Head-To-Head: Ireland v Italy

2018 NATWEST 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, February 10

IRELAND (3rd) v ITALY (6th), Aviva Stadium, 2.15pm (live TV3/UTV/ITV/FR2/DMAX/NBC/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)

IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), Jacob Stockdale (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster).

Replacements: Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Quinn Roux (Galwegians/Connacht), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht), Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Leinster), Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster).

ITALY: Matteo Minozzi (Zebre); Tommaso Benvenuti (Benetton Rugby), Tommaso Boni (Zebre), Tommaso Castello (Zebre), Mattia Bellini (Zebre); Tommaso Allan (Benetton Rugby), Marcello Violi (Zebre); Nicola Quaglio (Benetton Rugby), Luca Bigi (Benetton Rugby), Simone Ferrari (Benetton Rugby), Alessandro Zanni (Benetton Rugby), Dean Budd (Benetton Rugby), Sebastian Negri (Benetton Rugby), Braam Steyn (Benetton Rugby), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais) (capt).

Replacements: Leonardo Ghiraldini (Toulouse), Andrea Lovotti (Zebre), Tiziano Pasquali (Benetton Rugby), Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby), Maxime Mbanda (Zebre), Edoardo Gori (Benetton Rugby), Carlo Canna (Zebre), Jayden Hayward (Benetton Rugby).

Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Pascal Gaüzère (France), Matthew Carley (England)
Television Match Official: David Grashoff (England)

Head-To-Head:

Played – 27
Ireland Won – 23
Italy Won – 4

Ireland v Italy: IRFU Stat Zone

Ireland v Italy – Results Since 2000:

2000: Ireland won 60-13, Dublin
2001: Ireland won 41-22, Rome
2002: Ireland won 32-17, Dublin
2003: Ireland won 37-13, Rome; Ireland won 61-6, Limerick
2004: Ireland won 19-3, Dublin
2005: Ireland won 28-17, Rome
2006: Ireland won 26-16, Dublin
2007: Ireland won 51-24, Rome; Ireland won 23-20, Belfast
2008: Ireland won 16-11, Dublin
2009: Ireland won 38-9, Rome
2010: Ireland won 29-11, Dublin
2011: Ireland won 13-11, Rome; Ireland won 36-6, Dunedin
2012: Ireland won 42-10, Dublin
2013: Italy won 22-15, Rome
2014: Ireland won 46-7, Dublin
2015: Ireland won 26-3, Rome; Ireland won 16-9, London
2016: Ireland won 58-15, Dublin
2017: Ireland won 63-10, Rome

Biggest Wins:

Ireland: Points: 63-10, 2017 Six Nations; Margin: 61-6, 2003 Rugby World Cup Warm-Up

Italy: Points: 37-29, 1997 Test, Dublin; 37-22, 1997 Test, Bologna; Margin: 37-22, 1997 Test, Bologna

Individual Records In The Series:

Most Points In A Match: Ireland 30 (Ronan O’Gara 2000); Italy 27 (Diego Dominguez 1997)

Most Tries In A Match: Ireland 4 (Denis Hickie 2003); Italy 2 (Paolo Vaccari 1997)

Most Appearances – Ireland v Italy:

15 – Brian O’Driscoll, Sergio Parisse
14 – Ronan O’Gara
13 – Rory Best, Martin Castrogiovanni
12 – Mauro Bergamasco, Gordon D’Arcy, John Hayes, Andrea Masi, Paul O’Connell, Salvatore Perugini, Alessandro Troncon, Alessandro Zanni
11 – Mirco Bergamasco, Marco Bortolami, Gonzalo Canale, Luke McLean, Donncha O’Callaghan, Malcolm O’Kelly, Peter Stringer

Top Points Scorers – Ireland v Italy:

180 – Ronan O’Gara
96 – Diego Dominguez
67 – David Humphreys
64 – Jonathan Sexton
40 – Denis Hickie
37 – Paddy Jackson
36 – Paul Burke
30 – Girvan Dempsey, Keith Earls, Brian O’Driscoll

Top Try Scorers – Ireland v Italy:

8 – Denis Hickie
6 – Girvan Dempsey, Keith Earls, Brian O’Driscoll
5 – Shane Horgan
4 – Tommy Bowe, John Kelly, CJ Stander, Andrew Trimble
3 – Craig Gilroy, Jamie Heaslip, Rob Henderson, Ronan O’Gara, Paolo Vaccari

