Ireland and Italy face off later today in the TikTok Six Nations at Musgrave Park and with no win for either team after two rounds there's a lot on the line.
The going will be firm, with the artificial surface at the Cork ground, which hosts a senior women's international for the first time.
Italy, World Cup-bound later this year, have already faced the tournament front-runners in France and England, losing 39-6 and 74-0 respectively.
Ireland are back on home soil and going in search of a win in Musgrave Park against Italy - watch it live on @RTE2 and the @RTEplayer this evening, 5pm ko #RTErugby pic.twitter.com/Tt2iDCB70U
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 10, 2022
That’s what happens when a novice races in Grade 1 company.
The hosts, meanwhile, lost 40-5 against France last week and opened up with a 27-19 defeat at home to Wales.
With Ireland’s sevens contingent to leave the XVs camp after this game ahead of ties with England and Scotland, this appears to be their best chance at a win.
Does that mean extra pressure?
"I think for any good team, the pressure comes on yourself and your own individual performance," says head coach Greg McWilliams.
"We need to focus on what we are trying to get better at.
"The better we get, the more external pressure and demand for a win will come on us.
"So, I think we need to focus on what we are trying to do to get better and put in a really good performance around what are going to be key tenets for us.
"We talk about set-piece, territory, looking after the ball. If we can get those things right or at least better this week, I think you'll see an exciting game.
"We do want to get that win but we don't focus on the win. That's next to irrelevant, we focus on all the small things that will make that happen."
The small things are, of course, the big things.
Anything like a repeat of last week’s 27 handling errors and repeated scrum and lineout failures will result in an Italian win for just the third time in 19 meetings.
Ireland won the last clash of the sides, last November in the Parma World Cup qualifier, 15-7, but that seems a lifetime ago now with so many of that Ireland line-up retired or not picked by McWilliams.
"They’re going to a World Cup," said the Dubliner.
"They have a cohesion of players, people that might have retired. We have a group of players that retired, for example, last year that would have stayed on for a World Cup. They’re strong. They’ve got good coaching cohesion.
"Their defence line is very aggressive. They bring a lot of pressure. They’ve got a good set-piece and they’ve got a good offloading game.
"You automatically think of Italy, you think about the men’s game, you think 'ah, this is going to be a win for Ireland’. It’s a very good Italian side that do well in the women’s game.
"They obviously shipped a lot of points last week against England, but England we know are an exceptionally good side.
"They were very competitive with France up until the 65th minute, where there was only a couple of scores between them. I think it’s going to be a tough battle. It’s going to be another challenge for us and hopefully we can come out on the right side of it."
For the challenge McWilliams has made four changes to his starting line-up with two more on the bench.
It’s a game that marks Beibhinn Parsons' first start of the tournament (it will also be her last as she departs with the sevens).
The brilliant Galway flyer is facilitated on the wing by the switch of Lucy Mulhall to full-back. Not a gamble, according to McWilliams, despite the Wicklow woman never having played a game in XVs rugby in that position.
"I’ve done it my whole life," he explained. "People like Cathal Marsh, people like Dan Leavy, I’ve played Joey Carbery out of position, AJ MacGinty.
"The thing is, as a rugby coach you see somebody’s attributes and you look at them and go, ‘you know what, she’s going to be a quality back-three player’.
"This is a test for Lucy, let’s see how she goes."
Scrum-half Kathryn Dane, prop Christy Haney and number 8 Hannah O’Connor are the other new faces in the team.
Italy head coach Andrea Di Giandomenico has recalled full-back Manuela Furlan, who captains the side, and scrum-half Sara Barattin, who will earn her 103rd cap.
He said: "We urgently need to return to offering a performance that is adequate to the level required.
"We analysed the last game, tried to recover our energy, and worked to make this happen on Sunday.
"We need to have our own balls and ensure progress to develop our game; obviously, we will have to work effectively in defence."
Ireland are three-point favourites to get their first victory of the campaign.
There are over 5,000 tickets sold for the game and that extra boost might be exactly what they need to cross the finishing line ahead.
Verdict: Ireland
Ireland: Lucy Mulhall; Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Eve Higgins, Stacey Flood, Beibhinn Parsons; Nicole Cronin, Kathryn Dane; Linda Djougang, Neve Jones, Christy Haney; Nichola Fryday (capt), Sam Monaghan; Dorothy Wall, Edel McMahon, Hannah O'Connor.
Replacements: Emma Hooban, Chloe Pearse, Katie O'Dwyer, Brittany Hogan, Aoife Wafer, Aoibheann Reilly, Enya Breen, Aoife Doyle.
Italy: Manuela Furlan (capt); Aura Muzzo, Michela Sillari, Beatrice Rigoni, Maria Magatti; Veronica Madia, Sara Barattin; Gaia Maris, Melissa Bettoni, Lucia Gai; Sara Tounesi, Giordana Duca; Beatrice Veronese, Isabella Locatelli, Elisa Giordano.
Replacements: Vittoria Vecchini, Michela Merlo, Sara Seye, Valeria Fedrighi, Alessandra Frangipani, Sofia Stefan, Alyssa D'Incà, Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi.
Referee: Aurélie Groizeleau (FFR)
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Follow Ireland v Italy (5pm) in the Women's Six Nations via our live blog on rte.ie/sport and on the RTÉ News App or watch on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Listen to live radio coverage on RTÉ Radio 1.
