Our rugby expert has previewed Ireland v Italy in the Six Nations, with three predictions for the game.

Ireland host Italy at 3:30 pm on Saturday in the first of four re-arranged Six Nations Round 4 fixtures –
England and France currently top the Six Nations table with 13 points each.
Danny Till has three selections for Ireland vs Italy, including two anytime try scorer selections.
It’s seven months later than we thought, but the Six Nations returns on Saturday as Ireland welcome Italy to Dublin for the re-arranged round four fixture.

Ireland coach Andy Farrell has named four uncapped players in his matchday 23, with Will Connors and Hugo Keenan named in the starting XV, while Ed Byrne and Jamison Gibson-Park could make their first international appearances from the bench.

Ireland v Italy

Date: Saturday 24th October 2020

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Kick-off: 3:30 pm

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)

TV Coverage: sony sports

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Ireland to post big win as they hunt Six Nations title
The hosts are still in the title race and know that two bonus-point wins from their final pair of fixtures could secure them a fifth Six Nations Championship – although they will need Italy to beat England for this to happen.

Nevertheless, the Irish will want to put themselves in the best position going into the final round by dispatching an Italian side which failed to score a single point in two of the first three rounds.

The past five meetings in Dublin have seen Ireland post an average winning margin of 33 points, with Italy getting within 20 points just once (the 2010 clash at Croke Park which finished 29-11).

I anticipate that this trend will continue and while Ireland may not be fully revved up in what is their first game since England overpowered them in February, they will have far too much power and precision for the visitors – a winning margin of 31-40 points is the best price of 7/2 and is my first selection.

Ireland 31-40
Ireland v Italy

Forwards can continue good scoring record against Italy
My final two bets for Saturday afternoon are both in the anytime try scorer market. We will start with lock Tadhg Beirne, who made a brilliant return from an eight month injury at the end of August scoring a try and winning man of the match as Munster hammered Connacht in the Pro14.

The 28-year-old may play in the engine room, but he is equally as effective in the back row and I think he will play a big role as a ball carrier at the weekend. He already has three international scores to his name in 13 appearances – including two scores against Italy.

In a game where I think Ireland will look to pretty direct early on, I fancy Beirne to make it three tries in three games against the Azzurri.

Another player who is no stranger to scoring against Italy is number eight CJ Stander. The 30-year-old was enjoying a fine Six Nations before the tournament was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was a focal point in the two Irish victories.

 

Team Line-ups

Losing is never a laughing matter — except when you’re on the end of an unstoppable Gary Ablett masterclass.
Leigh Montagna couldn’t help but laugh midway through his former club’s Round 1 clash in 2013 as Ablett, in the absolute prime of his AFL career at Gold Coast, “ripped St Kilda apart”.

Montagna’s Saints that night led by as much as 21 points at the start of the third term. Then Ablett, as he so often did at the Suns, put his club on his back and went into full-on GOAT mode.

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Grand Final
The Little Master would kick four of his team’s next seven goals to inspire the Suns to just their seventh win in their short but underwhelming history, at that stage.

“We tried three different guys on him. Clint Jones I think started on him, Sam Gilbert tried — we literally couldn’t stop him,” Montagna told foxfooty.com.au.

“It was actually one of those moments where I was on the ground thinking: ‘He’s taking the piss. We can’t put anyone on him.’

“I was almost giggling to myself about how much he was dominating.”

Farewell Gary Ablett JnrFarewell Gary Ablett Jnr4:44
It’s a night that also immediately springs to mind for Montagna’s ex-teammate Nick Dal Santo when asked to reflect on Ablett’s legacy ahead of Saturday’s Richmond-Geelong Grand Final, which will be Ablett’s 357th and final AFL game.

Dal Santo specifically recalls Gilbert dropping an uncontested mark inside Gold Coast’s forward 50 that allowed Ablett to pounce. The then-Suns skipper picked the Sherrin up, gave Gilbert an almost hubristic ‘don’t argue’ while spinning away from the would-be Saints tackler, burst away towards the boundary and snapped a right-foot goal from 45m out. It was freakish.

