Simon Easterby insists that Ireland have moved forward in this Guinness Six Nations campaign, despite his side now looking likely to finish third in the table.
A 22-17 bonus-point win against Italy in Rome lifted Ireland to the top of the table for a couple of hours, before England hammered Wales to shatter Irish dreams of snatching the title.
A Dan Sheehan hat-trick and one try for Hugo Keenan brought up the bonus-point against a much-improved Italian side, although Ireland’s attacking frustrations continued with a slew of missed opportunities in the 22.
A Caelan Doris knock-on saw a potential second Keenan try chalked off, while Finlay Bealham also had a try disallowed for double-movement. James Ryan crossed the line in the second half, but spilled the ball in contact.
"We didn't quite get as many points as we would have liked and that’s a credit to Italy," the Ireland interim coach told RTÉ Sport in Rome.
"We left a few scores out there as well."
Easterby’s frustrations were evident in the opening half, with TV cameras picking up his reaction to Ireland’s mistakes both in attack and defence.
And the Irish coach admits those frustrations were self inflicted.
"I feel we've moved forward in some areas, in other areas we haven’t…" - Simon Easterby reflects on Ireland's #SixNations after victory against Italy #RTErugby pic.twitter.com/Ztmmyy6Fed
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 15, 2025
"A lot of that was down to us. There was some pressure that came on from their defence.
"That’s part of the game; you’ve got to deal with pressure and you’ve got to be able to come out the other side with positive outcomes and we didn't always do that. A little bit of frustration, I guess the five points was the priority.
"They [Italy] obviously have been disappointed, certainly with the French result and performance and they showed that when they’re physical and given a chance to be, and the side they’re playing isn’t as accurate, they can play as well as anyone and stay in games.
"It's disappointing that we didn't play at our best but credit to them as well."
And Easterby is confident Ireland have evolved over the course of the campaign.
"I think they’ve gone forwards. All you want is experience and you want to go and build moments and build some continuity in the squad.
"We’ve had some new guys coming in. I think there’s loads of positives around getting more exposure. Six Nations is a totally different ball game in terms of pressure, in terms of the opposition, in terms of the build-up. I feel we’ve moved forward in some areas. In other areas we haven't.
"I think that’s the mark of the team. We won four out of five and will still feel like we can get better in lots of areas," he added.
Captain Doris echoed Easterby’s frustrations around the overall performance, but says it was important to sign off with a win to celebrate the careers of the retiring Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy.
"Relief is the overriding feeling there at the end" - Caelan Doris reflects on Ireland's victory in Rome #RTErugby #SixNations pic.twitter.com/hsXDGVfiyD
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 15, 2025
"Relief is the overriding feeling at the end, it was a pretty scrappy game," Doris said.
"We knew that if they clung in around half-time and into last quarter it would be a tough test throughout.
"We were pretty inaccurate, especially in the first half, overplayed a little bit in out half and weren't clean with ball in hand and a couple of last passes we didn't convert.
"Some disappointing bits in there but we got our five points. There’s three legends leaving the group so at least we got the result for them and we can enjoy a few beers tonight with them.
"The impact they have on our environment, it’ll be a tough loss.
"We need to used these last two weeks as a springboard to keep evolving. I think it’s a good reminder that there’s so much more in it, were by no means the finished article at all. I hope it’s a springboard for more evolution and growth."
