Ireland gather strength to quell Italian resurgence

The Irish are not having things all their own way, not even in what is fast becoming a season to beat all seasons. Faced with the unique challenge of contesting two Championship matches in less than seven days, the Ireland coach, Eddie O'Sullivan, has had to tinker with a winning team, and there is the unexpected resurgence of the Italians to contend with, too.

Leinster's full-back, Girvan Dempsey, yesterday failed a fitness test on a groin injury, and is succeeded by Geordan Murphy of Leicester. With Shane Horgan already unavailable on the right wing after being hurt early in last Sunday's record win in Scotland, John Kelly of Munster is the other call-up, taking the place that Murphy would have had. What with Ronan O'Gara, Keith Wood and seemingly dozens of back five contenders also absent, O'Sullivan could have done with at least the two-week rest period that was customary until the shrinking of the Six Nations.

At fly-half, David Humphreys continues as O'Gara's elder understudy after scoring 26 points against the Scots, and Murphy, who collected his ninth try in 12 Tests as a replacement for Horgan at Murrayfield, gets another chance to show why he should be first choice.

Murphy has a reputation in his home country for being suspect in defence; no better time, this, for the ball-playing wizard from Naas to get nasty.

Italy, meanwhile, are in rude health after their rousing 30-22 win over Wales, and will send out the same starting XV on the same Stadio Flaminio ground in search of an unprecedented second win in a single Championship. Diego Dominguez and Alessandro Troncon are paired at half-back for a world record 60th time and praying that their back row can establish a similar bridgehead to the one enjoyed against Wales. But the Irish loose forwards, Victor Costello, Keith Gleeson and Anthony Foley will surely not be so accommodating as their Celtic cousins.

Troncon was sent off here in the dying minutes of Ireland's win two years ago, after a loutish punch on his opposite number, Peter Stringer. The Italian captain yesterday indicated he was in the mood for a re-match saying: "Stringer has a history with Italy, not just with me, after he was involved with our prop getting a yellow card [in Dublin] last year. He is a provocative player and referees are starting to see this."

It was a reference to Stringer being sent to the sin-bin while playing for Munster in the Celtic League final against Neath last month. "I wouldn't call him provocative," said Declan Kidney, the assistant Ireland coach who has known Stringer since the Munster No 9 was knee-high to a grasshopper.

"They are similar players," said O'Sullivan of the scrum-halves. "Both like to control the areas around their forwards." But O'Sullivan praised his counterpart, John Kirwan, for making Italy "a better team all-round". Last week, while Twickenham argued over the selection of Charlie Hodgson alongside Jonny Wilkinson, Kirwan brought off a bolder trick by switching his outstanding openside flanker, Mauro Bergamasco, to the wing. Perhaps the secret was selecting a Bergamasco doppelganger, Aaron Persico, on the side of the scrum: the resemblance was far more than physical.

Nevertheless, the Italians had debutant lock Cristian Bezzi sent to the sin-bin against Wales, and continue to balance precariously between brilliance and brutality. They face a test off the field, too, with last week's empty spaces at the Flaminio prompting talk of a switch north to the rugby heartland.

With Ireland on seven wins out of seven this season, and Leinster and Munster going strong in the Heineken Cup, thousands of visitors in green should nudge the attendance closer to the 25,000 capacity. Their team had an audience with the Pope on their 2001 visit, but have left that to Tony Blair today, and anyway who needs Pontiffs and Prime Ministers when you've got Brian O'Driscoll? "We had a beautiful Italian lady lined up last night, ready to fill him with champagne," said Kirwan of a devilish plan to thwart the Ireland captain. Will you be able to counteract that, O'Driscoll was asked. "Counteract it?" responded the super-cool centre. "What time is it?"