Suns fans aren’t renowned for making a lot of noise at home games. But that goal prompted a spine-tingling roar — and bad memories for Dal Santo.

“It was slippery, it was a night game, it was really dewy … and they basically won the game off the back of Gaz’s last quarter,” Dal Santo told foxsports.com.au’s Jacob Polychronis.

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“From memory, he had something like 10 or 12 touches and two or three goals in the last quarter.

“This is a team that had been dreadful and a lot of guys in that team in Gold Coast weren’t great. And then you’ve got one bloke who stands out head and shoulders above everyone else.”

Ablett would finish the match with 4.1 from 34 disposals, 19 contested possessions, 11 score involvements, nine clearances, six inside 50s and 756m gained. He would also poll three Brownlow votes — the first of seven best-on-ground performances for the 2013 season on his way to a total of 28 votes, which earned him a second Brownlow Medal in a year where his club finished 14th on the ladder.

At the same time, Geelong — the club Ablett loved as a kid and won two flags at but left at the end of 2010 — would produce another premiership surge, only to fall short by a couple of goals in a prelim.

Gary Ablett was immense that day.
Gary Ablett was immense that day.
Source: Getty Images
When the footy world reflects on Ablett’s career, the common consensus is he’s the greatest player of the modern era, with Lance Franklin a close second.

We marvel at his CV: Two premierships (maybe three by Saturday night), two Brownlow Medals, five AFLPA MVP’s, eight All-Australians and six best and fairests, including two in Geelong premiership years.

We think of the blink-of-an-eye transformation at the Cats from a podgy half-forward with ‘son of a gun’ status to a superstar midfielder with a legacy of his own, not one being stuck in his famous father’s shadow.

We might even contemplate the famous Geelong homecoming after the 2017 season for one last chance at a flag and a fairytale ending.

But what can’t be forgotten is Ablett’s time at the Suns.

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It was a time where way more was asked of him, both on and off the field — and he delivered. A time ultimately hindered by injury setbacks that will always threaten to overshadow his on-field achievements at Gold Coast.

Former Geelong premiership teammate Cameron Mooney believes Ablett’s decision to join the Suns ahead of the 2011 season will leave some pundits and fans wondering ‘what if’.

“I think the years at the Gold Coast, to win a Brownlow there was just enormous. He had no help and no protection like he did at Geelong,” Mooney told foxfooty.com.au.

“I thought he was a better player at Gold Coast. But because there were no big Friday nights, because there were no finals, because there was no Grand Final, you just saw him for 22 games a year – and that was it.

“When people talk about him, that’s a bit of the legacy (question mark) that they might go: ‘Well is he as good?’ Because he just didn’t play in big games for so long and we missed that. And when he finally got back to Geelong to play in big games, he was past his best.

Gary Ablett won the 2013 AFL Brownlow Medal. Picture: Michael Klein
Gary Ablett won the 2013 AFL Brownlow Medal. Picture: Michael Klein
Source: News Limited
“If Gary was playing at Geelong for those years instead of at Gold Coast, he would’ve played in finals, maybe another Grand Final or two.

“But you do look at his CV and he’s one of the greatest players – if not the greatest player of the modern era – of all-time.”

For Montagna, Ablett’s stint at the Suns only enhances his standing in AFL history. The fact he averaged more clearances and contested possessions per game at Gold Coast than he did at Geelong showed how much harder he worked.

“I think that’s what adds to his legacy as the greatest of all-time in that he went from the best team and being clearly the best player in the competition to go into, by far, the worst team in the competition — and was still the best player in the competition,” Montagna said. “It’s actually hard to sum that up.”

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Triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch was one of the few members of the Queensland footy media that witnessed Ablett’s footballing peak first-hand.

The Suns might’ve been a hard watch overall. But watching Ablett’s brilliance never became tiresome.

