Ireland ready to ramp it up against Italy on the back of stunning France win in Six Nations opener as Andy Farrell demands: We want more!

Andy Farrell has demanded even more from Ireland after their sensational Six Nations opener against France last week – and Italy are destined to bear the brunt of that ambition at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Farrell made six changes to the Italy squad from the team that stormed Marseille, three of which were due to injuries. Calf injuries keep Tadhg Furlong and Peter O’Mahony out, with knee problems as Bundee Aki rested.

Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird and Stuart McCloskey are the beneficiaries, with Craig Casey, James Ryan and Jack Conan also coming in.

With the Italians depowered by injuries after failing to beat a pedestrian England in Rome in the first round, a strong Irish victory seems certain.

But the desire to get better and even improve on the devastating efforts that baffled France is what worries Farrell.

His team recorded a dominant victory in their opening Six Nations match against France last weekend

Farrell said there is ‘a lot’ of room for improvement despite their performance in Marseille

“You know me, I’m not disrespectful to anyone. I’m not like that, but honestly it’s about us,” said Farrell, when asked if overconfidence was a danger this weekend.

“It’s about us improving from last week, and the expectation we have within our own four walls, of understanding how we move forward, as you hear me say all the time, in all parts of our game.

“It’s real, it’s there, it’s clear for us to see the level we need to reach, not just on the pitch but off it too.”

Caelan Doris captains the side for the first time with O’Mahony out, as the Leinster No8 wins his 38th cap, this time as an open-sided winger.

He was one of the standouts against France but an all-Leinster back row, with Baird and Conan joining him, is expected to lead another masterclass after Farrell identified this as one of the areas of the Irish game that can win. even better.

“A lot,” he said when asked where the room for improvement lies. ‘Our bad luck and line-out were excellent last week, but we can do even better. That is possible, and the proof is ready for us.

“Paul (O’Connell) did a review/preview yesterday and our collapse against France was huge. But after those five minutes you’d think we were rubbish on that front just because it matters.

“It’s important to show people what it means to strive to be better. The week has been difficult enough, because when you win like that you can say: ‘No, that’s not the level’.

‘Hopefully our ambition will continue to drive us to continue to strive for better.’

Farrell called on his team to ‘excite’ their supporters in their first home game since August

Sunday’s match will be Ireland’s first home match since their World Cup exit games in August.

The bond between the team and their supporters grew even closer in France, with the famous nights at the Stade de France providing unforgettable memories.

The Italian match is unlikely to be as epic, especially with kick-off on Sunday afternoon and Farrell’s belief that Italy will look as sustainable and pragmatic as they need to be.

“I hope we can get them excited the way we can play the game,” the head coach said.

‘I think our fans are educated enough to understand the difference between a good team and a team that won’t be as threatening as Italy will be for us on Sunday.

“I think anyone who saw the game last week knows they are going to be a threat, and I think our fans will definitely be behind our side.

“The first time (at home) since the World Cup warm-up games is something the players have talked about and are excited about this week.”

Italy struggled against poor England in their own opening match and Ireland are expected to put on a show

The bond between the team and their fans became even stronger in France, and the team is now a firm favorite to win the tournament again

There are five call-ups among the replacements, with Jeremy Loughman, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson, Harry Byrne and Jordan Larmour all coming in.

It’s a tough task for Ciarán Frawley, who was one of two backline replacements in Marseille as Farrell split his bench between six forwards and two backs.

On Sunday he will return to a more orthodox five-three split between forwards and backs, with Byrne as the second-half substitute and Frawley, a good back, missing.

The retention of Jack Crowley is no surprise, but it does confirm his status as the first choice in the half. Byrne has been seen as an emerging talent for years, but injuries have undermined his attempts to break through.

The retention of Jack Crowley is no surprise, but it does confirm his status as the first-choice midfielder

The battle between him, Frawley and Byrne’s older brother Ross, who is currently injured, to make it to matchday 23 is likely to continue for some time.

“We all know he’s ideal to cover the bench on his own, not just cover the bench,” Farrell said, addressing Frawley’s absence. ‘I’m sure he will prove in training that he is capable of that.

‘Having said that, Harry was great in training. He was fantastic, I thought, in his last appearance for Leinster against Leicester, and he deserves a chance off the bench.

Harry Byrne gets a shot off the bench after playing for Leinster against Leicester

‘When you’ve got someone like Harry, who can play number 10 and one other position at the touch of a button, it’s probably harsh enough to put him out of position at this stage of his international career, so that tends to determine whether it is Ciarán or not. .

“I suppose it keeps the competition there while the 10s duke it out, and you have to try to find an opportunity for other people as well.”

Garry Ringrose was not taken into account, but the coach said he is hopeful all those absent will be fit for the match against Wales on February 24.