Ireland have kept the pressure on unbeaten Six Nations leaders France with a 57-6 thrashing of Italy in a game that descended into farce after the visitors were forced to play most of it with 13 men.
Ireland were 7-3 up on Sunday when replacement hooker Hame Faiva, on for the injured Gianmarco Lucchesi, was sent off.
Because Italy resorted to uncontested scrums, they had to nominate another player to leave the pitch for the final 61 minutes.
With gaps everywhere, the hosts followed up Joey Carbery’s early try with eight more from Jamison Gibson-Park, Peter O’Mahony, Kieran Treadwell, Ryan Baird and two each for James Lowe and debutant Michael Lowry.
Ireland, who trail France by three points after taking a losing bonus point from Paris, need to now beat England and Scotland to have a chance of winning the title.
“I thought they did really well with 13 men, it was very sloppy at times from us but a good result in the end,” man of the match Josh van der Flier said in a pitchside interview.
Ireland probably could have further passed the French on points difference in a game with little else to gain bar getting some experience into players such as Carbery, who started ahead of fit-again captain Johnny Sexton.
The hosts looked ready to run riot when the Munster fly-half went over for the opening try on four minutes but a few careless penalties allowed Italy into the game and on to the scoreboard thanks to a huge Edoardo Padovani long-range penalty.
Faiva’s red card for a blatant high tackle on Irish hooker Dan Sheehan and the chaos that followed put paid to any kind of Italian resistance.
Ireland took immediate advantage as Gibson-Park picked one of the inescapable defensive holes to score.
As Italy still had to put eight men in each scrum, albeit without having to contest, they had only five backs to defend Ireland’s seven at each setpiece.
The enormous advantage enabled Ireland to wrap up the bonus point by halftime thanks to Lowry’s first try and one for O’Mahony.
Ireland were still all too readily giving up penalties early in the second half while Italy gave it a good go, keeping the hosts out for the first 11 minutes.
But no matter how hard the Italians tried or how ragged the Irish attacks were, the overlaps were at times comical and the attacks more closely resembled a sevens game.
Tries from Lowe, Lowry and a first for Ireland for lock Baird followed.
Already facing a 35th consecutive defeat in the competition in the most demoralising of circumstances, Italy finished with 12 men after a yellow card for Braam Steyn with five minutes left as easy tries for Lowe and Treadwell completed their misery.
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Peter
Roar Rookie
This is so true Davo but it's as though we are beating our heads against a brick wall. World Rugby's response to such allegations is to make the game even more complicated. Sign of the times !! Rugby is a microcosm of the Nanny states we now live in. Take the deliberate knock down. Surely one of the most pedantic and un-policeable laws in the game. Large chunks of every game are set aside as officials adjudicate whether or not it deserves one of a varying degree's of punitive sanctions. In over regulating they have created such grey ambiguity that games are literally hijacked by officials. Do they not appreciate, how taking minutes out of a game can and does ruin a spectacle. It isn't an isolated event either. It happens almost every international, often multiple times. I think I speak for everyone that has either paid a pay tv subscription or a ticket to a game when I state what is obvious to all but those in World Rugby. We do not pay to watch bureaucracy in action. We want to be entertained.
Davo
Roar Rookie
Rugby will never reach global levels of interest or participation because of its archaic and complicated rules. Look at Football, the last time they changed a rule was to say the attacking player isnt offside if they are inline with the last defender. Thats it. To not contest scrums means you have to remove a player is not only an insane rule, but an equally bizarre strategy to deploy, knowing the consequences. All it has done, is confirm what the part time fans already know. Rugby is a game about rules, with a ball involved. Sport is at its best, at is simplest. At its simplest means that children can play it, anytime, anywhere and without needing someone to decipher the rules and suck the joy out of it. Talking about sucking the joy out of things, 35 consecutive defeats in the competition!!!! Time to move on Italy, as there is obviously no improvement. I wonder why?
Peter
Roar Rookie
Yes, you're correct. I humbly apologise. In the excitement I don't always see the wood for the trees. I guess I have got into bad habits over the years. I must remember to watch my p's and q's when next I contribute to this forum given the hornet's nest of smartasses that contribute to it. Having said as much, I didn't expect that on a rugby forum my grammar would be placed under such close scrutiny. Thank goodness that you have both the pedantry and the time on your hands to bring such editorial matters to light. I am sure I echo the thoughts of many on this forum in recognising as I do the valuable contribution that you have made.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
I hear you Tug, but even the Poms themselves have stopped using apostrophes on signage, what chance do the rest of us have?
Those union geniuses
Guest
Hey Peter. Time to learn how apostrophes work!
Peter
Roar Rookie
This debacle of a match that saw a valiant Italy reduced to 13 men for the majority of the game and to a low of 12 men by the games conclusion is evidence if evidence be needed of just how out of touch Rugby Administrator's are. The 51,000 at the ground and the many other's watching around the globe, not to mention the players and the officials that were made to enforce these punitive inflexible laws were treated with contempt. It rendered the international no more than an Irish training session. The players have been professional now for well over a quarter of a century but Rugby's officials still seem to dwell in the amateur age. Get your snouts out of the smoke filled cigar chamber and join the real world GENTLEMEN.