TRENDING NEWS
Back to news
15 Mar, 2025
Share:
Sheehan's hat-trick saves sluggish Ireland - now they wait on a Six Nations miracle
@Source: the42.ie
Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Behind the Lines Sportswriters discuss their careers and the work that inspires them. Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Matteo Ciambelli/INPHO FreeMatch Report Sheehan's hat-trick saves sluggish Ireland - now they wait on a Six Nations miracle Ireland rode their luck in the Stadio Olimpico but came away with the bonus-point win that they needed. 4.41pm, 15 Mar 2025 Share options Guinness Men's Six Nations / YouTube IN A CITY where novenas and miracles are common currency, Ireland did just enough to keep their remote hopes of a historic Six Nations three-in-a-row flickering for a few more hours. With well-chewed nails, it’s over to you, England and France. Dan Sheehan’s hat-trick try shortly before the hour mark secured the vital bonus point for Simon Easterby’s side and papered over the cracks of a sluggish performance in the Stadio Olimpico. Ireland’s Championship destiny was ripped clean from their hands by France in Dublin last week, and the 30,000 Irish fans who descended on Rome travelled in the hope of a defiant last stand to make Super Saturday interesting. But for as long as this was a game of 15 versus 15, Ireland’s display was littered with loose play, bad reads, missed tackles and some questionable decision-making. The contest spun on two key moments either side of half time as Italy lost captain Michele Lamaro to a yellow card, and then seconds before they were restored to their full complement, saw Ross Vintcent also sent to the sin bin for foul play, which was ultimately upgraded to a 20-minute red. By the time Italy were back to 15 for the final 11 minutes, Ireland had come from five points down to lead 22-17 but still had to weather a nervy finale. Advertisement Monty Ioane gave Italy an early lead.Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO / INPHO It was Italy who dominated the territory and possession in the opening quarter, and were full value for their lead when Monty Ioane crossed for the game’s opening try in the 11th minute. Jamison Gibson-Park’s attempt to disguise a reverse pass in the Italian half backfired, and when Danilo Fischetti kicked clear, Robbie Henshaw had to be quick to outpace the lightning Ange Capuozzo and ground the ball in goal. Ireland will be disappointed in the manner of how they conceded from the resulting goalline dropout: Mack Hansen shot from the line but missed his tackle on Tommaso Menoncello, Paolo Garbisi weighted his kick to perfection, and Ioane finished in the corner. Tommaso Allan curled his conversion inside the right stick to give his side an early 7-0 lead. Not for the first time in this championship, Ireland’s inability to convert short-range opportunities looked like it could be their undoing. Finlay Bealham thought he had scored on 20 minutes but the TMO review showed that he had been stopped well short on his initial carry, and it was only after a double — arguably a triple — movement that he managed to ground the ball. Before there was time to dwell on the missed opportunity, Ireland had righted that wrong. The attacking scrum held firm, Jack Crowley — the headline inclusion of Easterby’s six changes — timed his pass to perfection, and Hugo Keenan burst through the space and the tackle of a wrongfooted Juan Ignacio Brex to score. Michele Lamaro's yellow card undid much of Italy's good work in the first half.Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO Crowley’s missed conversion left Italy 7-5 in front — and deservedly so on the balance of play — but Azzurri head coach Gonzalo Quesada was left to rue his luck after losing three of his pack to injury in that opening half hour, Dino Lamb, Lorenzo Cannone and Sebastian Negri all forced off. Captain Lamaro was introduced in Negri’s place and, after a beautifully-struck penalty from Allan had opened up a 10-5 lead, it was the skipper’s moment of madness that undid so much of Italy’s good work. He slapped the ball from Gibson-Park’s hands at a ruck, and despite his protestations, left referee Luke Pearce with no option but to send him to the bin. Ireland pressed home their advantage immediately with a trademark lineout maul, Sheehan peeling from the left corner, ably assisted by Gibson-Park, to power over, with Crowley’s simple conversion sending Ireland in with a largely undeserved 12-10 lead. Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray (not pictured) made the final appearances of their storied international careers.Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO / INPHO The Irish pressure came in waves after the restart and after a fine covering tackle from Martin Page-Relo on Garry Ringrose halted one Irish break, and some scrambling defence denied James Ryan and James Lowe in the corner, Sheehan mauled over for his second try with just seconds remaining on the sin bin clock. Before Lamaro could return to the action and restore Italy to 15, substitute Vintcent smashed Keenan head-on-head from the restart. Referee Pearce issued an initial yellow card, but it was only ever a matter of time before that was upgraded to a 20-minute red by the bunker review. From there, it seemed certain that Ireland could close out a nervy, unimpressive victory with the bonus point that they came for. Keenan’s second try of the afternoon was chalked off at the final moment, TMO Andrew Jackson correctly spotting a knock-on by Caelan Doris in the build up. And the bonus point was ultimately secured on 58 minutes in a carbon copy of Jamie Osborne’s try against Wales: Hansen was at full stretch to pick the ball from the Roman skies and pop it back to the arriving Sheehan on his inside to complete his hat-trick. Dan Sheehan's hat-trick secured Ireland's bonus point.Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO Crowley’s missed conversion left Ireland just 22-10 in front with 20 minutes to play, and that advantage was largely whittled away when Stephen Varney ran on to Capuozzo’s kick to score, Allan converting to leave it 22-17 and Irish nerves shredded. Ireland could have — and should have — been afforded a bit more comfort in the finale but another Keenan try was chalked off, this time because Lowe’s foot was deemed to be in touch when the replay seemingly suggested that he had walked the white-line tightrope to perfection. As Italy threatened in the final minutes, Ireland were happy to kick the ball dead and leave their fate in the hands of their championship rivals. Scorers for Italy Tries: Ioane, Varney Conversions: Allan (2) Penalty: Allan Scorers for Ireland Tries: Keenan, Sheehan (3) Conversions: Crowley ITALY: Tommaso Allan (Leonardo Marin, 75′) ; Ange Capuozzo, Juan Ignacio Brex (captain), Tommaso Menoncello, Monty Ioane; Paolo Garbisi, Martin Page-Relo (Stephen Varney, 45′); Danilo Fischetti, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Simone Ferrari; Dino Lamb (Niccolo Cannone, 18′), Federico Ruzza; Sebastian Negri (Michele Lamaro, 29′), Manuel Zuliani, Lorenzo Cannone (Ross Vintcent, 29′). IRELAND: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw (Bundee Aki, 55′), James Lowe; Jack Crowley (Sam Prendergast, 64′), Jamison Gibson-Park (Conor Murray, 64′); Andrew Porter (Jack Boyle, 64′), Dan Sheehan (Gus McCarthy, 70′), Finlay Bealham (Tadhg Furlong, 46′); James Ryan (Joe McCarthy, 46′), Tadhg Beirne; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier (Peter O’Mahony, 51′), Caelan Doris (captain). Referee: Luke Pearce [RFU]. Niall Kelly View 55 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Sheehan's hat-trick saves sluggish Ireland - now they wait on a Six Nations miracle”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Sheehan's hat-trick saves sluggish Ireland - now they wait on a Six Nations miracle”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Six Nations Match Report News in 60 seconds Analysismessy Player ratings as Ireland very unspectacularly hold off Italian challenge in Rome FreeIn form Ireland's Jake O'Brien scores second Premier League goal in 3 games 10 mins ago Ex-Man United winger stars as Forest gain upperhand in top 4 race 24 mins ago FreeFrustration Leeds' Premier League hopes suffer setback at QPR Freesuccess Chelsea beat Man City in League Cup final to keep quadruple bid alive Freedecision Leitrim give walkover to Fermanagh due to lack of players Italy v Ireland, Six Nations Italy v Ireland, Six Nations U20 Six Nations Ireland U20s fall to defeat in Italy; France win championship as Wales shock England 'Incredibly special' - Ireland aim to put on a show for 30,000 travelling fans AnalysisBack in the Saddle 22 minutes at 10 during the Six Nations - today brings Crowley's chance to show that was wrong more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account
For advertisement: 510-931-9107
Copyright © 2025 Usfijitimes. All Rights Reserved.