Ireland will face Italy this weekend in the 2023 Summer Nations Series in preparation for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. We have all the latest information on Ireland v Italy, including team news, TV info and Kick-off time.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup is vastly approaching, with it being just a little bit over a month out from the World Cup, teams are ramping up their preparations to grace the biggest stage of world rugby.
For the past few weeks, Andy Farrell's team has been fully immersed in training camps but their focus now shifts to the warm-up games so they can sharpen and fine their tools before walking out onto the World Rugby stage.
What time is Ireland v Italy?
The two teams will meet each other in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 5th. The match will Kick off at 8pm this Saturday.
What TV channel can I watch the game on?
Coverage of Ireland v Italy will begin on RTÉ 2 at 7:30pm, with the teams expected to be on the pitch for 7:45 before an 8pm start time.
The game will also be live-streamed on Amazon Prime. All matches happening this summer featuring teams involved in the Six Nations will be live-streamed on Amazon Prime Video throughout the summer.
Team News Ireland v Italy
Ireland's Team
Jack Crowley will get his opportunity to stake his claim for a World Cup spot during Ireland's next three pre-World Cup warm-up matches as Johnny Sexton was given a three-match suspension following his exchange with officials following his club side Leinsters Club Champions defeat to French side La Rochelle.
Farrell also named three uncapped players in his squad for Ireland v Italy. Ciaran Frawley, Calvin Nash and Tom Stewart are in line for their Ireland debuts should they come on from the replacements.
Keith Earls will make his 99th appearance for the Irish, lining out on the right-wing backline alongside Jimmy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale.
Iain Henderson will captain the side for Ireland v Italy in Sexton's absence, partnering Joe McCarthy in the Ireland second row. This will be McCarthy's first start for the team.
| Pos. | Player | Team | Caps |
| 15 | Jimmy O’Brien | Leinster/Naas | 5 |
| 14 | Keith Earls | Munster/Young Munster | 98 |
| 13 | Robbie Henshaw | Leinster/Buccaneers | 63 |
| 12 | Stuart McCloskey | Ulster/Bangor | 12 |
| 11 | Jacob Stockdale | Ulster/Lurgan | 35 |
| 10 | Jack Crowley | Munster/Cork Constitution | 3 |
| 9 | Craig Casey | Munster/Shannon | 10 |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Caps |
| 1 | David Kilcoyne | Munster/UL Bohemian | 51 |
| 2 | Rob Herring | Ulster/Ballynahinch | 34 |
| 3 | Tom O’Toole | Ulster/Ballynahinch | 9 |
| 4 | Iain Henderson (C) | Ulster/Academy | 72 |
| 5 | Joe McCarthy | Leinster/Dublin University | 1 |
| 6 | Ryan Baird | Leinster/Dublin University | 11 |
| 7 | Caelan Doris | Leinster/St. Mary’s College | 28 |
| 8 | Jack Conan | Leinster/Old Belvedere | 38 |
Replacements:
- 16: Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch)*
- 17: Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) (123)
- 18: Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) (65)
- 19: Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) (38)
- 20: Cian Prendergast (Connacht/UCD) (1)
- 21: Caolin Blade (Connacht/Galwegians) (1)
- 22: Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD)*
- 23: Calvin Nash (Munster/Young Munster)*
Italy's team for Ireland v Italy
| Pos. | Player | Team | Caps |
| 15 | Tommaso Allan | Perpignan | 72 |
| 14 | Paolo Odogwu | Benetton Rugby, esordiente | |
| 13 | Juan Ignacio Brex | Benetton Rugby | 23 |
| 12 | Tommaso Menoncello | Benetton Rugby | 11 |
| 11 | Montanna Ioane | Lione | 18 |
| 10 | Paolo Garbisi | Montpellier | 24 |
| 9 | Stephen Varney | Gloucester Rugby | 19 |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Caps |
| 1 | Toa Halafihi | Benetton Rugby | 10 |
| 2 | Manuel Zuliani | Benetton Rugby | 11 |
| 3 | Sebastian Negri | Benetton Rugby | 46 |
| 4 | Federico Ruzza (C) | Benetton Rugby | 42 |
| 5 | Dino Lamb | Harlequins, esordiente | |
| 6 | Marco Riccioni | Saracens | 21 |
| 7 | Giacomo Nicotera | Benetton Rugby | 12 |
| 8 | Danilo Fischetti | Zebre Parma | 31 |
Replacements
- 16: Luca Bigi (Zebre Parma, 46 caps)
- 17: Paolo Buonfiglio (Zebre Parma, esordiente)
- 18: Simone Ferrari (Benetton Rugby, 44 caps)
- 19: Niccolò Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 30 caps)
- 20: Michele Lamaro (Benetton Rugby, 26 caps)
- 21: Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 9 caps)
- 22: Alessandro Fusco (Zebre Parma, 13 caps)
- 23: Lorenzo Pani (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)
Read Here: O'Connell Pinpoints Reasons Why Sexton Will 'Hit The Ground Running' After Suspension
How many games will Ireland play before the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
The Irish rugby team will play 3 warm-up matches this summer in preparation for the World Cup.
- Ireland v Italy: Saturday, August 5th, Aviva Stadium at 8pm
- Ireland v England: Saturday, August 19th, Aviva Stadium at 5:30 pm
- Ireland v Samoa: Saturday, August 26th, in Bayonne
When will the 2023 Ireland team for the 2023 Rugby World Cup be a announced?
Farrell says he and his coaches remain “open-minded” about their final 33-man World Cup squad selection, insisting that the race for places remains open.
Farrell did hint however that he may reduce his 42-man squad even more before officially naming his final 33-man roster on August 28th.
The squad will certainly have to get whittled down sooner rather than later, won’t it?
Can I still get tickets?
Tickets for Ireland v Italy in the 2023 Rugby Summer Nations Series are still available.
Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster here.
How much are the tickets?
Adult ticket prices range from €60 to €85.
Children's tickets are €10.
See Also: The Ireland 23 We Want To See Against Italy On Saturday
