Former Connacht and Munster star Paul Warwick on Ireland's exciting backline, surviving Italy's early storm and playing alongside the supreme Sergio Parisse.
The stand-out selection for Ireland, on Thursday, was
Ian Keatley coming in at 10, over Ian Madigan. We have a player here at Worcester, Chris Pennell, who played for the Saxons last Friday. He told me Madigan was quite down on himself after the game.
Keatley has had some good performances in a Munster shirt this year but, I feel, was lacking a few ideas against Clermont and Saracens, especially around the opposition 22. I don't know whether it is Munster's game-plan but he looked a little lost at times and, as a result, the team lacked direction.
It's great to see Joe Schmidt go with
Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw in midfield again. That partnership has a nice balance to it and showed some good flashes against South Africa. Ireland's backline is quite youthful, with the experience of Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney there to level things out. I don't expect Ireland to use them much early on but they should exploit the gaps when they open up later on in the game.
Ireland are led, again, by Paul O'Connell, a former Munster teammate of mine and a phenomenal athlete. He is an outstanding leader and is dedicated to his craft. It is no surprise that he has lasted so long at the top.
Another player that has been up there, for the best part of a decade, is Italy captain Sergio Parisse. We were teammates at Stade Francais and, in terms of athleticism and skill, he is one of the best players I have ever played with. I believe that he has stayed with Stade for so long, rather than move somewhere like Leinster or Clermont, as the team is built around him.
He has always been an individual player and everything revolves around him. I always had my doubts, whether he could fit and adhere to another team's structure and still shine. Both are superb players but only one stands out as an all-round great.
Roman Holiday
The current Italian team are not far removed from their predecessors - they base their game around solid set-piece; scrum and line-out. They caused Ireland problems, when they beat them, in 2013, around the fringes but I'm sure Schmidt will have addressed that. Their backs are predictable but it looks like, in Kelly Haimona, they have a decent, goal-kicking 10.
The Irish forwards are not the types to just ruck it up and go through the phases. They have players capable of line breaks, fend-offs and offloads, that will cut into the Italian ranks and put them on the back-foot. Having Sean O'Brien back is massive and, if they can get the line-out right, they will be hard to stop. I believe Ireland will dominate this game after they are forced to slog for the first 20 minutes.
With a winning start in Rome and home games next against France and England, this championship will be Ireland's to lose.
The main threat comes from the sides playing in Cardiff tonight - England and Wales. The English, if you are to believe the media over here, are simply warming up to win the World Cup later this year.
England are ravaged with injuries so I fancy Wales, with a settled side and home advantage, to shade this one. If Wales get that win, it leaves England up against it and Ireland in the box-seat.
