Four-try burst ends mediocrity

It wasn't without its longeurs, and at times it was like watching paint dry, but after the injury-time victories over England and Scotland yesterday evening's offering at Donnybrook was tailormade for an anti-climax.

At any rate, Declan Kidney's wannabes maintained their winning run and eventually relieved the tedium with four tries in the last half-hour.

There were a number of mitigating factors. On top of the A's selectorial revolving door, there was the prospect of an over-used Donnybrook that resembled a lunar landscape.

Then there was the risible 5.0 kick-off on a chilly Friday evening and, most of all, as the handling errors and penalties came almost by the minute, there were the spoilers in blue.

English referee John Barnard seemed almost as exasperated as everyone else by the finish, as a penalty count of 22-8 and three sin binnings failed to deter the Italians, who lay on the wrong side and killed ruck ball with impunity.

Lock Walter Cristofoletto was the first to be sin binned in the 16th minute for what appeared to be a bit of kneeing or shoeing on Tyrone Howe. The Dungannon winger buckled minutes later after minor contact from his opposite number and was later taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs.

Even allowing for all of that, the Irish management will take an equally critical look at much of their team's performance, especially the first half. Much of the lineout ball was taken down and mauled to no great effect and the ruck ball wasn't a whole lot quicker.

Derek Hegarty has had sharper nights clearing the ball, and the backline looked too flat, ensuring the ball hardly ever travelled across the line. Andy Ward and Eric Miller will probably earn the odd minus mark for taking on too much, but at least they were always trying.

The mood of the first half was set when Marcus Horan was penalised for shunting Matteo Mazzantini into the advertising hoardings, though the retaliatory attempted head-butt was missed.

Andrea Scanavacca then landed a penalty either side of two unsuccessful long-range attempts before Cristofoletto was binned and the penalty chances went to Eric Elwood. He landed the first, looked on in astonishment as the second hit the upright and seemed to have lost his rhythm by the time he steered a third wide.

Geordan Murphy was hauled down just short after taking a good line from Miller's incisive work in the prelude to another Elwood penalty at the end of the third quarter.

A strike against the head briefly had the Italians probing at the Irish line, whereupon Miller and Ward produced huge hits to earn a turnover. The game then sprung dramatically into life when Killian Keane charged down a line-kick off a quick throw, then gathered a relieving kick when Matt Mostyn was collared on the opposite flank to find Sheldon Coulter. Ward carried on the move, cutting inside and off-loading off the ground for Horan to crash over.

Brian O'Meara, Murphy and Ward then probed the blindside for Mostyn to score off Ward's clever inside pass. After Mauricio Avigni became the third Italian to be binned, Shane Byrne was at the scoring end of lineout drive for the finale.