“When he came to the Gold Coast and I was doing pretty much every Gold Coast home game for Fox Footy, you just knew what you were going to get,” Lynch told foxfooty.com.au. “You knew you were going to get 30-plus disposals, he’s not going to fumble and he’s not going to fall over in a team that was doing poorly.

“What he was able to do on the Gold Coast on a regular basis down there was just bankable and amazing to watch. He was incredible, just a superstar.

Gaz’s silky skills hurt PiesGaz’s silky skills hurt Pies0:57
“I saw him at his absolute best in a team that was struggling. He was getting a lot of attention from opposition teams because the Suns were still developing.

“His ability to be clean in congestion, get clearances, get out into space and drive the ball inside forward 50 — you just knew what you were going to get.”

The most phenomenal aspect about Ablett’s CV is the fact his eight All-Australian jackets came in consecutive seasons. From 2007 to 2014, Ablett was named as the starting rover in every All-Australian team as he constantly finished seasons averaging over 30 disposals and one goal per game.

For all pundits asked by foxfooty.com.au to reflect on his legacy, Ablett’s ability to perform at such a high level for a prolonged period remains unmatched — and will be tough to ever surpass.

Saturday will be Ablett’s final AFL game.
Saturday will be Ablett’s final AFL game.
Source: Getty Images
“His legacy is his ability to be consistent — and when I say consistent, consistent at a level that no one else has achieved. That is almost immortal what he’s been able to achieve,” former Hawks sharpshooter Ben Dixon told foxfooty.com.au.

“I always look at legacy like a sand dune. People build their legacies over time and then a big gust of wind can it blow down very quickly. There’s never been a gust of wind to blow Gaz down. He’s been so strong.

“Fittingly, one of the biggest sand dunes in the world is called the Star Dune, towering 755 feet. Gary’s legacy in the desert, his stands higher than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Montagna added: “We haven’t seen player for eight consecutive years dominate a competition like Gary Ablett did between 2007 until he did his shoulder in 2014. No player came close to being as good as him. The standard, the consistent brilliance over that long a period is something that we need to look back at and just a marvel.”

Gary Ablett was the Suns’ inaugural captain. Picture: Brendan Radke
Gary Ablett was the Suns’ inaugural captain. Picture: Brendan Radke
Source: News Limited
Western Bulldogs games record-holder Brad Johnson said: “He was the best at the basics. He never complicated the game, Gary, and he just did everything right. That’s why he’s the best player of the modern era that I’ve seen.”

Legendary Hawthorn goalkicker Jason Dunstall said: “He has set the benchmark so high in terms of consistency as a star midfielder, every week, for so many years. I think he has put down a mark that others have to aspire to chase.”

Dunstall also noted how much time Ablett always seemed to have on the field and how he made opponents “look slow”, while Dixon added Ablett wouldn’t have been caught holding the ball too many times during that stunning eight-year stretch.

Ablett is also regarded as one of the best inside-50 kicks in the game, always seemingly putting the ball to his teammates’ advantage … well, most of the time, in Mooney’s case.

Cameron Mooney and Gary Ablett won two flags together. Picture: Alex Coppel
Cameron Mooney and Gary Ablett won two flags together. Picture: Alex Coppel
Source: News Limited
“It was beautiful (leading to Ablett when he was kicking the ball). The only problem was when (brother) Nathan Ablett was playing with us, I could be out 20m alone and Nathan could have a three-on-one and Gaz would still try to kick it to Nathan,” Mooney said with a laugh. “After a while I had to sit him down and say ‘mate, you’ve got to stop kicking it to your brother’.

“But the way he could weight the kick was first class. If he was anywhere around 50, you just gave him the ball because you know he had the leg on him to kick it.

“His skills and balance were easily the best I’ve ever seen combined.”

Planning to curtail Ablett was just as menacing a task for rivals as physically manning up for him when he was at his best.

Even last week in Geelong’s preliminary final win over Brisbane, Ablett got on top of direct opponent Daniel Rich and broke the game open in the third term with two crucial goals.

Dal Santo says no modern-day player has been more consuming for teams when planning to combat opposition sides than Ablett.

