Eire started their three-match World Cup warm-up programme with a strong 33-17 victory over Italy in Dublin.

The hosts’ tempo dropped within the second half however they stayed forward via a Cian Healy try to one other from Doris.

Italy’s second-half tries got here from Lorenzo Pani and Tommaso Menoncello.

With Eire head coach Andy Farrell analyzing his 42-man squad earlier than he lowering it to 33 for France in September, Ulster hooker Tom Stewart made his debut from the bench together with Leinster’s Ciaran Frawley and Munster’s Calvin Nash.

Ulster captain Iain Henderson wore the worldwide armband for the second time in his profession and produced a powerful efficiency earlier than going off within the 56th minute.

His membership team-mate Jacob Stockdale received his first cap for 2 years and regarded good in flashes within the first half, significantly when making an ideal aerial take that just about helped create a strive, however he’ll maybe really feel he ought to have launched broad to Stewart late on when he selected to go for the strive himself and was tackled.

Doris put in a man-of-the-match efficiency within the quantity seven jersey, Jack McCarthy impressed within the second row and Jack Crowley did nothing to dent his probabilities of deputising at fly-half if Jonny Sexton is unavailable at any stage.

Eire: O’Brien; Earls, Henshaw, McCloskey, Stockdale; Crowley, Casey; Kilcoyne, Herring, O’Toole; Henderson (capt), McCarthy; Baird, Doris, Conan.

Replacements: Stewart, Healy, Furlong, Beirne, Prendergast, Blade, Frawley, Nash.

Italy: Allan; Odogwu, Brez, Menoncello, Ioane; Garbisi, Varney; Fischetti, Nicotera, Riccioni; Lamb, Ruzza (capt); Negri, Zuliani, Halafihi.

Replacements: Bigi, Buonfiglio, Ferrari, Cannone, Lamaro, Cannone, Fusco, Pani.

Extra to observe.