Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with Italy is the meat in the sandwich of another busy international weekend. The Ireland Under-20s kick things off in Prato on Friday night, with the Ireland Women also looking to make it two wins out of two in L’Aquila on Sunday afternoon.
UNDER-20 SIX NATIONS: Friday, February 10
ITALY UNDER-20s (5th) v IRELAND UNDER-20s (3rd), Stadio Enrico Chersoni, Prato, kick-off 7pm local time/6pm Irish time (Live stream on www.therugbychannel.it/www.facebook.com/federugby)
– The Italy Under-20s have not won in the Six Nations since overcoming Scotland in February 2014, a total of 13 successive losses in the Championship
– Italy’s most recent victory in a home U-20 game was 20-19 against Samoa to take 11th place at the 2015 World Rugby U-20 Championship in Cremona
– The Ireland U-20s’ only defeat at this level in their last nine games was in the final of the World Rugby U-20 Championship last summer when they lost out to England
– Ireland’s victory by a single point against Scotland in round 1 was their fourth in succession in the U-20 Six Nations, their only longer streak in this Championship was when winning their first six matches at this age group between 2007 and 2008
– The two sides have met on 11 occasions at Under-20 level, with Italy’s best result being a 25-all draw at L’Aquila in round 5 of the 2013 U-20 Six Nations
– This is the first Under-20 international match to be staged in Prato
RECENT SIX NATIONS MEETINGS:
Friday, February 4, 2011 – Italy U-20s 9 Ireland U-20s 28, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
Friday, February 24, 2012 – Ireland U-20s 27 Italy U-20s 8, Dubarry Park
Friday, March 15, 2013 – Italy U-20s 25 Ireland U-20s 25, Stadio del Marsi, Avezzano
Friday, March 7, 2014 – Ireland U-20s 18 Italy U-20s 0, Dubarry Park
Friday, February 6, 2015 – Italy U-20s 15 Ireland U-20s 47, Stadio Pozzi Lamarmora, Biella
Friday, March 11, 2016 – Ireland U-20s 19 Italy U-20s 13, Donnybrook
Under-20 Six Nations Results/Fixtures
ITALY U-20: Massimo Cioffi (S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927); Andrea Bronzini (Rugby Viadana 1970), Ludovico Vaccari (UR Capitolina), Marco Zanon (Mogliano Rugby), Dario Schiabel (Lafert San Donà); Antonio Rizzi (Mogliano Rugby), Charly Vincenzo Ernst Trussardi (Clermont Auvergne); Daniele Rimpelli (Patarò Calvisano), Massimo Ceciliani (Delebio Rugby), Marco Riccioni (Patarò Calvisano) (capt), Giordano Baldino (Mogliano Rugby), Gabriele Venditti (S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927), Jacopo Bianchi (Vasari Arezzo), Lorenzo Masselli (Sitav Rugby Lyons), Giovanni Licata (Miraglia Rugby).
Replacements: Alberto Rollero (Sitav Rugby Lyons), Danilo Fischetti (Unione Rugby Capitolina), Giosuè Zilocchi (Sitav Rugby Lyons), Edoardo Iachizzi (Perpignan), Nardo Casolari (S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927), Emilio Fusco (Stade Aurillacois), Michelangelo Biondelli (FEMI-CZ Rovigo), Roberto dal Zilio (Patarò Calvisano).
IRELAND U-20: Colm Hogan (Dublin University/Munster); Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Gavin Mullin (UCD/Leinster), Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster), Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster); Johnny McPhillips (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Jonny Stewart (Queen’s University/Ulster); Joey Conway (UL Bohemians/Munster), Tadgh McElroy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Charlie Connolly (Dublin University/Leinster), Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster), Oisin Dowling (Lansdowne/Leinster), Cillian Gallagher (Corinthians/Connacht) (capt), Paul Boyle (Lansdowne/Leinster), Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster).
Replacements: Adam Moloney (Shannon/Munster), Rory Mulvihill (UCD/Leinster), Matthew Burke (Corinthians/Connacht), Jack Regan (UCD/Leinster), Gavin Coombes (Young Munster/Munster), Jack Lyons (Young Munster/Munster), Conor Fitzgerald (Shannon/Munster), Tommy O’Brien (UCD/Leinster).
Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Simon Rees, Jonathan Hardy (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Neil Hennessy (Wales)
RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, February 11
ITALY (6th) v IRELAND (5th), Stadio Olimpico, 3.25pm local time/2.25pm Irish time (live RTÉ Two/UTV/ITV/DMAX/FR2/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
STATS & FACTS
– Italy’s only victory in the RBS 6 Nations in their last 16 games was against Scotland in Edinburgh in round 3, 2015
– Italy have not won a Test match at Stadio Olimpico since beating Ireland there in the RBS 6 Nations round 5, 2013
– The Italians have lost their round 2 encounter every year since they joined the RBS 6 Nations in 2000
– Ireland have not won away from home in the RBS 6 Nations since they last visited Edinburgh in round 5, 2015
– Ireland have not begun a Championship campaign with a pair of defeats since they were whitewashed in 1998
– Ireland have lost just one of their last 22 Test matches against Italy: 22-15 at Stadio Olimpico in 2013
– Ireland’s only three defeats in Italy in a Test match were in Treviso in 1995, Bologna in 1997 and Rome in 2013
RECENT SIX NATIONS MEETINGS:
Saturday, February 5, 2011 – Italy 11 Ireland 13, Stadio Flaminio
Saturday, February 25, 2012 – Ireland 42 Italy 10, Aviva Stadium
Saturday, March 16, 2013 – Italy 22 Ireland 15, Stadio Olimpico
Saturday, March 8, 2014 – Ireland 46 Italy 7, Aviva Stadium
Saturday, February 7, 2015 – Italy 3 Ireland 26, Stadio Olimpico
Saturday, March 12, 2016 – Ireland 58 Italy 15, Aviva Stadium
RBS 6 Nations Results/Fixtures
ITALY: Edoardo Padovani (Zebre); Angelo Esposito (Benetton Treviso), Tommaso Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso), Luke McLean (Benetton Treviso), Giovanbattista Venditti (Zebre); Carlo Canna (Zebre), Edoardo Gori (Benetton Treviso); Andrea Lovotti (Zebre), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Toulouse), Lorenzo Cittadini (Bayonne), Marco Fuser (Benetton Treviso), Dries van Schalkwyk (Zebre), Maxime Mbanda (Zebre), Simone Favaro (Glasgow Warriors), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais) (capt).
