PETER O’MAHONY WAS one of the few Irish players not to experience a dip in form today and the Munster captain had to be at his best to stop Italy taking a lead minutes in to the second half.

With second row Josh Furno bearing down on the try-line, it looked a sure thing that Italy would take, at least, a 10 – 11 lead into the final half hour. However, O’Mahony refuses to accept the fate and busts a gut to go on a covering line.

Jamie Heaslip smashes into Sergio Parisse, Tommy Bowe hits Leonardo Sarto, but neither stops the pass, so it’s down to O’Mahony to chase down Furno. He hits him low, hard and with a firm grip on a leg and a right arm clamped on the ball, he twists the second row out of play brilliantly.

Here’s the rest of the highlights of Ireland’s frustrating win.

The stand-out score of the game also features O’Mahony, stealing a line-out from the grasp of Sergio Parisse (at the one minute mark) before Jonathan Sexton and Robbie Henshaw create Keith Earls’ try.

A Fijian player at the Rugby World Cup has been banned for 10 weeks

How we rated Ireland as they sneaked through Italy test