Women's Six Nations 2023: Italy beat Ireland 24-7 to secure first win of tournament

Sara Tounesi prepares to travel up against Ireland scrum-half Ailsa Hughes

Italy bushed Ireland 24-7 successful Parma to unafraid their archetypal triumph of this year's Women's Six Nations tournament.

Ireland replied with a punishment effort but stay without a triumph and without a constituent from their opening 3 games.

The Irish person present mislaid their archetypal 3 matches of a Women's Six Nations for the archetypal clip since 2007.

Italy determination up to 4th successful the table, with Sunday's gathering of France and Scotland inactive to travel successful the 3rd play of fixtures.

There were affirmative noises coming retired of the Ireland campy earlier the game, with manager Greg McWilliams explaining that the brushwood with the Italians represented a trial to amusement his squad "where they are".

The Irish finished 4th successful past year's Six Nations with the assistance of a triumph implicit Le Azzurre but Italy, who finished 5th past term, person demonstrated the advancement they person made since past by reaching the World Cup quarter-finals past twelvemonth and with improved performances successful the existent campaign.

Both sides had mislaid their opening 2 fixtures, Ireland going down 31-5 distant to Wales, past 53-3 astatine location to France, portion Italy suffered a 22-12 nonaccomplishment astatine location to France, followed by a 68-5 reverse distant to England.

The 2 teams enjoyed spells of territory and possession aboriginal successful the crippled but an overriding tendency not to suffer was evident from the exchanges.

Italy conceded 9 first-half penalties but were archetypal to people connected 28 minutes erstwhile skipper for the crippled Stefan ran successful aft receiving a walk from Silliari, who added the conversion.

The hosts broke down the near helping pursuing a scrum to acceptable up that opening try.

Ireland had a spell of sustained unit earlier half-time, mounting up campy wrong their opponents' 22 but were incapable to get implicit the line.

Ireland's Natsja Behan tackles Michela Sillari

The visitors were punished for failing to person their possession into points erstwhile Italy went implicit for their 2nd effort 2 minutes into the 2nd half.

An Ireland line-out propulsion failed to scope its people and the location broadside pounced with a sweeping counter, which ended with helping D'Inca gliding successful nether the posts. Centre Sillari again added the extras.

Ireland continued to spot plentifulness of the shot successful the 2nd fractional but lacked a objective borderline and Sillari extended the pb with a 63rd-minute penalty.

The visitors drove Italy backmost successful the 68th infinitesimal and were rewarded for their superiority up beforehand with a punishment effort erstwhile the location scrum collapsed nether the value of the Irish scrum.

D'Inca had the last accidental nevertheless erstwhile moments aft being named Player of the Match she drifted wrong to cod a chipped footwear from Beatrice Rigoni, Sillari contributing the further 2 points.

Ireland present look the daunting imaginable of facing England adjacent week, followed by an distant travel to look past season's bottommost broadside Scotland arsenic McWilliams' broadside endeavour to debar the 'wooden spoon'.

Giovanni Raineri's broadside volition anticipation to physique connected their occurrence erstwhile they play the Scots adjacent Saturday and big Wales successful their last crippled of the campaign.

Ireland: L Delany; A Doyle, A Dalton, A McGann, N Behan; D O'Brien, A Hughes; L Djougang, N Jones, C Haney; N Fryday, S Monaghan; D Wall, G Moore, D Nic a Bháird.

Replacements: C Nielson, S McGrath, K Buggy, H O'Connor, B Hogan, M Scuffil-McCabe, V Irwin, M Deely.

Italy: B Capomaggi; A Muzzo, M Sillari, B Rigoni, A D'Inca; V Madia, S Stefan (capt); G Maris, V Vecchini, L Gai, S Tounesi, G Duca, F Sgorbini, I Locatelli, G Franco

Replacements: E Stecca, 17 A Cassaghi, 18 S Seye, 19 V Fedrighi, 20 L Gurioli, 21 A Ranuccini, 22 S Barattin, 23 E Stevanin