Ireland – Form Guide From Start Of The 2017 Six Nations:

Lost 27-22 v Scotland away (Six Nations)
Won 63-10 v Italy away (Six Nations)
Won 19-9 v France home (Six Nations)
Lost 22-9 v Wales away (Six Nations)
Won 13-9 v England home (Six Nations)
Won 55-19 v USA away (Summer Tour)
Won 50-22 v Japan away (Summer Series)
Won 35-13 v Japan away (Summer Series)
Won 38-3 v South Africa home (GUINNESS Series)
Won 23-20 v Fiji home (GUINNESS Series)
Won 28-19 v Argentina home (GUINNESS Series)
Won 15-13 v France away (Six Nations)

Italy – Form Guide From Start Of The 2017 Six Nations:

Lost 33-7 v Wales home (Six Nations)
Lost 63-10 v Italy home (Six Nations)
Lost 36-15 v England away (Six Nations)
Lost 40-18 v France home (Six Nations)
Lost 29-0 v Scotland away (Six Nations)
Lost 22-19 v Fiji away (Summer Tour)
Lost 40-27 v Australia away (Summer Tour)
Won 19-10 v Fiji home (Autumn Series)
Lost 31-15 v Argentina home (Autumn Series)
Lost 35-6 v South Africa home (Autumn Series)
Lost 46-15 v England home (Six Nations)

International Championship All-Time Records:

Points –
557 Ronan O’Gara (Ireland)
546 Jonny Wilkinson (England)
467 Stephen Jones (Wales)
406 Neil Jenkins (Wales)
403 Chris Paterson (Scotland)
363 Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
328 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
320 Owen Farrell (England)
288 Gavin Hastings (Scotland)
270 David Humphreys (Ireland)
232 Paul Grayson (England)
228 Greig Laidlaw (Scotland)

Tries –
26 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
24 Ian Smith (Scotland)
22 Shane Williams (Wales)
18 Gareth Edwards (Wales)
18 Cyril Lowe (England)
18 Rory Underwood (England)

Caps –
65 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
63 Ronan O’Gara (Ireland)
61 Sergio Parisse (Italy)
60 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy)
56 Rory Best (Ireland)
56 Mike Gibson (Ireland)
56 Gethin Jenkins (Wales)
55 Ross Ford (Scotland)
54 John Hayes (Ireland)
54 Jason Leonard (England)
53 Willie John McBride (Ireland)
53 Chris Paterson (Scotland)
51 Marco Bortolami (Italy)
51 Paul O’Connell (Ireland)
51 Martyn Williams (Wales)
50 Stephen Jones (Wales)
50 Philippe Sella (France)
50 Rory Underwood (England)

Ireland – Most-Capped Players:

133 Brian O’Driscoll
128 Ronan O’Gara
108 Paul O’Connell
107 Rory Best
105 John Hayes
98 Peter Stringer
95 Jamie Heaslip
94 Donncha O’Callaghan
92 Malcolm O’Kelly
82 Gordon D’Arcy
82 Girvan Dempsey
79 Rob Kearney
74 Cian Healy
72 David Humphreys
72 Geordan Murphy
72 David Wallace
71 Eoin Reddan
70 Kevin Maggs
70 Andrew Trimble
69 Tommy Bowe
69 Mike Gibson
69 Jonathan Sexton
67 Marcus Horan

Ireland – All-Time Leading Points Scorers:

1083 Ronan O’Gara
654 Jonathan Sexton
560 David Humphreys
308 Michael Kiernan
296 Eric Elwood
245 Brian O’Driscoll
217 Ollie Campbell
195 Paddy Jackson
158 Tom Kiernan
150 Tommy Bowe
145 Denis Hickie
130 Keith Earls

Ireland – All-Time Leading Try Scorers:

46 Brian O’Driscoll
30 Tommy Bowe
29 Denis Hickie
26 Keith Earls
21 Shane Horgan
19 Girvan Dempsey
18 Geordan Murphy
17 Brendan Mullin
17 Andrew Trimble
16 Ronan O’Gara
15 Kevin Maggs
15 Keith Wood
14 George Stephenson
13 Jamie Heaslip
13 Rob Kearney
12 Keith Crossan
12 David Wallace

Italy – Most-Capped Players:

