Italy v Ireland: Six Nations 2023 – live

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Pre match reading…

All the talk of strikes this week has led our columnist, Ugo Monye, to weigh in on the wider issue facing rugby. Read more here…

Ireland fans, are you starting to fully believe in this team now, or is The Fear™ still lurking like impending danger? And what hopes for Italy today and for the rest of the tournament?

You can email me or tweet like the wind to tell me your thoughts on this and other topics.

Italy welcome back their sparkly-eyed talisman, Paolo Garbisi, who takes his place in the 10 shirt and pushed Tommaso Allan onto the bench. Menoncello moves into the centres and Pierre Bruno regains his starting berth on the wing. The luckless Jake Polledri misses out with a further injury.

Andy Farrell makes six changes to his team, but I wouldn’t describe them as wholesale, as he has the luxury of dropping in players who have each had key roles in the recent renaissance. The biggest omission is Johnny Sexton - recovering from an injury but may well have missed this week in any case – replaced by Ross Byrne. Craig Casey, the Munster man who never misses a chance to sniff something, will be his halfback partner.

The absence of Sexton hands James Ryan the captaincy, and Garry Ringrose misses his chance to win his 50th cap with a late injury.

Italy: Ange Capuozzo, Edoardo Padovani, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Pierre Bruno; Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari, Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone.

Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli, Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi, Tommaso Allan

Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Stuart McCloskey, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Ross Byrne, Craig Casey; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham, Iain Henderson, James Ryan (captain), Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.

Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Dave Kilcoyne, Tom O’Toole, Ryan Baird, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Jimmy O’Brien

A lot can happen in ten years. The United Kingdom at last count had 37 general elections and 19 Prime Ministers during the time since Italy last overcame Ireland back in 2013.

The Azzurri are back in Rome as a very different team to most of the intervening period, and while the victories are not rolling in so far in 2023, unlike Wales they are no longer being humiliated – far from it. After running France very close and giving England something of a fright in the second half at Twickenham, Kieran Crowley’s team will be heading onto home grass today knowing they can test and push any team if they play their best.

But, today’s opponents are Ireland. And this isn’t 2013 Ireland; the injury flayed, Luke Marshall in midfield, three yellow cards, Brian O’Driscoll stamping on people Ireland – this is Andy Farrell’s 2022-23 Caravan Of Victory. The only continuity from that difficult day a decade back is Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony are still around, as well as the ever latent yet indomitable Dave Kilcoyne.

A win is coming again for Italy, but not today.