Ireland 57-20 Italy: We showed what we’re capable of in Italy win – Erin King

Captain Erin King said Ireland “showed what we are all about” in Saturday’s nine-try Six Nations win over Italy in Galway.

Ireland bounced back from an opening defeat by world champions England with a 57-20 win over Italy, as wing Beibhinn Parsons scored three tries.

The victory moves Ireland up to third in the table before travelling to France on Saturday.

“We place a lot of emphasis on putting our words into action,” said King, who was named Ireland captain ahead of the Six Nations at the age of 21.

“We talk a lot about working hard and enjoying the game that we play.

“We went out there and played with smiles on our faces. We showed what we are all about and capable of.”

King said Ireland would enjoy their win, which came in front of a record crowd of 9200, and she said there was some “unbelievable work” from her team-mates.

While Parsons got the headlines with her hat-trick, Emily Lane, Aoife Wafer, Robyn O’Connor, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Ellena Perry and Brittany Hogan also crossed in Galway, while Dannah O’Brien landed 12 points from the tee.

Ireland prepare to France with hope of gaining revenge for their narrow Six Nations loss in Belfast last year, as well as a defeat in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in England in the autumn, and King admits it will be a “big job” for Scott Bemand’s side.

“It meant so much to us after last week to come out and put in a dominant performance.

“We will enjoy this win and we will get our heads down for our next job.

“We are probably a little bit disappointed that we did let them in on a few occasions. But with a few minor tweaks we will regroup and go again.”