DUBLIN (Reuters) -Ireland stored the stress on unbeaten Six Nations leaders France with a 57-6 thrashing of Italy on Sunday in a game that descended into farce after the guests had been compelled to play most of it with 13 males.
Ireland had been 7-3 up when substitute hooker Hame Faiva, on for the injured Gianmarco Lucchesi, was despatched off and, as a result of Italy resorted to uncontested scrums, they needed to nominate one other participant to go away the pitch for the ultimate 61 minutes.
With gaps in all places, the hosts adopted up Joey Carbery’s early strive with eight extra from Jamison Gibson-Park, Peter O’Mahony, Kieran Treadwell, Ryan Baird and two every for James Lowe and debutant Michael Lowry.
Ireland, who path France by three factors after taking a shedding bonus level from Paris, have to beat England and Scotland to have an opportunity of successful the title.
“I believed they did very well with 13 males, it was very sloppy at occasions from us however an excellent consequence in the top,” man of the match Josh van der Flier stated in a pitchside interview.
Ireland in all probability may have additional handed the French on factors distinction in a game with little else to realize bar getting some expertise into gamers comparable to Carbery, who began forward of fit-again captain Johnny Sexton.
The hosts seemed able to run riot when the Munster flyhalf went over for the opening strive on 4 minutes however a number of careless penalties allowed Italy into the game and on to the scoreboard due to an enormous Edoardo Padovani long-range penalty.
Faiva’s crimson card for a blatant excessive deal with on Irish hooker Dan Sheehan and the chaos that adopted put paid to any type of Italian resistance. Ireland took speedy benefit as Gibson-Park picked one of many inescapable defensive holes to attain.
As Italy nonetheless needed to put eight males in every scrum, albeit with out having to contest, they’d solely 5 backs to defend Ireland’s seven at every setpiece.
The monumental benefit enabled Ireland to wrap up the bonus level by halftime due to Lowry’s first try to one for O’Mahony.
Ireland had been nonetheless all too readily giving up penalties early in the second half whereas Italy gave it an excellent go, conserving the hosts out for the primary 11 minutes.
No matter how laborious the Italians tried or how ragged the Irish assault was, the overlaps had been at occasions comical and the assaults extra intently resembled a sevens game. Tries from Lowe, Lowry and a primary for Ireland for lock Baird adopted.
Already dealing with a thirty fifth consecutive defeat in the competitors in essentially the most demoralising of circumstances, Italy went right down to 12 males with 5 minutes to go after a yellow card for Braam Steyn, with simple tries for Lowe and Treadwell finishing their distress.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin, modifying by Ed Osmond and Clare Fallon)
