IRELAND WERE MADE to sweat by 14-man Italy at Donnybrook on Friday evening but Noel McNamara’s side hung on at the death to record a bonus-point victory which breathes life into their Six Nations campaign.
Below, we take a look at five players who stood out for the home side in the 38-34 win.
Sean Masterson
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
The sponsor’s man of the match award went to two-try winger James McCarthy, but Connacht’s Sean Masterson would have been equally deserving of the honour.
Now in his second year at this age-grade, the flanker continues to impress and worked tirelessly on Friday night as well as providing a real threat with ball in hand, his power and dynamism evident throughout.
Masterson was excellent over the ball and was one of several players to produce standout individual performances, but the collective cohesion remains a concern with Ireland’s defence exposed regularly by Italy.
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Michael Silvester
Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Trinity fullback Michael Silvester looks a real prospect with his electric footwork, impressive acceleration and strong running game all on show in the first half in particular.
A former Clongowes Wood pupil and current member of the Leinster sub-academy, Silvester was a livewire throughout and demonstrated his ability to beat defenders at will, although he was helped by the space which opened up following Jacopo Bianchi’s red card.
One of the highlights was his surge down the left in the second half which led to Tommy O’Brien going over, only for the TMO to pull it back after Silvester’s boot had caressed the touchline.
Tommy O’Brien
Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Was denied what would have been a match-clinching try late on, but overall the captain made a significant contribution in midfield and displayed glimpses of real quality.
Ireland’s ambition wasn’t always matched with the execution, but when they did produce some clinical rugby in the first half, O’Brien was at the centre of it with his clever tip-on offload on halfway creating the space for McCarthy to burst into in the build-up to Ireland’s third try.
Eoghan Clarke
Promoted to the starting XV following the late withdrawal of Ronan Kelleher through illness, Clarke seized his opportunity and was heavily involved around the fringes, while also getting through a mountain of work during his time on the field.
Head coach Noel McNamara singled the former CBC Monsktown man out for praise afterwards, and it was fully merited with his all-round contribution giving the management team a selection headache going forward.
James McCarthy
Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The Munster academy winger followed up his Six Nations debut try last week with two first-half scores against Italy, the second of which was an eye-catching chip, chase and finish in the far corner.
McCarthy showed good speed and then athleticism to make up the ground to take advantage of the fortunate bounce before leaping over the Italian fullback to gather and dive over.
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5 players who stood out in Ireland's narrow win over Italy
IRELAND WERE MADE to sweat by 14-man Italy at Donnybrook on Friday evening but Noel McNamara’s side hung on at the death to record a bonus-point victory which breathes life into their Six Nations campaign.
Below, we take a look at five players who stood out for the home side in the 38-34 win.
Sean Masterson
The sponsor’s man of the match award went to two-try winger James McCarthy, but Connacht’s Sean Masterson would have been equally deserving of the honour.
Now in his second year at this age-grade, the flanker continues to impress and worked tirelessly on Friday night as well as providing a real threat with ball in hand, his power and dynamism evident throughout.
Masterson was excellent over the ball and was one of several players to produce standout individual performances, but the collective cohesion remains a concern with Ireland’s defence exposed regularly by Italy.
Michael Silvester
Trinity fullback Michael Silvester looks a real prospect with his electric footwork, impressive acceleration and strong running game all on show in the first half in particular.
A former Clongowes Wood pupil and current member of the Leinster sub-academy, Silvester was a livewire throughout and demonstrated his ability to beat defenders at will, although he was helped by the space which opened up following Jacopo Bianchi’s red card.
One of the highlights was his surge down the left in the second half which led to Tommy O’Brien going over, only for the TMO to pull it back after Silvester’s boot had caressed the touchline.
Tommy O’Brien
Was denied what would have been a match-clinching try late on, but overall the captain made a significant contribution in midfield and displayed glimpses of real quality.
Ireland’s ambition wasn’t always matched with the execution, but when they did produce some clinical rugby in the first half, O’Brien was at the centre of it with his clever tip-on offload on halfway creating the space for McCarthy to burst into in the build-up to Ireland’s third try.
Eoghan Clarke
Promoted to the starting XV following the late withdrawal of Ronan Kelleher through illness, Clarke seized his opportunity and was heavily involved around the fringes, while also getting through a mountain of work during his time on the field.
Head coach Noel McNamara singled the former CBC Monsktown man out for praise afterwards, and it was fully merited with his all-round contribution giving the management team a selection headache going forward.
James McCarthy
The Munster academy winger followed up his Six Nations debut try last week with two first-half scores against Italy, the second of which was an eye-catching chip, chase and finish in the far corner.
McCarthy showed good speed and then athleticism to make up the ground to take advantage of the fortunate bounce before leaping over the Italian fullback to gather and dive over.
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