Ireland v Italy match preview, coverage & key stats

Guinness Men's Six Nations: Italy v Ireland

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome Date: Saturday, 15 March Kick-off: 14:15 GMT

Coverage: Listen live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds; text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website and app; watch on ITV1.

Overview

Ireland face Italy in Rome in the final round of this year's Six Nations with aspirations of a historic third successive men's title hanging by a thread.

France's demolition job in Dublin last weekend not only ended Ireland's Grand Slam tilt but badly dented their chances of lifting the trophy.

Ireland are likely to have to defeat Italy and hope results elsewhere go their way, with France in pole position to win the tournament.

Italy have stumbled after beating Wooden Spoon rivals Wales in round two, subsequently losing heavily against Les Bleus and England.

However, if the Azzurri can shock Ireland for the first time in more than a decade, they would win multiple matches in back-to-back Six Nations campaigns for the first time.

Ireland team news

Ireland make six changes from the defeat by France.

Jack Crowley, who played every minute of the title-winning campaign in 2024, replaces Sam Prendergast at fly-half. Prendergast had started the previous seven Tests.

There are returns for fit-again wingers James Lowe and Mack Hansen, while Garry Ringrose returns from suspension. James Ryan is recalled to the second row, replacing Joe McCarthy, and Jack Conan - who has scored tries in Ireland's past three games - starts at blind-side flanker.

Centurions Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray will win their final Ireland caps from the bench.

Ireland: 15-Keenan, 14- Hansen, 13-Ringrose, 12-Henshaw, 11-Lowe, 10-Crowley, J 9-Gibson-Park; 1-Porter, 2-Sheehan, 3-Bealham, 4-Ryan, 5-Beirne, 6-Conan, 7-Van der Flier, 8-Doris (capt).

Replacements: 16-G McCarthy, 17-Boyle, 18-Furlong, 19-J McCarthy, 20-O'Mahony, 21-Murray, 22-S Prendergast, 23-Aki

Italy team news

Italy make seven changes following the round four defeat by England.

Captain Michele Lamaro drops to the bench for the first time in a Six Nations game - all his previous 24 caps in this tournament had been starts - and is replaced at flanker by Manuel Zuliani.

Tommaso Allan returns at full-back, with Ange Capuozzo switching to the right wing, Monty Ione to the left wing and Matt Gallagher missing out.

Martin Page-Relo replaces Stephen Varney at scrum-half, while there are a further four changes in the pack – Gianmarco Lucchesi, Simone Ferrari, Dino Lamb, and Lorenzo Cannone all come in.

Italy: 15-Allan, 14-Capuozzo, 13-Brex (capt), 12-Menoncello, 11-Ioane, 10-P Garbisi, 9-Page-Relo; 1-Fischetti, 2-Lucchesi, 3-Ferrari, 4-Lamb, 5-Ruzza, 6-Negri, 7-Zuliani, 8-L Cannone

Replacements: 16-Nicotera, 17-Spagnolo, 18-Zilocchi, 19-N Cannone, 20-Lamaro, 21-Vintcent, 22-Varney, 23-Marin

View from both camps

Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby on selecting Jack Crowley at 10 and links with a move to Leicester Tigers: "Jack knows how important he is to us. Regardless of selection across the last four games, he understands the role that he has and the standing he has in the group.

"He's a great pro, he's always looking to get better and we believe that for him to keep getting better, keeping getting experiences at this level and keep driving us forward as a team and being competitive in the number 10 position in particular, it's important that he obviously plays his rugby in Ireland.

"And we are confident that will continue to happen."

Italy head coach Goncalo Quesada on dropping captain Michele Lamaro: "Manuel Zuliani deserved the opportunity from the first minute and at the same time we want to have greater leadership on the pitch in the final stages of the game.

"The match develops over 80 minutes and the contribution of all the players on the match list will be fundamental."

Commentator's notes

Alastair Eykyn: "The Gallic ransacking of Dublin last week has left Ireland's Six Nations fate in the hands of others. Simon Easterby's side can still win the title, but need maximum points against Italy before turning into Welsh and Scottish fans for the rest of the day.

"The key selection debate at fly-half has resulted in Crowley being preferred to Prendergast.

"Italy's Gonzalo Quesada has made some significant decisions in the pack, dropping big dogs Lamaro, Giacomo Nicotera and Niccolo Cannone to the bench."

Match facts

Head-to-head

• Ireland have won 24 of their 25 Six Nations games against Italy.

• Italy's 22-15 triumph in Rome in 2013 is their only victory in this Six Nations fixture – it meant that the Azzurri finished fourth in the table, ahead of Ireland in fifth.

• Their 36-0 defeat in Dublin last year was the first time they have been whitewashed by Ireland.

Italy

• Italy have lost their last two Six Nations games after going unbeaten in four of the previous five (W3, D1).

• However, a win against Ireland would mean they record multiple victories in back-to-back years for the first time, having only previously done so in 2007 and 2013.

• The Azzurri have made the most dominant tackles (66) and the joint-most turnover-winning tackles (12, level with Wales) of any team in this year's championship.

• Only Jac Morgan (73) has made more tackles in the Championship this year than Italy's Sebastian Negri (67). The pair are joint-top for dominant tackles with 10.

Ireland

• Ireland's defeat by France in round four was the first time they have conceded five tries on home soil in 20 years and only the second time it's happened in the Six Nations.

• They have won seven of their last eight Six Nations away games, only losing to England last year.

• However, Ireland's two most recent away games in round five have ended in defeat - against Wales in 2019 and France in 2020.

• Simon Easterby's side rank bottom for dominant tackles (33) and turnover-winning tackles (7).

• Ireland have retained possession from a tournament-leading 19% of their kicks (24). They also lead with three 50-22 kicks – the other nations have managed two combined.

• Dan Sheehan has scored two tries, taking his tally to 10 in the Six Nations, the first forward to reach double figures in the Championship's history. Sheehan scored a brace against Italy last year.

• Jack Conan has scored a try in each of his last three Six Nations games and also scored versus Italy last year.