15 Hugo Keenan
The epitome of consistent excellence in every aspect of the game and in some respects summed up by the way he took the try, changing his line, fighting through contact and pirouetting away to score. Rating: 8
14 Mack Hansen
Ran intelligent trail lines all day, many of which were not seen by the player in possession. But the Connacht winger got his reward when Conor Murray spotted him, and he finished for his try with some slick footwork. One or two good defensive reads. Rating: 7
13 Bundee Aki
In short excellent going forward but made some poor defensive reads where Italy managed plenty of joy in slicing and dicing the Irish midfield. His work in attack was first class both in creative terms and in grabbing a deserved try, albeit it should have been two. Rating: 6
12 Stuart McCloskey
His carrying game was more effective in the second half when he used his feet to try to avoid the first tackle and was a little less upright. But that midfield defence in the first half was all over the place, some disconnect understandable but not to that extent. Rating: 6
11 James Lowe
His performance was mirrored that of the Ireland team, good in parts, his kicking, ability to beat defenders time and again and was a real handful but he gambled several times in defence, not always successfully. He should have scored a couple of tries and will be disappointed not to have done so. Rating: 6
10 Ross Byrne
Some of his line kicking was exceptional and he linked the play nicely with his range of passing for the most part. But the Italians found space around him in the defensive line at times and exploited it. Rating: 6
9 Craig Casey
Sharp and bright in his work initially, he ensured that his team played with a good tempo. But as the game wore on, the errors crept in, in game management and at times execution and was replaced with the game in the balance. Rating: 5
1 Andrew Porter
A couple of transgressions should annoy him not least the blocking one, it was a frustrating afternoon for him but his work-rate and ethic was typically high. Ireland need to use his power in the carry further away from the ruck from time to time. Rating: 6
2 Rónan Kelleher
He was one of the few Irish players to consistently win collisions on the gain-line and that gave his team some much needed momentum that few others could bring. He worked hard at the breakdown too. Rating: 6
3 Finlay Bealham
Departed in the first half after picking up a knee injury while playing the pivot role at the lineout. Strapped up initially but could not carry on. One scrum penalty conceded when he lost his footing. Rating: 5
4 Iain Henderson
A quiet game, worked hard in terms of clearing out at the breakdown, put occasional pressure on the Italian lineout and carried his fair share of ball without making any significant inroads. He conceded a penalty for an over the shoulder tackle. Rating: 5
5 James Ryan (capt)
He put in a huge shift physically against an Italian team that put every sinew into the tackling. Hindsight informs as to whether to turn down a raft of three-point chances but can’t have anticipated the basic errors that cost his team points in those moments. Rating: 7
6 Caelan Doris
As tends to happen when he plays blindside flanker, he has having one of his quieter games until restored to number eight and liberated from the mundane, he added immediate value on the ball. Rating: 6
7 Josh van der Flier
Ceaseless in his work, he took every bump and bruise handed out by the Italian tacklers and kept coming back for more and he was equally diligent in defensive duties. He didn’t manage to slow down Italy’s breakdown ball as much as he would have liked. Rating: 7
8 Jack Conan
He tried to get in some of his trademark surges but without the footwork he was met by aggressive Italian tackling on the gainline and only managed to ride that initial contact on a couple of occasions. He’s still yet to find his best form. Rating: 5
Replacements
The bench made a huge difference to how this game panned out, providing a flagging team with energy and momentum in a fraught end game. Ryan Baird made a significant difference, one penalty turnover at the ruck, one lineout steal. Conor Murray was excellent in managing the game, Peter O’Mahony and Dan Sheehan won the gainline, Tom O’Toole, too, on a couple of important occasions. Rating: 8
Coach
Andy Farrell will be happy with the victory and some aspects of the performance, but it won’t be a long list as it was a display pockmarked by mistakes, ill-discipline, a lack of accuracy and questionable decision-making. The midfield combination didn’t work as a pair and Italy won the gainline battle. The returning frontline players and the fortnight to the Scotland game will be important to Grand Slam aspirations. Rating: 7
