Today may have been Ireland’s first international for eight months but it did not take them long to get back in the groove.
Andy Farrell’s men scored three tries in the first half against Italy in Dublin and the pick of them saw the hosts go coast to coast in a matter of seconds in the 36th minute – with Hugo Keenan finishing off a flowing move to continue his dream debut.
Keenan’s Leinster teammate Caelan Doris began the counter-attack with a fine turnover inside his own 22 and the ball made its way through the hands to Conor Murray.
The scrum-half carried up to halfway and assessed his options before sending a perfectly weighted kick towards the left-hand corner, with Keenan putting his foot on the accelerator to win the race to the bouncing ball and dive over.
It was Keenan’s second try and came just a matter of minutes after he had seen another disallowed, while his score helped put Ireland in a commanding position in Dublin.
Check out the try below:
