Ireland Edge Italy in Dublin Thriller to Secure First Win of 2026 Campaign

Ireland survived a major scare at the Aviva Stadium, fighting back from a half-time deficit to secure a gritty 20-13 victory over a resurgent Italy. In a match defined by defensive desperation and narrow margins, Andy Farrell’s side did just enough to steady the ship following their opening-round defeat in Paris, though the Azzurri left Dublin wondering what might have been.

Azzurri Ambush Stuns Dublin

Ireland entered the contest under immense pressure to deliver a “statement performance,” and they started brightly when Jamie Osborne crossed for an unconverted try while Italian wing Louis Lynagh was in the sin bin. However, the expected Irish onslaught failed to materialize as a “sputtering” attack struggled against a fired-up Italian wall.

The momentum swung toward the visitors after Paolo Garbisi slotted a penalty to narrow the gap. When Ireland scrum-half Craig Casey was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Michele Lamaro, Italy seized their moment. Opting for the corner, the Azzurri pack executed a clinical maul that allowed hooker Giacomo Nicotera to crash over, sending Italy into the tunnel with a deserved 10-5 lead and silencing the home crowd.

Ireland Find Second-Half Resolve

The hosts emerged for the second period with renewed intent, striking within three minutes as Jack Conan powered over to level the scores. Yet, nerves remained frayed as Sam Prendergast’s missed conversion kept the game deadlocked at 10-10.

Italy thought they had reclaimed the lead when Lynagh crossed the line following a flowing move, but the Aviva Stadium breathed a collective sigh of relief when the TMO ruled the effort out for a forward pass from Tommaso Menoncello.

Baloucoune Debut Delight

The introduction of Jamison Gibson-Park and Jack Crowley from the bench finally provided the tempo Ireland had lacked. The decisive blow came from Six Nations debutant Rob Baloucoune; the wing collected a neat offload from Stuart McCloskey before scithing through the Italian defense to score a crucial try.

Crowley added the conversion and a subsequent penalty to push the lead to ten points, but the drama wasn’t over. Italy refused to lie down, clawing back to within seven points and camping in the Irish 22 during a frantic finale. A late James Lowe intercept finally cleared the danger, allowing Ireland to kick the ball dead and escape with their first win of the campaign.

Line-ups

IRELAND

15-Osborne; 14-Baloucoune, 13-Ringrose, 12-McCloskey, 11-Lowe; 10-S. Prendergast, 9-Casey; 1-Loughman, 2-Sheehan, 3-Clarkson; 4-McCarthy, 5-Ryan; 6-Izuchukwu, 7-Doris (capt), 8-Conan.

Replacements: Kelleher, O’Toole, Furlong, Edogbo, Beirne, Timoney, Gibson-Park, Crowley.

Sin-bin: Casey (32′)

ITALY

15-Pani; 14-Lynagh, 13-Menoncello, 12-Marin, 11-Ioane; 10-P. Garbisi, 9-Fusco; 1-Fischetti, 2-Nicotera, 3-Ferrari; 4-N. Cannone, 5-Zambonin; 6-Lamaro (capt), 7-Zuliani, 8-L. Cannone.

Replacements: Di Bartolomeo, Spagnolo, Hasa, Ruzza, Favretto, Odiase, A. Garbisi, Odogwu.

Sin-bin: Lynagh (10′)