Parisse calls for possession

 

The Italians were left defending for almost seventy five percent of the match as they struggled to wrestle any possession away from the visiting Irish.

 

Parisse bemoaned his teams poor lineouts as one causes to this lack of possession even though the Irish were never ruthless in their pressure on the Italians.

 

"We only had 30 per cent possession and that's not enough," said Parisse.

 

"I didn't think Ireland put us under huge pressure but they were better in the lineout and they had the ball most of the time.

 

"You can't defend for 80 minutes against a team like Ireland."

 

Parisse, who was already looking ahead to what is sure to be a tough encounter against the impressive English on their home ground of Twickenham, reiterated the need for an improved lineout.

 

"Next week we must improve our lineouts and have more possession if we want to be competitive at Twickenham," he concluded.

 

There are some injury concerns for the Azzurri with flank Alessandro Zanni and centre Michele Campagnaro looking doubtful for Italy's clash with England next weekend.

 

Italy bosses confirmed both men suffered knee problems against Ireland and will face further assessment.