Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has admitted that he was relieved to see his side beat Italy in their Six Nations opener.

The defending champions made hard work of beating the Azzurri at the Stadio Olimpico before running out 26-3 victors, but Schmidt suggested that his team's lack of physical advantage made the task tougher.

"It was hard to watch," he told RTE. "Their speed off the line and intensity at tackle time made it difficult. Size-wise, we wouldn't be the biggest team and it is difficult to dominate teams physically.

"I'm very relieved. It probably showed that we had a bit of a lack of experience out there a few times."

Schmidt also revealed that flanker Sean O'Brien suffered a leg injury before the game, but conceded that the Leinster forward could have played against the Azzurri.