roused from their World Cup slumber by the return of Sergio Parisse, Ireland were grateful the Azzurri butchered a try and a couple of attacking lineouts.

The quick ball generated early gradually slowed to a trickle, and Ireland's lack of accuracy at the breakdown will have disappointed Joe Schmidt.

There were some good individual performances, notably from Iain Henderson, who augmented his carrying with a couple of choke tackles, and there was honesty of effort from Rory Best, Paul O’Connell and Peter O’Mahony et al. But the more Ireland went through the phases, the blunter they became, with Italians reading the inside passes, before eventually resorting to a percentage game with 35 kicks out of hand in total. Much of them were speculative.

Ireland only made five offloads, and several other attempted ones contributed to 14 turnovers (the same as Italy), while there were also 10 penalties to nine; leaving O’Connell a frustrated figure with Jerome Garces. It’s hard to find much rhythm when you’re doing that.

Third venue, same story. The Green Army descended upon the Olympic Stadium in droves, turning Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park into a sea of green. As was the case in Dunedin, Italy were relatively friendless, and the four proud provinces was sung with considerably more gusto than the more passionate Italian national anthem.

With qualification for the World Cup quarter-finals at stake, the stage was thus set for a major sporting occasion. Instead, a lethargic performance begot a lethargic occasion. One of the problems with this athletics stadium is that it is not designed especially with rugby or football in mind, even though West Ham move in here next season, and the fans are so far removed from the action.

The Azzurri were clearly buoyed by the presence of Parisse for only his second game of the season and were also given every encouragement as the first half unfolded. It was they who actually played with more width in the first half, often found soft if not penetrable outside edges, whereas Ireland were comparatively narrow.

Ireland weren’t helped by coughing up possession too cheaply – a Sexton knock-on helping to add to the number of phases they were obliged to defend through. But Sexton atoned off a lineout on half-way when he spotted the Italians drifting off him, which in turn led to him opening the scoring with a penalty.

But after a Sexton chip was blocked by Quintin Geldenhuys and a laboured pass inside by Robbie Henshaw to Dave Kearney – smashed in the tackle by Simone Favaro – Jamie Heaslip was harshly penalised for hands on the deck when it looked a legitimate poach before a ruck was formed. Tommaso Allan drew the sides level.

Henderson executed a choke tackle on Parisse, which was indicative of his influence on the game, and was helped in this by Best, and after Conor Murray ran blind and chipped through off a scrum, a steal at the front of the Italian lineout proved crucial.

Heaslip and Henderson made good hard yards, before Henshaw took Sexton’s deftly delayed pass to pierce the blue line and offload for Keith Earls, in close support, to score his eighth World cup try in eight matches and thus go ahead of Brian O’Driscoll.

Ireland could conceivably have turned the screw at this point but perhaps realising this, pushed it a little when Best couldn’t hold a risky offload off the deck by Heaslip

Instead, Allan swiftly made it 10-6 when O’Connell was done for not rolling away. Zebo was unlucky to see a long diagonal kick roll dead in a very short in-goal area, which ensured the pressure remained on Ireland. But when Seán O’Brien was penalised for not releasing and Italy went to the corner, Andrea Manici committed the first of two overthrows.

Italy continued to play with width, while reading Ireland’s inside passes, and a 45-metre penalty by Sexton smacked off the upright. Perhaps indicative of Ireland’s performance, the only Irish player really following up, Tommy Bowe, was initially jogging until the ball rebounded off the upright.

Geldenhuys then worked his way over and through an Irish maul to bring it down single-handedly, and when Ireland again went to the corner nearing half-time, Italy defended it well before the ball scooped out and Murray fumbled at the base.

The Italian pack also drew energy from finishing the half with a strong scrum and ensuing penalty, and retained their intensity on the resumption. After Earls forced an offload after a fine O’Connell take, the covering O’Mahony even had to save a try when doing enough to force Josh Furno’s foot over the touchline before he grounded the ball. When Allan made it a one-point game, Italy were still playing with more energy and intensity, it roused the Irish crowd into life.

Ireland did lift themselves to go through the phases, and though never breaking down the Azzurri defence, it led to Sexton landing a quick brace of penalties either side of the hour mark – helped by a superb take in the air by Bowe and Edoardo Gori seeing a long kick roll dead. Carlo Canna, on for Allan, was short and wide from long range.

But having failed to pull clear, Ireland almost seemed to retreat into a tactical shell of one-phase rugby and taking to the air. They were then placed into further trouble when Garces yellow carded O’Mahony for a shoulder charge on the side of Furno’s head in clearing out.

After Cian Healy was penalised at an ensuing scrum, Ireland were indebted to an overthrow by the sub hooker Davide Giazzon to Chris Henry, who broke upfield. Sexton turned Italy once more with another touchfinder, and after he’d missed a difficult insurance penalty, Sexton sensibly called time when kicking the ball into the crowd, signalling a laboured win which generated a bigger celebratory roar than it perhaps deserved.

SCORING SEQUENCE – 9 mins Sexton pen 3-0; 15 mins Allan pen 3-3; 19 mins Earls try, Sexton con 10-3; 24 mins Allan pen 10-6; (half-time 10-6); 52 mins Allan pen 10-9; 62 min Sextoon pen 16-9.

IRELAND: Simon Zebo; Tommy Bowe, Keith Earls, Robbie Henshaw, Dave Kearney; Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack McGrath, Rory Best, Mike Ross; Iain Henderson, Paul O'Connell; Peter O'Mahony, Seán O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: Cian Healy for McGrath, Nathan White for Ross (both 58 mins), Devin Toner for Henderson, Chris Henry for O'Brien (67 mins), Seán Cronin for Best (70 mins), Luke Fitzgerald for Earls (76 mins). Not used: Eoin Reddan, Ian Madigan. Yellow card: O'Mahony (72 mins).

ITALY: Luke McLean; Leonardo Sarto, Michele Capagnaro, Gonzalo Garcia, Giovanbattista Venditti; Tommaso Allan, Edoardo Gori; Matias Aguero, Andrea Manici, Lorenzo Cittadini; Ouintin Geldenhuys, Josh Furno; Francesco Minto, Simone Favaro, Sergio Parisse.

Replacements: Tommaso Benvenuti for Garcia (3 mins), Davide Giazzon for Manici (42 mins), Michele Rizzo for Aguero, Dario Chistolini for Cittadini (both 62 mins), Alessandro Zanni for Parisse, Carlo Canna for Allan (both 65 mins), mauro Bergamasco for Favaro (67 mins), Palazzani for Gori (76 mins).

Referee: Jerome Garces (France).

Attendance: 52,187