Italy and Ireland start the 2011 Six Nations Championship with different aims and expectations. The Azzurri, or at least their coach Mick Mallett, are not expecting to win every game, while the men in green believe a second Grand Slam in three years is achievable.
Ireland start their campaign against the continental teams and will expect to face France in Dublin on 13th February as table-toppers. They have an excellent record in Rome, being the only member of the old Five Nations never to have been troubled in the Italian capital.
They have won all five of their Rome Six Nations assignments, winning by a points difference of 19, 24, 11, 27 and 29 respectively. It is not the banker victory it once was, but Declan Kidney's men will be happy to starting their campaign against the Italians as they seek to shake of rustiness ahead of tougher tests.
However, Ireland's growing injury list – Tommy Bowes has joined Shane Horgan, John Hayes, Jamie Heaslip, Andrew Trimble, Rob Kearney and Geordan Murphy on the sidelines – is a debilitating one that will be hard to overcome. May of these missing men are key figures and a hungry Italy side with nothing to lose will be a stern test, even if the rugby odds suggest otherwise.
Both teams have experienced general disappointment since the end of the 2010 championship. Ireland have been twice heavily beaten by New Zealand but were narrow losers against Australia and South Africa, finishing their winter programme with a routine win over Argentina. Italy have won only once in five outings, narrowly against Fiji last time out. Anyone looking to bet on Six Nations action should remember how poor these results were.
Ireland should still have enough to get past an Italian outfit revitalised by the return of captain Sergio Parisse, but this will perhaps be their narrowest Six Nations Rome victory. A scrappy encounter beckons, which Ireland should edge by single figures.
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