Reigning champions Ireland were left to watch and wait to see if they would win an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title after fulfilling their part of the bargain with a hard-fought, bonus-point 22-17 victory away to Italy.

Dan Sheehan scored a hat-trick as Ireland overcame a sloppy start to keep alive their hopes of retaining the Guinness Six Nations title with a unconvincing 22-17 bonus-point success over Italy. Seven days on from having their Grand Slam dream crushed by a 42-27 Dublin drubbing at the hands of France,

Ireland have a glimmer of hope that they can retain their Six Nations crown on Saturday when they take on Italy in Rome, looking to bounce back from a painful