Dubai Telegraph - Ireland keep Six Nations title hopes alive as focus switches to Cardiff and Paris

EUR -
AED 4.011471
AFN 76.929235
ALL 99.449011
AMD 426.595758
ANG 1.96388
AOA 996.122496
ARS 1161.990645
AUD 1.725496
AWG 1.96603
AZN 1.861143
BAM 1.955781
BBD 2.200178
BDT 132.398683
BGN 1.955781
BHD 0.410796
BIF 3228.767893
BMD 1.092239
BND 1.454386
BOB 7.529925
BRL 6.275574
BSD 1.089689
BTN 94.716058
BWP 14.845852
BYN 3.566065
BYR 21407.887117
BZD 2.188778
CAD 1.57135
CDF 3141.280158
CHF 0.964175
CLF 0.026459
CLP 1015.359903
CNY 7.905464
CNH 7.90727
COP 4495.055301
CRC 544.394586
CUC 1.092239
CUP 28.944337
CVE 110.263904
CZK 25.119866
DJF 194.03807
DKK 7.491017
DOP 68.519319
DZD 145.393554
EGP 55.123452
ERN 16.383587
ETB 143.124177
FJD 2.502364
FKP 0.845634
GBP 0.843917
GEL 3.031007
GGP 0.845634
GHS 16.928714
GIP 0.845634
GMD 78.593593
GNF 9443.87602
GTQ 8.420032
GYD 228.355106
HKD 8.489718
HNL 27.947171
HRK 7.564634
HTG 143.33255
HUF 400.87825
IDR 17833.375506
ILS 3.980393
IMP 0.845634
INR 94.943624
IQD 1429.437592
IRR 45976.615776
ISK 146.967839
JEP 0.845634
JMD 171.522739
JOD 0.774441
JPY 162.342823
KES 141.409387
KGS 95.794908
KHR 4383.610559
KMF 494.204532
KPW 983.040876
KRW 1586.02424
KWD 0.336533
KYD 0.908251
KZT 545.554612
LAK 23664.520216
LBP 98031.340894
LKR 323.084759
LRD 218.39079
LSL 19.853692
LTL 3.225099
LVL 0.660685
LYD 5.261949
MAD 10.585252
MDL 19.836734
MGA 5104.466458
MKD 61.828133
MMK 2292.188524
MNT 3794.773108
MOP 8.743773
MRU 43.459497
MUR 49.329707
MVR 16.865752
MWK 1894.503095
MXN 21.773842
MYR 4.855169
MZN 69.7814
NAD 19.853692
NGN 1688.529282
NIO 40.207059
NOK 11.621866
NPR 151.981005
NZD 1.900803
OMR 0.420537
PAB 1.092239
PEN 4.00019
PGK 4.441174
PHP 62.507491
PKR 305.915796
PLN 4.199058
PYG 8665.962324
QAR 3.976159
RON 5.000019
RSD 117.710711
RUB 93.245691
RWF 1548.951784
SAR 4.096304
SBD 9.308972
SCR 15.832376
SDG 656.335223
SEK 11.07276
SGD 1.457597
SHP 0.858328
SLE 24.936225
SLL 22903.7098
SOS 623.874177
SRD 39.833886
STD 22607.144948
SVC 9.557496
SYP 14201.606877
SZL 19.853692
THB 36.715003
TJS 11.897462
TMT 3.819812
TND 3.371286
TOP 2.630278
TRY 40.011891
TTD 7.417132
TWD 35.984809
TZS 2896.903716
UAH 45.261551
UGX 4003.000924
USD 1.092239
UYU 46.518833
UZS 14127.24741
VES 70.420021
VND 27826.647785
VUV 134.501217
WST 3.089713
XAF 658.939376
XAG 0.03233
XAU 0.000366
XCD 2.95704
XDR 0.820862
XOF 658.939376
XPF 119.331742
YER 269.5464
ZAR 19.857567
ZMK 9831.466852
ZMW 31.24874
ZWL 351.700557
  • SCS

