![\"Beibhinn](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/865a074c91af180cfc67163498ab2e39.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Parsons scored three tries in the first half to help Ireland build an unassailable lead<\/p>\n
Women’s Six Nations<\/p>\n
Ireland (45) 57<\/p>\n
Tries: Lane, Wafer, Parsons 3, O’Connor, Perry, Moloney-MacDonald, Hogan Cons: O’Brien 6<\/p>\n
Italy (10) 20<\/p>\n
Tries: Vecchini, Minuzzi, Madia, D’Inca<\/p>\n
Beibhinn Parsons scored a hat-trick as nine-try Ireland turned on the style to thrash Italy in Galway and register their first Women’s Six Nations win of the year.<\/p>\n
Having opened the tournament with a 33-12 loss to England at Allianz Stadium last week, rampant Ireland scored seven tries to build a commanding half-time lead.<\/p>\n
In the first Women’s Six Nations game at Connacht’s newly redeveloped Dexcom Stadium, Galway-born winger Parsons delighted the 9,206-strong crowd – a record for an Ireland women’s home game – with a trio of fine finishes.<\/p>\n
Emily Lane opened Ireland’s account, while Aoife Wafer, debutant Robyn O’Connor and Ellena Perry also crossed in a hugely impressive opening 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
Vittoria Vecchini’s try and a stunning breakaway effort from full-back Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi kept alive Italy’s hopes of securing a try bonus point.<\/p>\n
Ireland added two more tries in the second half through Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald and Brittany Hogan, but Veronica Madia and Alyssa D’Inca scores secured a bonus point for Italy.<\/p>\n
Ireland move up to third in the table while Italy remain bottom.<\/p>\n
Parsons treble lights up first half<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, Ireland head coach Scott Bemand said his players had taken a sluggish start against world champions England which left them trailing 21-0 at the break “to heart”.<\/p>\n
Determined to bury that pain, they flew out of the traps against Italy, with scrum-half Lane taking a quick tap penalty and darting over the line to open the scoring after five minutes.<\/p>\n
And while Vecchini – who scored twice in Italy’s win in Dublin two years ago – hit back, Ireland tore into the away side and had the bonus point secured after just 23 minutes.<\/p>\n
Aoife Wafer – who struggled to influence the game against England – was often at the heart of Ireland’s moves with strong carries and the Harlequins back row scored the home side’s second when she drove off the back of a maul.<\/p>\n
A slick attacking move put Parsons in for her first before Aoife Dalton sent left wing O’Connor through to mark her debut in style with the bonus-point score. The 20-year-old could have had a second after being picked out by Dannah O’Brien’s kick, but her foot was in touch before she dotted down.<\/p>\n
Parsons – who missed last year’s Six Nations through injury – then beat three Italian defenders to notch her second before Minuzzi showed the Irish defence a clean pair of heels to grab the visitors’ second.<\/p>\n
Ireland, however, finished the half strongly as former England prop Perry scored her first Six Nations try before Wafer sent Parsons down the left wing for her third.<\/p>\n
![\"Robyn](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/9d71a56a7ef99228ac70e029e6bfa0b8.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Robyn O’Connor marked her debut with a first-half try<\/p>\n
While Moloney-MacDonald stretched Ireland’s lead early in the second half, the hosts took their foot off the gas during a more disjointed second half, with fluency not helped by the introduction of six replacements after 53 minutes.<\/p>\n
That was after Madia scored Italy’s third, and while Hogan crossed for Ireland’s ninth, Italy had the final say as D’Inca notched the visitors’ bonus-point score.<\/p>\n
In addition to player of the match Parsons and Wafer, fly-half Dannah O’Brien impressed again for Ireland, kicking six conversions.<\/p>\n
Ireland, who move up to third in the table, travel to Clermont to face France on 25 April while Italy welcome Scotland to Parma.<\/p>\n
Line-ups<\/p>\n
Ireland: Flood; Parsons, Dalton, McGillivray, O’Connor; O’Brien, Lane; Perry, Moloney-MacDonald, Djougang, Campbell, Tuite, Hogan, King (capt), Wafer.<\/p>\n
Replacements: Jones, O’Dowd, McGrath, Wall, Monaghan, Whelan, Higgins, McGann.<\/p>\n
Italy: Minuzzi; Buso, D’Inca, Mannini, Muzzo; Stevanin, Stefan; Maris, Vecchini, Pilani, Fedrighi, Costanini, Sgorbini, Ranuccini, Giordano.<\/p>\n
Replacements: Cheli, Turani, Zanette, Duca, Veronese, Bitonci, Madia, Sillari.<\/p>\n
Match officials<\/p>\n
Referee: Ella Goldsmith (Australia)<\/p>\n
Assistant referees: Ben Connor (Wales) & Rebecca Piddlesden (England)<\/p>\n
TMO: Graham Cooper (Australia)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Parsons scored three tries in the first half to help Ireland build an unassailable lead Women’s Six Nations…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7969,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5802,5755,5801,5803,749,5,5808,5805,5804,5806,5807],"class_list":{"0":"post-7968","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-italy","8":"tag-aoife-wafer","9":"tag-beibhinn-parsons","10":"tag-brittany-hogan","11":"tag-emily-lane","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-italy","14":"tag-minuzzi","15":"tag-o39connor","16":"tag-parsons","17":"tag-vecchini","18":"tag-veronica-madia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}