It was another highly competitive week of Six Nations rugby and Ireland can take a lot away from how the weekend played out.
One of the most important aspects of the weekend was that Ireland's second choice out-half got 78 minutes of rugby under his belt in a hostile away venue in a pressurised situation.
That’s what the atmosphere will be like in France during the World Cup and Ross Byrne experiencing it without the help of Johnny Sexton was a crucial part of developing this team before the competition starts in September.
Deputising for Sexton brings its own pressure because of the standards that he has set and the expectations that now come with being an Irish out-half in attack.
Byrne isn’t Sexton, nor will he get to the same standard, but he has his own calm way of playing the game and getting that experience from the start will stand to Ireland in the next few months.
Admittedly, Italy aren’t France, but they have been playing extraordinarily well, better than we have seen in a long time. We shouldn’t underestimate how much of a challenge that was for Andy Farrell and his team.
Italy attacked in a much similar way to Scotland with fast, sometimes loose, and chaotic running lines in attack.
The Italian starter plays from set-pieces challenged Ireland’s connections in defence and beat them a number of times too, evident by the huge missed tackle statistics by the end of the game.
This is the perfect preparation for Scotland away. A similarly passionate and raucous away venue, with a mercurial out-half dictating the speed of play.
Murrayfield will be a cauldron of chaos with Finn Russell at the helm, baying for Irish blood. If you wanted preparation just one game out from what looks to be the biggest Irish challenge en route to a Grand Slam, then Italy in Rome was the perfect curtain-raiser.
There are a few things that we already knew, but last weekend reminded us of the importance of a number of positions.
Caelan Doris is one of Ireland’s most important performers. There’s no weakness in his game at present. His footwork in attack was showcased as soon as he returned to his rightful place at number eight, his first carry showing his worth over Jack Conan in that jersey.
Doris is calm and clever around the breakdown, which gives him confidence in his turnovers. One ball spilled out near a ruck and he pounced on it immediately without having to look to the ref for permission.
He counter-rucked another breakdown and instead of attempting to use his hands where others might, he rolled the ball back with his foot. Kicking the ball in the breakdown was outlawed because of the disruption it caused to fast, attacking rugby, but rucking the ball backwards is still allowed. Doris did it with such class and continued going about his business. His fitness is vital to Ireland's future performance.
Conan has unfortunately missed another chance in this team. His performance was indicative of a guy that is struggling for his best form and not having it all his own way even at club level. Conan has a pile of experience, including a Lions tour, and that experience will count for a lot if the game is going against Ireland in Murrayfield. However, if Farrell is true to his selection criteria, then he may look to other in-form players.
If Tadhg Beirne was fit, there would be a three way shootout with Iain Henderson and James Ryan, which could well push Ryan Baird to back-row cover. However, with that not being the current situation, there could be an argument for keeping Baird as second-row cover and opting for the European-nominated Gavin Coombes from the bench against Scotland.
I would suspect that the vast experience of Conan will trump the leg drive of Coombes but that is a position that is all to play for.
We were also reminded of how good Ronan Kelleher is. I wouldn’t like to be Farrell having to choose between Kelleher and Dan Sheehan in the next two rounds of the Six Nations. That is by far the strongest starter/sub combination that Ireland have.
Tadhg Furlong’s return is going to be vital for Ireland, especially now that Finlay Bealham has picked up an injury. Tom O’ Toole was impressive when he came on and showed that Ireland’s depth is stronger than ever. He won a number of scrum penalties when he came on the pitch.
The scrum had changed at that stage but he was pivotal in forcing some Italian changes as well with his impact from the bench. He got involved around the pitch too, aiding in a choke tackle turnover. It's a run of form that could challenge Bealham for the bench spot in the long run.
The biggest learning watching Ireland at the weekend is that two inside-centres don’t make a centre partnership. That might be harsh on Bundee Aki because he was quite effective in Ireland’s attacking system, pushing Josh van der Flier through a gap for the opening opportunity. He finished one try himself and should have finished a second. Aki is a handful in attack and reminded us that he is difficult to stop when he gets on the front foot.
However, through a lack of game time or otherwise, Aki was shown up in defence. It looked like he was the broken link in the connection between Stuart McCloskey and James Lowe. Lowe was exposed in one or two defensive reads, so too was the centre partnership.
This may be speculative without knowing everything that happens on ground level, but Garry Ringrose is a very positive, front-foot defender, and Aki didn’t seem to defend with the same speed and upfield aggression as Ringrose. Aki sitting back a step or two may have exposed the lack of connection to the outside backs.
Whichever way you look at it, we were reminded (not that we needed reminding) that Ringrose is nearly as important as Johnny Sexton in this Ireland team. He’s a leader with a world-class workrate and he covers more than we even give him credit for during matches. He’s a really assured player and Ireland missed him last weekend.
It was a good test for Ireland, being rattled at the end of the first half away from home. It wasn’t a case of everything going their way but they battled through adversity with less than a starting team.
Farrell calls for adversity and challenges. With varying levels of injuries to his captain and world-class out-half, two tightheads out injured, a starting second row, his favoured scrum-half and a starting centre missing, I don't think Ireland need much more to go wrong in the next two rounds.
Getting a few experienced bodies back into the mix during the week off will be vital for Ireland heading into the eagerly awaited contest of Scotland away.
