One of the significant takeaways from Ireland’s defeat to France almost a fortnight ago was the discrepancy between the starters and the replacements in some areas of the pitch. Put simply, Ireland need to keep expanding their depth options. Despite recent good form, they still don’t have the weight in numbers of a France or England. That being said, don’t expect too much tinkering in order to build that player base since as big a win as possible against Italy is likely to be needed given the importance of points difference to the championship table. As Gordon D’Arcy puts it: “Farrell’s matchday 23 is likely to bear a familiar look. Gaps in some areas of the Irish depth chart reinforce this supposition. If Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong are handed the …