Irish Rugby

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Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has urged his players "not to overthink" against Italy in Saturday's Six Nations game at the Aviva Stadium [14:10 GMT].

Defeat by France in their opening fixture left many questions as to the trajectory of the current Irish crop, who were outplayed by the defending champions for long spells in Paris.

In the past, a home game against Italy may have been viewed as a perfect way to bounce back, but Gonzalo Quesada's side are a much different proposition now and come into this game off the back of an opening victory over Scotland in a rain-sodden Rome.

Farrell wants his side to find a way to "play good, quick, hard rugby" but accepts that won't be a straightforward task.

"It is the best Italian side coming to Dublin. As far as respect, you would be mad not to," Farrell said of the challenge ahead.

"We have all watched the games of what has happened of the last year, six months, and the job that everyone is doing in Italy is fantastic and the respect is right at the forefront.

"Honestly, it is about us having more respect for ourselves this week."

Farrell has made six changes from the team that lost to France for Saturday's first home game of the championships but insists "this is not rotation".

While Ireland have been hit by injuries to key players for this year's Six Nations, their absence has given the opportunity for others to stake a claim with Robert Baloucoune, Jeremy Loughman and Cormac Izuchukwu under the 10-cap mark but named to start on Saturday, while Munster's Edwin Edogbo is in line to make his debut off the bench.

"We just happen to have lost a lot of experience and people are coming in," Farrell added.

"We have a lot of new caps and certainly a lot of players under 10 caps particularly. They have to go through this and they have to go through Paris to learn, along with the players that we have not got that are injured and the players who we are giving this experience to down the track.

"You always have to go through a little bit of pain to get to that point in all generations."

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Ireland boss Andy Farrell said "nobody was holding back" when his squad addressed last week's humbling Six Nations defeat by France.

Farrell's side were blown away in the first half, and while they fought back after the break, Les Bleus eventually won 36-14 to deal a crushing early blow to Ireland's title hopes.

Ireland hope to bounce back when they host Italy in Dublin on Saturday (14:10 GMT).

"We're very happy because nobody was holding back," said Farrell.

"There was a lot of honesty and no excuses. We tried to get back to simplifying things down and to understand what we stand for as a team.

"You always think that preparations are going right, but until you get a smack in the face like we did in Paris then you find out about yourselves."

When asked how his team need to grow, Farrell said: "The trajectory of every team is always learning and there is good and bad in that.

"This type of experience, it is never nice first game up, and to come second best by quite a stretch.

"It is how we bounce back and move on from that.

"These experiences are going to continue to happen, but I believe [with] the squad and the wider squad we have it'll stand us in good stead."

Farrell has handed Six Nations debuts to Ulster pair Cormac Izuchukwu and Robert Baloucoune in two of six changes from the France game.

On Baloucoune possessing more than just "sheer pace", Farrell said: "He is a great defensive winger, he has gotten a much better understanding of how to get himself in the game from his wing and he can break a tackle. He is not just quick, he can offload the ball.

"Things are getting better as far as that is concerned, he just needs an opportunity to do it again on the big stage."

Farrell added that Izuchukwu is a player the coaching group has "earmarked for quite some time now".

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Ireland second row Joe McCarthy insists the squad retain "a lot of belief" despite last week's crushing Six Nations loss to France.

Andy Farrell's side's hopes of reclaiming the title were significantly dented after leaving Stade de France empty-handed following the 36-14 defeat by the holders.

With the pressure to deliver having intensified before Italy's visit to Dublin on Saturday (14:10 GMT), McCarthy says Ireland are determined to issue an emphatic response to last week's misery in Paris.

"When you get a big enough loss like that you definitely haven't done a few things right," said the Leinster forward, who admitted Ireland were guilty of "compounding errors".

"It was a tough pill to swallow and it was a big opportunity to start the Six Nations, but you don't get a second chance.

"It was a tough review but we are focused on getting better. There is still a lot of belief in the group."

McCarthy was the player of the match in Ireland's 38-17 win over France in Marseille in 2024, but he has been guilty of ill-discipline in the two meetings since.

During last year's defeat in Dublin, he was shown a yellow card for what attack coach Andrew Goodman later called a "stupid penalty" when he pulled back Thomas Ramos off the ball, leading to France's opening try.

Last week, he gifted France a penalty in front of the Irish posts when he barged into Mickael Guillard from the side, allowing the hosts to stretch their lead by three points to 15-0.

"It was a poor penalty from me, definitely avoidable," said the 24-year-old, who made his British and Irish Lions Test debut last summer.

"They're the ones you don't want to give away. I was trying to make an impact or make a tackle and I got the timing wrong and tried to pull out, but it was just a poor penalty and it gave them three points.

"It was something I didn't want to be doing but it was poor judgement from me. The pressure's on you and they're on top of you, you're trying to stop it but I definitely could have avoided that one."

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More from Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty, speaking to reporters on Tuesday before Saturday's Six Nations game against Italy in Dublin (14:10 GMT).

On Ireland's main focus this week:

"I think understanding what 100% looks like, understanding what our standard is. That's really important. If I walk past something in the scrum and skip over it, the players can accept that as normal. It's unbelievably important they understand what our standard is and what they're capable of and there's a bit to that.

