Ireland remains of course to defend their Six Nations title after a 36-0 drubbing of Italy in Dublin on Sunday.

The hooker, Dan Sheenan, scored two of the six tries for Italy as they claimed back-to-back bonus point wins in the Six Nations to top the standings on 10 points.

Ireland's other tries were scored by Jack Crowley, Jack Conan, James Lowe and Calvin Nash. Crowley slotted two conversions, while Harry Byrne landed one.

The Irish coach, Andy Farrell, said their set piece set up the big win perfectly.

“Obviously delighted with two from two and maximum points, 36-0 is a nice scoreline for us,” said Farrell.

“To put in a performance like that where I thought we were clinical at times, I thought our set piece was excellent, top drawer, and then scoring some nice tries on the back of all that type of pressure was very pleasing to get over the line.

“Two from two - it’s a decent start, but it only gets tougher from here on in.”

In the weekend’s other results, France beat Scotland 20-16 at Murrayfield, while England edged Wales 16-14 at Twickenham

The Six Nations continues on 24 February with Ireland at home to Wales and Scotland will face England at Murrayfield. France in turn will tackle Italy in Lille.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport