Ireland’s pursuit of their fourth Grand Slam in history moves on to Rome after they prevailed in one of the most memorable games of this competition.
Their victory over France in round two exemplified the excellence that has led to 19 victories in 21 Test matches and a position atop the global rankings.
Ireland’s upcoming opponent is an Italian team that they have defeated in 22 of their 23 previous Six Nations encounters.
Italy is attempting to snap a championship-record streak of 23 home defeats.
In their most recent game, which they dropped 31-14 to England at Twickenham, they came very close to defeating France, the eventual tournament champions, at home.
Examining the Byrne-Casey axis as Farrell gauges the depth of the team