Replacements: Ornel Gega (Benetton Treviso), Sami Panico (Patarò Calvisano), Dario Chistolini (Zebre), George Biagi (Zebre), Brahm Steyn (Benetton Treviso), Giorgio Bronzini (Benetton Treviso), Tommaso Allan (Benetton Treviso), Michele Campagnaro (Exeter Chiefs).
IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster); Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster).
Replacements: Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Ultan Dillane (Corinthians/Connacht), Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht), Ian Keatley (Young Munster/Munster), Craig Gilroy (Bangor/Ulster).
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Television Match Official: Rowan Kitt (England)
WOMEN’S SIX NATIONS: Sunday, February 12
ITALY WOMEN (5th) v IRELAND WOMEN (1st), Stadio Tommaso Fattori, L’Aquila, 2pm local time/1pm Irish time (live RTÉ Two/www.rte.ie/live (island of Ireland only)/Six Nations Facebook Live Stream)
– Italy’s only two victories in their last six Women’s Six Nations encounters were against Scotland in Bologna and Wales in Aberavon
– The Ireland Women have won their last three matches in the Women’s Six Nations, while their only two defeats in the Championship since round 2 in 2015 were on trips to France and England last year
– The two nations have met on 14 previous occasions with Italy’s only previous victory being in their first ever clash in Nice in 1997
– This will be the first Women’s international Test match to be staged at Stadio Tommaso Fattori in L’Aquila
RECENT SIX NATIONS MEETINGS:
Sunday, February 6, 2011 – Italy Women 5 Ireland Women 26, Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
Friday, February 24, 2012 – Ireland Women 40 Italy Women 10, Ashbourne RFC
Sunday, March 17, 2013 – Italy Women 3 Ireland Women 6, Campo Sportivo, Parabiago
Saturday, March 8, 2014 – Ireland Women 39 Italy Women 0, Aviva Stadium
Friday, February 6, 2015 – Italy Women 5 Ireland Women 30, Stadio Mario Lodigiani, Florence
Sunday, March 13, 2016 – Ireland Women 14 Italy Women 3, Donnybrook
Women’s Six Nations Results/Fixtures
ITALY WOMEN: Manuela Furlan (Aylesford Bulls); Michela Sillari (Aylesford Bulls), Mariagrazia Cioffi (Rugby Colorno), Sofia Stefan (Rennes), Maria Magatti (ASR Monza); Beatrice Rigoni (Valsugana Rugby), Sara Barattin (Villorba Rugby) (capt); Elisa Cucchiella (Belve Neroverdi), Melissa Bettoni (Rennes), Lucia Gai (Valsugana Rugby), Flavia Severin (Benetton Treviso), Alice Trevisan (Riviera del Brenta), Lucia Cammarano (ASR Monza), Isabella Locatelli (ASR Monza), Elisa Giordano (Valsugana Rugby).
Replacements: Marta Ferrari (Rennes), Gaia Giacomoli (Rugby Colorno), Michela Este (Benetton Treviso), Elisa Pillotti (Rugby Parabiago), Ilaria Arrighetti (Rennes), Claudia Salvadego (Stade Francais), Silvia Folli (Valsugana Rugby), Paola Zangirolami (Valsugana Rugby).
IRELAND WOMEN: Mairead Coyne (Galwegians/Connacht); Hannah Tyrrell (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Jenny Murphy (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Sene Naoupu (Aylesford Bulls), Alison Miller (Old Belvedere/Connacht); Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union/Leinster); Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster), Leah Lyons (Highfield/Munster), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Elaine Anthony (Highfield/Munster), Marie Louise Reilly (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians/Munster), Claire Molloy (Bristol/Connacht), Paula Fitzpatrick (St. Mary’s/Leinster) (capt).
Replacements: Jennie Finlay (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ilse van Staden (Cooke/Ulster), Ciara O’Connor (Galwegians/Connacht), Ciara Cooney (Railway Union/Leinster), Sophie Spence (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Mary Healy (Galwegians/Connacht), Claire McLaughlin (Cooke/Ulster), Eimear Considine (UL Bohemians/Munster).
Referee: Rachel Horton (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Amy Perrett (Australia), tbc
Television Match Official: Eric Gauzins (France)
– Compiled by SFMS Limited (Stuart Farmer Media Services)
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