Ireland 20-13 Italy: Azzurri captain Michele Lamarro says perception shift ‘means a lot’

When Quesada and Lamaro last led Italy to a game in Dublin, they lost 36-0.

However, on Saturday, the Azzurri faced an Irish side lacking in confidence after a painful defeat to France in Paris last week.

“Obviously we wanted to take advantage of that. We knew that if we put them under pressure for results, it would be very difficult for them.

“I’ve been in this situation before because of the mentality. You have to put in a strong performance and beat the team in front of you, but if you’re down after 20 or 30 minutes, it can become a real pain in the… I’m not saying where.

“They have some great players and they have shown how much they care about this group and this country. You always expect Ireland to be a world-class team.”

“Every team in the world has ups and downs. At the moment, they are not what they want to be but I am sure they have all the capabilities to come back.”

Lamaro also ended Italy’s post-match press conference with an unexpected tribute to Holly Davidson after the Scottish official became the first woman to referee a match in the men’s Six Nations.

“I just want to congratulate her,” he added.

“She has been doing so much for World Rugby and our game and I think it’s important to say that.

“I appreciate the work we did together today on the field.

“Whatever the decision was, I was supporting her and making sure everything went the right way, so I just want to congratulate her and thank her for the effort she put in on the field.”