"Then owning and understanding and trying to figure out why they didn't deliver in the first half. In every aspect, we're going through certain images that don't look great and trying to contrast that with the standard to make it easier to understand what we need to do to get better.

"That's happening across attack, defence, kicking, scrum, maul, line-out to make sure we're clear. Driving clarity across the playing group, that's where we're at."

On the Italian scrum:

"Massively [impressed]. Italy played South Africa before we did and Italy took a couple of penalties off them, they shoved South Africa off their own ball which is no easy task.

"I think South Africa were fired up coming over here because of what Italy did to them. Italy turned Australia over at scrum time and got five penalties out of Scotland. Unbelievably connected, compact scrum that is committed as a group.

"I'm a rugby fan. I loved watching that game [against Scotland]. It was tight, the conditions and you saw a team dig it out and everyone loves that.

"They play for each other massively and we can see that clearly in the scrum. We need to be clear on the threats but also double down on what worked for us in France.

"We need to do things our way. In the past, we've looked at other scrums and been distracted by what they can do. We've really started to look at ourselves and we're in an OK place."

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Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty spoke to reporters on Tuesday before Saturday's Six Nations game against Italy in Dublin (14:10 GMT).

Here are some snippets of what he said.

On the mood in camp after crushing France defeat:

"I think initially there was huge disappointment in the playing group at the performance, particularly in the first half.

"I think there's still a frustration within the group, which is fairly natural to have because they understand what they're capable of and what they served up wasn't that.

"And some of the reviews, we're turning the page really on France and into Italy, so there's a mix of frustration and some guys getting the opportunity to put on an Irish jersey at home in a Six Nations game."

On the perception that Ireland are falling away from the top nations:

"They [the squad] are very much here and now as people. I think the bigger picture stuff, maybe I'm wrong, I guess everyone's a little bit different, I haven't thought about that too much. That's just me.

"I'm sure there's other guys that will consider that massively. That hasn't been spoken about or as a coaching group, it's not been mentioned.

"What we're focused on is making sure we front up as an Irish team. I said it at half-time that we have character, that we represent where we're from properly.

"I think that's what's on our mind. There is an understanding within the group that if we do our stuff well, we're going to be a very difficult team to play against.

"So that's where we're at, I think, mentally."

On Tadhg Furlong being back fit:

"He's healthy. He's trained now. We've done live scrums today. We're doing a few more tomorrow.

"So he has completed all his bits and he was in live scrums. He did the session. It's brilliant to have a player like him back."

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Ulster back row Bryn Ward has rejoined the Ireland squad while prop Tadhg Furlong has resumed full training before Saturday's Six Nations game against Italy (14:10 GMT).

Three-time British and Irish Lions tight-head Furlong missed last week's defeat by France in Paris with a calf problem.

In a squad bulletin on Monday, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) said "a decision will be made on his availability ahead of Thursday afternoon's team announcement".

Furlong, 33, only made one appearance off the bench in last year's Six Nations because of injury.

Uncapped Ward was part of Ireland's pre-tournament training camp in Portugal before linking up with the Ireland XV panel for Friday's emphatic 52-14 loss to England A at Thomond Park.

The 21-year-old back row, the son of former Ireland flanker Andy, has impressed since breaking into the Ulster team earlier this season.

Ireland, who trained at Clongowes Wood College in Kildare on Monday, reported no fresh injury concerns after Thursday's demoralising 36-14 loss to France.

Italy, meanwhile, have recalled Toulouse wing Ange Capuozzo to their squad ahead of Saturday's trip to Dublin.

The 26-year-old, who has scored 16 tries in 31 Azzurri caps, has not played since December because of a finger injury.

However, Italy boss Gonzalo Quesada will be without Juan Ignacio Brex because of "family reasons".

The Argentine-born Toulon centre set up Louis Lynagh's try in Saturday's win over Scotland in Rome.

Quesada is also without scrum-half Martin Page-Relo, fly-half Tommaso Allan, back rowers Sebastian Negri and Ross Vintcent, hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi, prop Marco Riccioni and wing Edoardo Todaro.

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After Ireland's miserable Six Nations defeat by France in Paris, head coach Andy Farrell is facing calls to shake up his selection for Italy's visit to Dublin on Saturday.

However, speaking on the Ireland Rugby Social, former Ireland stars Conor Murray and Rob Kearney said they do not expect Farrell to make wholesale changes as he attempts to breathe new life into a deflated camp.

"I still think he goes as strong as he possibly can [for the Italy game]," said Murray, who won the Grand Slam in 2023 under Farrell.

"It's now an even bigger game than it was going to be. I don't think Andy changes too much. He won't be feeling 'the boys went well against France', let's trial a few lads. That's never really been the case. One or two areas maybe.

"You talk about Hugo [Keenan] and Mack [Hansen] and these guys that are missing, they're such key ballplayers in that system. Do you bring in new guys? Do you change Jamie [Osborne] for someone at full-back or does Jamie go again?

Kearney echoed Murray's sentiment by predicting a "pretty similar" line-up to face the Azzurri, who opened their campaign with victory over Scotland in Rome on Saturday.

"I think he goes same," he said.

"It'll be a damaging game for the feelgood factor, the psyche and the mentality of this team.

"As a coach you want to be like 'everybody just settle down, we haven't become a really bad team overnight'. Let's get back to winning ways and start putting our own footprint back on to the game."