And Troiani admitted that it would be a huge task to stop Declan Kidney’s men who are also seeking a first win of the campaign having lost at home to Wales in their opener before the postponed clash with France.

He said: “After the weekend we have got a few minor physical issues and a little tiredness but no more than usual.

“At the Olimpico we paid the price for our errors and we didn’t know how to take advantage of the few errors made by our opponents. That explains the difference in the final score.

“Now though we are thinking about Ireland, a team which puts on a lot of pressure, and doesn’t give you any space. They are very good at slowing down the ball, they will be a very difficult opponent, especially at home and we are well aware of that.”

Meanwhile, assistant coach Carlo Orlandi is confident the Italians will cope without prop Martin Castrogiovanni who has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament.

He added: “The loss of Castrogiovanni is a big blow, because he is an experienced player who wants to win and an important member of the group. But we are confident [Lorenzo] Cittadini will play well, he doesn’t carry the ball like Castro, but he’s a very good player who is very strong in the scrum.

“The forwards will have to offer better ball to our three-quarters, we need to start playing a bit more, working on the aspects of the game which didn’t work well against England. The Irish defence isn’t hugely aggressive but it doesn’t offer much space, playing through the phases will be key to finding the gaps to put them in trouble.”