Italy v Ireland: We need to get misery out of the way – Josh van der Flier
Josh van der Flier in the back row said Ireland “must get rid of the pain” early in the game against Italy’s last six countries.
Ireland wins slim in winning a third six-nation title in a row France suffered a crushing defeat on Saturday.
France is in the position to win the championship, but England and Ireland are still in the fight if Les Blaus slips away from Scotland.
“It’s difficult,” Van der Flier, behind Leinster, made a mistake in analyzing Saturday’s failed Ireland.
“I think one thing I found very important is that you have to get rid of all the pain on Monday or Tuesday, so for the rest of the week it won’t be overwhelming you.
“These things are hanging in your mind and you can’t let them drag into next week.”
Van der Flier said after his disappointment at Dublin’s match against France that Ireland must “be proud of Italy.”
“That’s going to be the point I think. We have to be proud of the show,” the 31-year-old said.
“For the team, it is obviously a pride for playing for the country and a chance to win the championship.
“It may be in our hands, but we will definitely focus on that.”
Ireland ranked third and entered the final round of fixtures. Simon Easterby’s side is two points behind the French leader and behind England.
Rome’s match was the first of three fixtures on Saturday, with Wales ahead of England and France hosting Scotland in Paris.
Van der Flier said being the first match was an advantage because if Ireland could win a prize point in Rome, they could put pressure on England and France.
“We will try to ignore other games, but if we were late games you would normally watch earlier.
“It’s great to be able to get up early and come up with a score to beat.”