Emotion won’t cloud the CatsEmotion won’t cloud the Cats2:33
“We tried everything,” Dal Santo said. “We’ve had Clint Jones tag him, we’ve had guys go head-to-head with him in midfield, then bringing up a half-forward to try and minimise him around stoppages, two v one around any stoppage, there are wingers off the back of a stoppage waiting for him trying to stop his influence a little bit.

“His influence on games, ability to read the play, ability to be in the right position in the big moments … it’s no coincidence that he and guys like him are always in the right spot.

“The amount of times you walk off the ground and you look at the numbers and Gaz has had 28 (disposals) and 20 of them are kicks and you go, ‘Oh god, that didn’t work’.”

But as Dixon points out, it’s not just on the field where Ablett has won admirers.

Off the field, he’s been a first-class citizen and an outstanding ambassador for the game, the code and Australian sport.

“The first word that comes into my head is ‘respect’,” Dixon said.

Teammates to opponents and back to teammates: Joel Selwood and Gary Ablett. Picture: Colleen Petch
Teammates to opponents and back to teammates: Joel Selwood and Gary Ablett. Picture: Colleen Petch
Source: News Corp Australia
“He is one of the ultimate role models you could ever ask for in an AFL industry.”

So 19 years of Ablett hype and brilliance culminates in a highly-anticipated Grand Final between his Cats and the Tigers.

He won’t rack up 30-plus disposals like he did during his prime Suns days, but his ability to impact the scoreboard and bring teammates into the game will never be more crucial.

But whether Saturday’s game ends in ecstasy or heartbreak, it won’t hinder his legacy.

“I’d actually love for him to win one more,” Dal Santo said.

“Does it change his legacy about his career? I don’t know if one more premiership makes a huge difference because he’s already got two. He’s got all the other individual accolades.

“I just think it would be the perfect ending for one of the greatest players ever — an incredible way to round out a career.

“For him, and for those who doubt him and what he’s been able to do, it just gives him one more to see how that conversation changes for those doubters.”

Whether you’re new to Aussie Rules Football or a die-hard fan, you won’t want to miss Richmond vs Geelong in Saturday’s 2020 Toyota AFL Grand Final. Follow our guide below how to watch an AFL Grand Final free live stream wherever you are in the world.

WATCH LIVE NOW

Australian residents can live stream the 2020 AFL Toyota Grand Final for free on the 7plus app in HD. The streaming service is only available from within Australia. Going abroad? You can use a VPN to access 7plus from anywhere in the world.

The 2020 Toyota AFL Grand Final will be played at the Gabba, Brisbane, on Saturday 24th October – a month later than usual due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

For the first time ever, the Grand Final will be played as a night fixture. Kick off is at 6:30pm local Brisbane time (AEST) or 7:30pm Melbourne and Sydney time (AEDT). Watching from the UK? The match will commence at a leisurely 9.30am BST on Saturday.

The 42,000-capacity Gabba – home to the Brisbane Lions – will host a reduced crowd of 30,000 for the 2020 season-decider. Rock trio DMA’s are the half-time entertainment and in true Grand Final tradition, Mike Brady will perform ‘Up Their Cazaly’ live from Melbourne.

Over the past five years, Richmond have won the premiership on two occasions, most recently in 2019. The Tigers will have three of the four highest-rated players on the field come Saturday, with Shane Edwards and Dion Prestia alongside Dustin Martin.

Geelong might be the underdogs but they’re more than capable of rising to the challenge. The Cats will field 11 of the 20 top-ranked players including No.1-ranked key forward Tom “Tomahawk” Hawkins and general forward Gary Ablett.

Read on to find out how to live stream Richmond vs Geelong in the 2020 AFL Toyota Grand Final for free…

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AFL Grand Final live stream anywhere in the world using a VPN
Even if you have 7plus, or have subscribed to the relevant rights holders, you won’t be able to access these services when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, such that the servers and services you’re accessing aren’t aware of what you’re doing. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.