Brian O'Driscoll was delighted with the patience shown by Ireland in their 38-9 victory over Italy in Rome.

Late tries by Luke Fitzgerald and skipper O'Driscoll gave the Ireland a flattering result after a shaky start.

"We were patient and knew we would have to wait to break them down before taking our opportunities," said the Ireland captain.

"We are pleased but there is still a lot of graft to put in before the England game."

Ireland coach Declan Kidney said Tommy Bowe's try, when Italy were leading 6-0, had been a crucial point in the match.

"Because there was so much competition at the breakdown we were conceding penalties which put them in front," he said.

"Our first try was well taken by Tommy but we were a bit fortunate to get it.

"It was a big relief because had Italy moved to 9-0 it could have been quite different. That try was a huge lift for us.

"I thought we were very patient after 20 minutes.

"In the first 20 minutes we were pushing it a little bit and Italy had us under enormous pressure."

Two-try hero Fitzgerald said he felt Ireland were growing in confidence.

"It was a really tough match. They fought really hard," Fitzgerald told BBC Sport.

"We have a certain amount of self-confidence but we know the next game against England will be huge."

Italy coach Nick Mallet said his side had been hindered by having two men sent to the sin bin.

"The boys played with a lot of heart, but the yellow cards made things hard and it was difficult to play with 14 men for 20 minutes," he said.

"It is not enough to just play with heart, you also have to play with your head and have better discipline."

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