Former Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan believes that Joe Schmidt's team can avoid a slip up against Italy in their Six Nations opener if they can match the opposition up front.
Eddie was on Off The Ball tonight, alongside Trevor Hogan, to look ahead to a pivotal week in the quest for championship glory.
"If Ireland match them up front and keep their nerve, you couldn't see it going wrong for us," said Eddie, although he does not expect Ireland do win by the same margin as last year and thinks that Gordon D'Arcy's experience could see him start alongside Robbie Henshaw as one half of the centre partnership.
Trevor and Eddie also talked about the strengths of the current Azzurri team, with Trevor saying that they are pinning their hopes on fly-half Kelly Haimona of Zebre.
However, Eddie feels that their problems still "lie behind the scrum".
Eddie also admitted that in his time managing Ireland, he did not like having to face Italy in Rome in the opening game.
"It's very hard to click on the first day and if you're away from home, you're a bit more edgy," he said, alluding to the nervousness.
They also shared their conclusions from Ireland Wolfhounds defeat to England Saxons in Friday's 'A' Game.
"It's very hard to take too much, except some aspects of some individuals performing really well," said Trevor, who highlighted the motivation factor, before giving his take on the criticism that Ian Madigan received after that Wolfhounds game.
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