Six Nations: Dan Sheehan hat-trick saves Ireland in Italy
Dan Sheehan of Ireland dives over to score his side's fourth try despite the efforts of Paolo Garbisi of Italy. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
A Dan Sheehan hat-trick ensured Ireland escaped Rome with the bonus point victory they were after at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, but if Italy had not played the game with 14 men for half an hour it might have been a very different outcome.
It was all Italy in the opening exchanges and they were rewarded when Mack Hansen missed a tackle on Tommaso Menoncello to allow the Italians through, and with the Irish defence scrambling out-half Paolo Garbisi dinked a delightful ball in behind and it was gobbled up by Monty Ioane to go over in the left corner in the 12th minute.
Ireland took nineteen minutes to get access to the Italian 22 and with their first attack off a lineout maul the move ended with Finlay Bealham being awarded a try, only for it to be chalked off for a double movement.
The Italian reprieve was short-lived, as from a 5m scrum Jack Crowley gave a beautiful offload to the onrushing Hugo Keenan to crash over in the 24th minute.
The score did not usher in a period of Irish dominance, however, as the TV director seemed to take great pleasure in cutting to an extremely frustrated Simon Easterby after every Irish error.
Italy continued to play the better rugby, and full-back Tommaso Allan split the posts from a long-range penalty in the 33rd minute to give his side the lead once more.
Michele Lamaro was brandished with a costly yellow card for cynically slapping the ball out of Jamison Gibson-Park’s hand at the base of a ruck in the 39th minute, and Ireland immediately capitalised by mauling the reduced Italian pack over the try-line, with Dan Sheehan getting the touchdown, to ensure that Ireland took a slender 12-10 lead into the half time dressing room.
Sheehan repeated his party piece at the back of a maul in the 47th minute, to score his 12th Six Nations try, and just when the Italians were about to get back to 15 v 15 Ross Vintcent crashed headfirst into Hugo Keenan after the restart and got another yellow, with it being unsurprisingly being upgraded to a red soon after.
Peter O’Mahony entered the fray in the 51st minute for his final Ireland cap as Hugo Keenan had a try disallowed for an earlier knock-on from Caelan Doris, but in the 58th minute Ireland nabbed the bonus point try when an excellent crossfield kick by Gibson-Park was tapped down by Hansen into the grateful arms of the supporting Sheehan, and the hooker walked in for his hat-trick.
With Crowley struggling badly with the boot Italy were still in touch and in the 64th minute they pounced when Ange Capuozzo brilliantly chipped through and the ball bounced favourably for Stephen Varney to score to make it 17-22.
Italy went looking for a late winner but a cheap shot by Giacomo Nicotera on Peter O’Mahony at a ruck in the last minute ensured their last chance was gone and Ireland hung on.
T Allen (1 pen, 2 cons), M Ioane, S Varney (1 try each).
J Crowley (1 con), D Sheehan (3 tries), H Keenan (1 try).
T Allan; A Capuozzo, J Ignacio Brex (c), T Menoncello, M Ioane; P Garbisi, M Page-Relo; D Fischetti, G Lucchesi, S Ferrari; D Lamb, F Ruzza; S Negri, M Zuliani, L Cannone.
N Cannone for D Lamb (18), R Vintcent and M Lamaro for L Cannone and S Negri (29), S Varney for M Page-Relo (46), M Spagnolo and G Zilocchi for D Fishetti and S Ferrari (56), G Nicotera for R Vincent (66), L Marin for M Ioane (75).
H Keenan; M Hansen, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Lowe; J Crowley, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, F Bealham; J Ryan, T Beirne; J Conan, J van der Flier, C Doris (c).
T Furlong and J McCarthy for F Bealham and J Ryan (46), P O’Mahony for J van der Flier (51), B Aki for R Henshaw (56), J Boyle and S Prendergast for A Porter and J Crowley (64), C Murray for J Gibson-Park (66), G McCarthy for D Sheehan (70).
Luke Pearce (RFU)
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