130 Sergio Parisse
119 Martin Castrogiovanni
112 Marco Bortolami
106 Mauro Bergamasco
103 Andrea Lo Cicero
101 Alessandro Troncon
100 Alessandro Zanni
95 Andrea Masi
90 Leonardo Ghiraldini
89 Mirco Bergamasco
89 Luke McLean
86 Gonzalo Canale
83 Carlo Checchinato
83 Salvatore Perugini
81 Fabio Ongaro

Italy – All-Time Leading Points Scorers:

983 Diego Dominguez
483 Stefano Bettarello
294 Luigi Troiani
260 Ramiro Pez
256 Mirco Bergamasco
164 Tommaso Allan
154 Luciano Orquera

Italy – All-Time Leading Try Scorers:

25 Marcello Cuttitta
22 Paolo Vaccari
21 Carlo Checchinato
21 Manrico Marchetto
19 Alessandro Troncon
17 Mirco Bergamasco
17 Serafino Ghizzoni
17 Massimo Mascioletti

World Rugby All-Time Top Points Scorers:

1598 Dan Carter (New Zealand)
1246 Jonny Wilkinson (1179-England, 67-Lions)
1090 Neil Jenkins (1049-Wales, 41-Lions)
1083 Ronan O’Gara (Ireland)
1010 Diego Dominguez (27-Argentina, 983-Italy)
970 Stephen Jones (917-Wales, 53-Lions)
967 Andrew Mehrtens (New Zealand)
911 Michael Lynagh (Australia)
893 Percy Montgomery (South Africa)
878 Matt Burke (Australia)
854 Florin Vlaicu (Romania)
835 Merab Kvirikashvili (Georgia)

World Rugby All-Time Top Try Scorers:

67 Bryan Habana (South Africa)
64 David Campese (Australia)
60 Shane Williams (58-Wales, 2-Lions)
50 Rory Underwood (49-England, 1-Lions)
49 Doug Howlett (New Zealand)
47 Brian O’Driscoll (46-Ireland, 1-Lions)
46 Christian Cullen (New Zealand)
46 Joe Rokocoko (New Zealand)
46 Julian Savea (New Zealand)
44 Jeff Wilson (New Zealand)
41 Gareth Thomas (40-Wales, 1-Lions)
40 Chris Latham (Australia)

(Note: Daisuke Ohata scored 69 tries for Japan, but not all against major international opposition)

The ‘100 Caps’ Club:

148 Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
141 Brian O’Driscoll (133-Ireland, 8-Lions)
139 George Gregan (Australia)
134 Gethin Jenkins (129-Wales, 5-Lions)
132 Keven Mealamu (New Zealand)
130 Ronan O’Gara (128-Ireland, 2-Lions)
130 Sergio Parisse (Italy)
129 Stephen Moore (Australia)
127 Victor Matfield (South Africa)
124 Bryan Habana (South Africa)
123 Alun Wyn Jones (114-Wales, 9-Lions)
119 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy)
119 Jason Leonard (114-England, 5-Lions)
118 Fabien Pelous (France)
118 Tony Woodcock (New Zealand)
116 Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia)
116 Nathan Sharpe (Australia)
115 Paul O’Connell (108-Ireland, 7-Lions)
112 Marco Bortolami (Italy)
112 Dan Carter (New Zealand)
111 Ross Ford (110-Scotland, 1-Lions)
111 Philippe Sella (France)
111 John Smit (South Africa)
111 George Smith (Australia)
110 Stephen Jones (104-Wales, 6-Lions)
109 Jean de Villiers (South Africa)
109 Chris Paterson (Scotland)
109 Kieran Read (New Zealand)
108 Merab Kvirikashvili (Georgia)
107 Rory Best (Ireland)
107 John Hayes (105-Ireland, 2-Lions)
106 Mauro Bergamasco (Italy)
106 Florin Vlaicu (Romania)
105 Sean Lamont (Scotland)
104 Davit Kacharava (Georgia)
104 Martyn Williams (100-Wales, 4-Lions)
103 Matt Giteau (Australia)
103 Andrea Lo Cicero (Italy)
103 Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
103 Gareth Thomas (100-Wales, 3-Lions)
102 Stephen Larkham (Australia)
102 Percy Montgomery (South Africa)
101 David Campese (Australia)
101 Alessandro Troncon (Italy)
101 Vasco Uva (Portugal)
100 Giorgi Chkhaidze (Georgia)
100 Jamie Heaslip (95-Ireland, 5-Lions)
100 Adam Jones (95-Wales, 5-Lions)
100 Mils Muliaina (New Zealand)
100 Alessandro Zanni (Italy)