Dublin – After three weeks of inactivity, Ireland resumes its Six Nations campaign on Saturday needing to extend its 15-year supremacy over Italy to stay in the hunt for the title.
The Irish lost their opening game at home to Wales and were denied a chance to make immediate amends when their match against France in Paris was postponed because of a frozen pitch a week later.
They still have designs on winning the Six Nations but cannot afford another loss, especially to the competition's perennial underachiever.
“When you lose a game you like to get straight back out there and get it out of your system,” Ireland captain Paul O'Connell said. “It's been frustrating carrying that around.
“Some guys with knocks have benefited from it, but a few others would have liked more game time under their belts. We've come into camp fresh this week and that's the positive that's come of it.”
Four matches in as many weeks, including trips to France and defending champion England, isn't the most ideal way to finish the Six Nations for Declan Kidney's team.
“There's no doubt successive test matches will be very physically demanding, but we're used to it,” Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris said. “We did it at the World Cup and we play week in week out for the provinces.
“Speaking with all the players after the France game was postponed, it was never an issue for anyone.”
Despite being competitive in its opening two matches, against France and England, Italy still came away with back-to-back losses to increase the prospect of a fifth last-place finish in a row.
Without a victory over Ireland since 1997 and missing world-class prop Martin Castrogiovanni because of broken ribs for the rest of the competition, history is against the Azzurri climbing off the bottom of the standings this weekend.
They are no longer pushovers on the international stage, however.
“It's probably the most physical game of the tournament. They have an excellent maul, scrum and are very good around the fringes,” O'Connell said. “They are keeping the ball in hand a bit more and are being more expansive, but they're still really tough up front.”
While Ireland is unchanged as it bids to end a three-match losing run at home, Italy coach Jacques Brunel made four changes to the team that lost 19-15 to England in snowy Rome two weeks ago.
Tobias Botes will make his first start at flyhalf, Alberto Sgarbi replaces Gonzalo Canale at No. 12, Michele Rizzo comes in for Andrea Lo Cicero at loosehead prop and Lorenzo Cittadini takes over from Castrogiovanni at the other side of the front row.
After living in the shadow of Castrogiovanni for so long, Cittadini has a chance to impress in his first test appearance in four years.
“I feel ready. Actually to be honest, I have never felt so ready,” Cittadini said. “To return to the national side after a serious injury in 2008, when I fractured my tibia and fibula, is a great line to have crossed.
“The muscle tone of my right leg has never returned to its former level and I have to do a lot of physiotherapy in the gym and elsewhere but the passion I have inside helps me.”
Lineups:
Ireland: Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Keith Earls, Gordon D'Arcy, Andrew Trimble, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien, Stephen Ferris, Paul O'Connell (captain), Donncha O'Callaghan, Mike Ross, Rory Best, Cian Healy. Reserves: Sean Cronin, Tom Court, Donnacha Ryan, Peter O'Mahony, Eoin Reddan, Ronan O'Gara, Fergus McFadden.
Italy: Andrea Masi, Giovanbattista Venditti, Tommaso Benvenuti, Alberto Sgarbi, Luke McLean, Tobias Botes, Edoardo Gori; Sergio Parisse (captain), Robert Barbieri, Alessandro Zanni, Marco Bortolami, Quintin Geldenhuys, Lorenzo Cittadini, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Michele Rizzo. Reserves: Tommaso D'Apice, Fabio Staibano, Antonio Pavanello, Simone Favaro, Fabio Semenzato, Kristopher Burton, Gonzalo Canale. – Sapa-AP