Six Nations: Defeat by France has ’emboldened us’ – Ireland prop Porter
Irish prop Andrew Porter said the Irish added incentives in the Six Nations defeat in France last weekend because they knew they could perform in six countries against Italy.
Now the champions are out of Ireland’s hands as they have to beat Italy in Rome and hope that the subsequent match results will pass on Saturday.
The second-ranked England was in Wales, and the French leaders took control of their destiny when they faced Scotland in the final of this year’s Championship.
“We have to learn from that failure, but for us it wasn’t our last game and we can expect a huge test in Rome.
“We can sit around and be frustrated, but next Saturday we have another job to do.
Porter said the fact that they can still win three six-nation titles in a row further encouraged Ireland.
“It’s the most exciting thing, we haven’t quite stood out yet, it’s everything this weekend.
“We’ve found an incredibly proud team on their home patch. We’re going there to do what we know we can do and come up with a show that we can be proud of the players.
“Italy has its own threat and they’re a great outfit as well. They’re a great team at home unless they play in France. It’s always a pretty tough fight when we’re playing there.”
