GILBERT Ireland International Replica Rugby Ball , 5 - Ireland

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Sometimes the Boks threw two men into the air, and including a crooked throw and two more which eluded James Ryan, Ireland effectively lost five of their first eight throws. Andy Farrell apologised to his mum after being caught biting his nails during the second half of this see-sawing and highly entertainnig game. “Was I?” asked Ireland’s head coach, laughing. “I shouldn’t do that. My mother's going to be mad.” They might have had more, but after successfully going to the corner and launching Aki, Ryan was forced into a fumble. At half-time it was only 7-3, but the crowd responded as if watching an epic. Leaving aside the young fellas, this Ireland squad and coach are under no illusions regarding their ability and potential. Grand Slam Champions, unbeaten in 17 matches and a purring, brutal engine in which all know their role and perform it brilliantly. The loss of Finlay Bealham to a twisted knee in the first half was a blow. With Tadhg Furlong already out injured, Ireland’s tighthead reserves are certainly being stretched. But this is what Farrell wanted in a World Cup year - the chance to prove that Ireland are not reliant on Sexton, or Furlong, or anyone.

Farrell dismissed the notion he has shaken things up "for the sake of it" and expects his Grand Slam-chasing side to produce their best display of the competition so far. Byrne will deputise for injured Leinster team-mate Johnny Sexton in the No 10 jersey while Casey comes in for fellow Munster man Conor Murray. The fledgling pair have combined well from the bench in victories over Wales and France in the opening two rounds of the tournament and Farrell expects more of the same at Stadio Olimpico. The reality is, this is our third game of the competition and we expect it to be our best performance of the competition. That's how it should be and that's what we are aiming for." Only two of his previous 16 caps have been won as a starter, while Casey, who made his debut away to Italy two years, has only once before begun a match for his country.

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Ian Foster’s NZ starting team has six changes, with Ethan de Groot, Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith, Rieko Ioane, and Scott and Beauden Barrett all recalled. Welcome to the Aviva Stadium for our live blog of Ireland’s opening game in the Bank of Ireland Nations Series – the first of three warm-up matches on the road towards next month’s World Cup in France. I’m 100 per cent sure there are some individuals that will take the field saying to themselves that this a big chance and big opportunity for me,” said Farrell during the week. “You’ve got to surround those people with good enough experienced players as well to be able to judge them properly, so we’re looking forward to that.”

We're not just turning things around for the sake of it, we are turning things around because we think it's a strong side for us going forward, for this game and for the future as well. Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli, Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi, Tommaso Allan Paul O’Connell has spoken of how he loves watching this Irish team problem solve, although one wonders how much he enjoyed the first quarter, after which Ireland certainly had plenty of problems. The Boks cranked up the heat in typically ferocious manner in every facet of the game. While the Irish scrum gave one indirect penalty and one direct penalty for early engagements, they never conceded an inch. But the lineout was a different story altogether. Former England captain Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm proud of the way England fronted up but they gave away far too many penalties. In contrast, Ireland will now approach the World Cup later this year with relish as they look to progress past the quarter-finals of rugby's quadrennial showpiece for the first time.

Replacements: Tom Stewart (Ulster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Caolin Blade (Connacht), Ciarán Frawley (Leinster), Calvin Nash (Munster). Speaking specifically of Byrne, he continued: "He's been great. He's earned the right to run the team and transfer everything that we have seen in training to a performance that's got authority and takes his team with him." The Ireland Rugby union team are currently ranked 2 nd in the world and have won the Six Nations Championship 4 times and are yet to win a World Cup title.