Italy coach wary of injury-hit Ireland

Italy coach Jacques Brunel said he will not count on injury-hit Ireland lying down and rolling over when the sides meet in their final Six Nations clash at Rome's Olympic Stadium today.

Italy currently sit second from bottom of the table ahead of France, whom they beat in their opener last month, and one point behind third placed Ireland.

But despite the mouth-watering prospect of a respectable finish, Brunel says he will not take the Irish lightly.

"We have the utmost respect for Ireland. People say they've been ageing for the past 10 years, but they're always up there and can give any team a good game on their day," Brunel said.

The stock of Brunel, brought on board last year following the departure of Nick Mallett, has remained high in Italy despite his side losing three of the games which followed their impressive 23-18 win over France.

Now, the Frenchman is one game away from seeing his aim of winning two games in this campaign come to fruition against a side which has been hit by several injuries and with doubts over the future of coach Declan Kidney.