Ireland vs. Italy: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup 2015 Game
Ireland can seal their place in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup 2015 on Sunday, when they travel to London's Olympic Stadium for a Pool D clash against Italy.
This will be the last chance for Jacques Brunel's side to make an unlikely run at a place in the tournament's last eight, but a total of just two tries scored in their last two outings against the Irish doesn't bode well.
Centre Robbie Henshaw returns to the Ireland XV to make his World Cup debut while Iain Henderson comes back in to partner captain Paul O'Connell in the back row.
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Meanwhile, Italy have received a huge boost as captain Sergio Parisse prepares to make his first appearance of the 2015 competition after sitting out the first two games through injury.
Read on for a match preview of Sunday's clash, complete with viewing information and a betting guide for the high-stakes Pool D encounter.
Date: Sunday, October 4
Time: 4:45 p.m. BST/11:45 a.m. ET/(Monday, Oct. 5)1:45 a.m. AEST/3:45 a.m. NZST
Venue: Olympic Stadium, London
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), Universal Sports (U.S.), Fox Sports (AUS), Sky Go (NZ), SuperSport (SA)
TV Info: ITV (UK), Fox Sports 2 (AUS), Sky Sport 1 (NZ), SuperSport 1 (SA)
Team Lineups
Ireland: 15. Simon Zebo, 14. Tommy Bowe, 13. Keith Earls, 12. Robbie Henshaw, 11. Dave Kearney, 10. Johnny Sexton, 9. Conor Murray, 8. Jamie Heaslip, 7. Sean O'Brien, 6. Peter O'Mahony, 5. Paul O'Connell (C), 4. Iain Henderson, 3. Mike Ross, 2. Rory Best, 1. Jack McGrath
Italy: 15. Luke McLean, 14. Leonardo Sarto, 13. Michele Campagnaro, 12. Gonzalo Garcia, 11. Giovanbattista Venditti, 10. Tommaso Allan, 9. Edoardo Gori, 8. Sergio Parisse (C), 7. Simone Favaro, 6. Francesco Minto, 5. Josh Furno, 4. Quintin Geldenhuys, 3. Lorenzo Cittadini, 2. Andrea Manici, 1. Matias Aguero
| September 27, 2015 | Ireland 44-10 Romania |
| September 19, 2015 | Canada 7-50 Ireland |
| September 5, 2015 | England 21-13 Ireland |
| August 29, 2015 | Ireland 10-16 Wales |
| August 15, 2015 | Ireland 28-22 Scotland |
| September 26, 2015 | Canada 18-23 Italy |
| September 19, 2015 | France 32-10 Italy |
| September 5, 2015 | Wales 23-19 Italy |
| August 29, 2015 | Scotland 48-7 Italy |
| August 22, 2015 | Italy 12-16 Scotland |
Players to Watch
Robbie Henshaw
Having won the 2015 Six Nations in what was his first major involvement in a senior international tournament, Connacht star Henshaw is hoping to maintain a 100 percent record at the World Cup.
If the pressure was thought to be high in Europe's premier competition, then the burden placed upon the youngster in England is exceedingly more so, particularly now that injury has delayed his start.
He'll partner an in-form Keith Earls in the centres, knowing he has arguably the team's most potent attacker standing off him as a direct option, which in some way is its own comfort.
Coach Joe Schmidt has confidence Henshaw will succeed against the Azzurri, too, signalling just how well his emerging star fared in his last meeting with Brunel's side, per the Irish Independent:
"I think we’ve seen some quite good things from our midfield. I think they’ve been a real strength for us. Their distribution has allowed us to play along the edges, and I think we’ve played pretty expansively a lot of the time. But we’ve been able to mix up the way we play because they’ve also been able to square up and carry through the midfield effectively.
Robbie does both those things really well. He did in the Six Nations. The other thing is that Robbie topped our tackle-count in the first two games of the Six Nations. For a kid who was in his first two Six Nations games he played, he was immense against Italy. By the time the first two games were up I think he had made well over 30 tackles, which, for a youngster, 22-year-old coming in to the big league (is incredible).
"
The New Zealander has clearly been doing his homework and has chosen to offer Henshaw his return against an opponent he's ravaged in the past. He helped the team claim a 26-3 win in Rome eight months ago.
Italy may be seen by many as small opposition, but one can bet Henshaw will be among the most motivated to impress upon his return. Considering the occasion, this makes him a very dangerous prospect for Sunday.
| Ireland Win | 1-25 |
| Draw | 33-1 |
| Italy Win | 12-1 |
| First Tryscorer: Keith Earls | 10-1 |
Sergio Parisse
Our preview wouldn't be complete without mention of No. 8 Parisse, the brilliant captain who finally makes his return in the hopes he can galvanise Italy and somehow rescue some pride.
However, the man himself has admitted he won't be at full fitness for Sunday's clash, stating that we won't be seeing his best after only just coming back from minor surgery, per Murray Kinsella of The42.ie:
"I certainly won’t be at 100% tomorrow. It is not an excuse but I certainly won’t be able to perform to my usual standards. I will give my very best, as I always try to. When I get tired, which I certainly will, it will be all about how I mentally react.
I am but I am not as fit as I want to be. My calf has caused be a lot of problems. I will not be 100% but I will give my best. As long as my legs are going forward I will still be fighting. But, as I said, no excuses. As long as I can last on the pitch, I will give everything I have.
"
The Stade Francais marvel will start alongside Francesco Minto and Simone Favaro in the Italian back row, with Samuela Vunisa missing out as a result.
Ireland may not be overly concerned with this weekend's opposition, but the official Rugby World Cup Twitter account has pointed out a morale-boosting statistic for the Azurri's selection:
Parisse has a rare habit of bringing up the quality of those around him, but the Irish will be hoping his injury troubles do their part to disrupt that attribute from taking effect this time around.
A game-changer in every regard, Parisse needs to hit the ground running if Italy's tournament is to live past next weekend.
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