Leonardo Ghiraldini is set to return from injury with the experienced hooker included on Sunday in Italy's largely youthful squad which features 23 tournament debutants for next month's Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Ireland got that one game out of the way and now the one team from the British Isles that hasn't ever made the Rugby World Cup semis is hoping this will be the year.

The Road to the World Cup, and maybe glory, starts here.

With Joe Schmidt away in New Zealand for a family bereavement, Andy Farrell has taken charge of the Ireland team leading up to their fixture this Saturday with Italy. 

The Italian national team has arrived in Ireland for the two sides' clash this Saturday, and the players were treated to a nice barbecue in Limerick.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt, the conquerer of the All Blacks and a hugely influential voice in Ireland camp, is back home in his native New Zealand because of a death in the family.

The Italians and the English came together over a nice helping of rugby in Treviso this week.

The summer is here in full swing, and in a World Cup year, every summer test match can make or break a team, or a player.

The Ireland rugby team will continue its World Cup preparations at the brand new IRFU training facility in Abbottstown at the National Sports Campus—if only they can find a place to sleep.

With the Rugby World Cup just around the corner, World Rugby has announced the match official appointments for the 40 matches that comprise the tournament’s pool stage.