15 Jamie Osborne
Passed early test on the high ball and then made a nicely timed run to score his try. Defensively put in a try saving tackle on Pani in the second half and stepped up from last week. Rating: 6
14 Robert Baloucoune
A good outing for the Ulster winger. Showed calm under high balls and got involved early in the match topping it off by accelerating to a try in the second half. Rating: 7
13 Garry Ringrose
Took a couple of hard knocks from Ferrari and Pani but did well to take down Lynagh on his way in for a try. Put in a big defensive shift when Ireland came under pressure. Rating: 6
12 Stuart McCloskey
An excellent shift in an often frantic match. Trucked up for hard yards, made important tackles and quarterbacked a pass for Baloucoune’s try in the second half. Rating: 7
11 James Lowe
An all-round performance from the winger. Tackled, made yards and overall impacted on both sides of the ball as Ireland in the end held on to the win under pressure. Rating: 7
Ireland’s James Lowe is tackled by Italy’s Leonardo Marin and Lorenzo Pani. Photograph: Inpho 10 Sam Prendergast
Left his kicking boots at home. Always looked to make something happen and it sometimes did and sometimes didn’t. Probably would have wanted a few more to stick. Rating: 5
9 Craig Casey
Shipped a yellow card for a high tackle after 32 minutes. Kept tempo high and mixed passing the ball with box kicks. Always brought energy and high tempo to the position. Rating: 5
1 Jeremy Loughman
It was tough day in the scrum all round. His work rate was high around the park. Did good approach work before Conan scored his try and tackled all day long. Rating: 5
2 Dan Sheehan
A dogged day for the hooker who couldn’t get on the ball to make some of the trademark runs. Worked hard in the defensive line but low profile for his ability. Rating: 5
3 Thomas Clarkson
Began playing a dynamic game and was energetic both sides of the ball and made some ground with ball in hand. But the scrum was an area of concern as the match progressed. Rating: 5
Italy’s Tommaso Menoncello and Ireland’s Thomas Clarkson. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 4 Joe McCarthy
More disciplined he put in the hard work when Italy were dominant. Didn’t get the chances to barge forward, which is one of his strengths. Came off early second half. Rating: 5
5 James Ryan
Saw the old Ryan back again. Hugely aggressive hitting hard and taking the ball forward with good line speed and intent. Messed up the Italians all over the park. Rating: 7
6 Cormac Izuchukwu
Didn’t make a huge impact while on the pitch. Did nothing wrong but would have liked to get into more action and get his hands on more ball more frequently. Rating: 6
7 Caelan Doris (capt)
Set the tone early in the match with some eye-catching tackles and barged forward with the ball. But those inputs fell off a bit as Ireland lost some control in the game. Rating: 6
Ireland’s Caelan Doris is tackled by Italy’s Monty Ioane. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho 8 Jack Conan
Measured first-half performance where he got involved in the hard work and carried in heavy traffic as Italy surged. Did well to get in low and hard through the bodies for his try. Rating: 6
Replacements
There was definitely a surge of energy when the bench came into the match and Baloucoune got his try. Initially there was more control until that fell away in the closing stages. Rating: 6
Head coach – Andy Farrell
It was another performance that almost unravelled for Ireland. Positively it was better than last week but Ireland still have many issues and could have ended on the wrong side of the score. Rating: 5