    0.2000

    10.99

    +1.82%

  • RELX

    1.1200

    48.93

    +2.29%

  • NGG

    0.8900

    63.21

    +1.41%

  • RBGPF

    66.0200

    66.02

    +100%

  • RYCEF

    0.0500

    10.4

    +0.48%

  • CMSD

    0.1500

    23.35

    +0.64%

  • RIO

    1.8400

    63.04

    +2.92%

  • GSK

    0.2600

    39.49

    +0.66%

  • CMSC

    0.0500

    23.22

    +0.22%

  • AZN

    1.0900

    77.6

    +1.4%

  • JRI

    0.0335

    12.83

    +0.26%

  • BCE

    -0.1990

    23.47

    -0.85%

  • VOD

    0.0500

    9.55

    +0.52%

  • BCC

    2.9700

    99.35

    +2.99%

  • BP

    1.0200

    33.39

    +3.05%

  • BTI

    -0.0200

    41.36

    -0.05%

Ireland keep Six Nations title hopes alive as focus switches to Cardiff and Paris
Ireland keep Six Nations title hopes alive as focus switches to Cardiff and Paris / Photo: Filippo MONTEFORTE - AFP

Ireland keep Six Nations title hopes alive as focus switches to Cardiff and Paris

Reigning champions Ireland were left to watch and wait to see if they would win an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title after fulfilling their part of the bargain with a hard-fought, bonus-point 22-17 victory away to Italy.

Text size:

Success in the opening match of the championship's concluding Super Saturday took Ireland top of the table on 19 points, three points clear of France and four ahead of England.

Italy took the lead at the Stadio Olimpico through Monty Ioane's 12th-minute try but the Azzurri played more than half the match at least a man down after Michele Lamoro and Giacomo Nicotera were yellow-carded, while No 8 Ross Vintcent was shown a 20th-minute red card for a head-on-head challenge.

Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan scored a hat-trick of tries, with full-back Hugo Keenan also crossing Italy's line.

"Happy with five points, we probably needed a bit more points difference," Sheehan told ITV.

"Fair play to Italy, I thought their game-plan worked well and they put us under pressure. We got five points and it's up to the other teams now."

The destiny of the title does indeed remain in France's hands.

A bonus-point victory at home to Scotland will be enough to take France to 21 points, with 20 the most England can manage if they beat Wales heavily in Cardiff in the second game of the day.

Another factor in favour of France, who scuppered Ireland's bid for a Grand Slam with a dominant 42-27 win in Dublin last weekend, is they are currently 86 points better off than England on points difference.

The only surprise is that after three thumping wins -- including 43-0 and 73-24 routs of Wales and Italy -- France are not on course for a Grand Slam of their own.

That dream died with an error-strewn display in a 26-25 second-round loss away to England, when France squandered several clear try-scoring opportunities.

But they have been in commanding form since that Twickenham reverse and even the loss early on against Ireland of inspirational captain Antoine Dupont to a knee injury that has ruled the outstanding scrum-half out of the Scotland game failed to derail their progress.

- 'Maturing France' -

Stand-in skipper Gregory Alldritt said Dupont's absence this weekend had "changed nothing" in terms of the team's overall approach.

"We're at the end of a Six Nations, the system has been in place since the start," Alldritt told reporters on Friday. "We've continued with what we've been working on for seven weeks."

The No 8 added: "We've progressed little by little. We've matured, become more consistent and I hope we'll prove that once again on Saturday night."

Scotland co-captain Finn Russell, who spent five years playing for Paris-based club Racing 92, is well aware of the task facing his side.

"They (France) have got everything to play for," said the fly-half. "Hopefully, we can disrupt it. I know it's going to be a massive challenge tomorrow night."

England will be favourites to beat a Wales side on a 16-Test losing streak.

- 'Aggressive' -

But they would not be the first Red Rose team to be undone by the raucous atmosphere of a capacity Principality Stadium crowd, with England captain Maro Itoje saying it is vital his side hit the ground running.

"Whenever you play Wales, but particularly in Cardiff, you need to be aggressive," Itoje said.

The 30-year-old lock, a veteran of 92 England caps added: "The atmosphere is obviously great, it is a stadium you want to play in and I don't see it as intimidating at all...I have played very badly in Cardiff. I have played well in Cardiff, so I draw on all of those experiences."

Saturday's match will be Matt Sherratt's third and last as caretaker Wales boss since the Englishman took over mid-tournament following the end of Warren Gatland's unsuccessful second stint in charge.

D.Naveed--DT