Ireland have cruised to the first victory of their World Cup campaign after overcoming Italy 33-17 in their warm-up game at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night. While it was an emphatic victory for Ireland, it was far from perfect. The real value came in the performances of Andy Farrell's young stars who are all looking to claim a seat on the plane to France.
Here's a number of players who stood out as Andy Farrell looks to finalise his 33-man World Cup panel.
Jack Crowley
Obviously Crowley will be on the plane to France if fully fit; the question is whether he can fight his way into Farrell's 23. Crowley was strong all around and slotted into Ireland's style of attack effortlessly keeping Ireland on the front foot throughout. In a composed and mature performance from the Bandon man he was excellent off the kicking tee slotting over 3/4 kicks. He certainly made his case to be Sexton's number two tonight.
He even showed he could fill in as back row cover.
JC with the tackle, follow up tackle and slow down. Dude should be wearing 7. pic.twitter.com/Rn589QHnOG
— Jim Demps (@jim_demps) August 5, 2023
Crowley earned lots of praise for his performance.
Massive night for the new caps; Keith Earls heading to 100, Doris unreal, but for me, Jack Crowley should stay in 10 jersey, unless someone rips it off him; keep him there #IREvITA
— Liam Toland (@LiamToland7) August 5, 2023
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Tom Stewart
A memorable first cap for the Ulster man. Stewart had an immediate impact when he came on delivering two dominant scrums in Italy's 22, steadying what had been a flawed scrum in the first half. He was brilliant at the back of the maul throughout and did huge work for Cian Healy's try both in the maul and getting Healy over the line..
Cian Healy has powered over for Ireland's fourth try to extend the lead over Italy
📺 RTÉ2/RTÉ Player
💻 https://t.co/97VDHIoK9E #IREvITA #RTERugby pic.twitter.com/qQEX1OHpgJ— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) August 5, 2023
Does he have enough time to usurp teammate Rob Herring as Ireland's third hooker? It's hard to know.
READ ALSO: Ferris Believes Italy Selection Shows No Change In Ireland Out-Half Standings
Joe McCarthy
While all the attention was on the backs, Joe McCarthy put in a trojan eighty minutes with no frills and no thrills just hard yards rugby. In the second half when everyone else in the Irish pack had either faded off or been replaced, it was McCarthy who put his hand up to rejuvenate Ireland's scrum and their last-ditch defence. While it'll be tough to oust the current locks even Iain Henderson was lauding McCarthy as one of Ireland's 'most exciting prospects' after his performance tonight.
"Joe's a hugely exciting prospect for Ireland"
Ireland's captain against Italy, Iain Henderson, talks Joe McCarthy's performance and getting the World Cup warm-up schedule off to a winning start pic.twitter.com/Q5IaGV3z0d— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) August 5, 2023
Jacob Stockdale
In his first game for Ireland in two years, Stockdale gave fans a glimpse of what they've been missing. He was influential throughout with an abundance of carries, and gave flashes of magic, especially for the first-half disallowed try. While his missed tackle for Italy's first cost him he was a workhorse throughout and put his hands up for selection.
5 August 2023; Jacob Stockdale of Ireland is tackled by Paolo Odogwu of Italy during the Bank of Ireland Nations Series match between Ireland and Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
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