Good acceleration to race in for his first-half try and in the right place to finish a good team move for his second to make it a memorable Test debut for the Ulster flyer. Looked dangerous throughout and played with the same confidence he’s shown on the big occasion in the Ulster shirt. A fine debut on a rather forgettable afternoon at the Aviva.

The return of James Lowe saw him stick to his wing a little more often than we saw against Wales and France - making 11 carries to Lowe's 15 - but always looked hungry for work and grew into the game as it wore on.

His neat footwork got him out of trouble on more than one occasion. Some nice involvements before being replaced early in the second half.

First start for Ireland since November and will feel he could have shown more. Made some uncharacteristically poor decisions in possession, running into traffic when he had better options available.   

Picked up where he left off in November, roving infield and getting plenty of touches on the ball. Put that big left boot to good use and also made his presence felt in the air in the early stages. Good work down the left wing to play in Gibson-Park for Ireland’s second try and was in the right place to cross for two second-half tries of his own.

Enjoyed his early try, his second at international level. Some lovely touches with the boot although could have brought more pace to his play at times and three misses from the tee will be a point of frustration. 

Was provided with more time and space than he was in the Stade de France, started well but allowed the tempo to drop as the game wore on. Will have been annoyed to get pinged for offside, allowing Italy the last score of the first half. Well-executed long-range pass for James Lowe’s try.

Uncontested scrums must have made this a rather unsatisfactory experience for Porter, who was forced off early in the second half after picking up a knock. Just the two carries for the loosehead but chipped in with eight tackles.

An assured outing from a player who will need to step up in Rónan Kelleher’s absence over the coming weeks. Got his legs pumping before playing in Carbery for Ireland’s opening try and then shipped a heavy blow in the incident that saw Italy’s replacement hooker Hame Faiva. Uncontested scrums robbed him of some valuable Test set-piece experience. Will have been happy with his lineout work.

Uncontested scrums ensured Ireland’s prize asset in the pack had a rather comfortable evening. Just the six carries for a player who generally likes to be a bit more heavily involved in Ireland’s attack.

In for an early jackal, carried hard and had a nice involvement for James Lowe’s second half try as he broke through the congestion to get Ireland in a good position near the Italian try-line.

Some good work around the lineout and applied himself well in open play without looking as sharp as usual. Block down and sprint for late try – his first for Ireland – provided a reminder of his dynamism.  

The captain for the day and comfortably the most experienced member of the starting XV as he won his 82nd cap in green. The Munster veteran can still mix it in Andy Farrell’s attacking system, showing lovely hands in the build-up to Carbery’s opening try, popping up on the wing and then crossing to score Ireland’s bonus-point try shortly before half-time. Kept showing up in a forgettable second half.

Another busy outing. Repeatedly managed to make the extra ground when carrying into contact, particularly in the first half, and matched Baird as Ireland's leading tackler (12).

Such a weapon in attack, linking up nicely with O’Mahony and breaking the tackle to open up the space for Carbery’s try. Made some big tackles on the other side of the ball and always looked dangerous. Hard to think this was just his 15th Test cap.

(for Sheehan, 69mins) 

Back from injury but has a way to go to push Sheehan for a role in the starting team. Made a smart line break in closing stages.

(for Porter, 44)  

Came in earlier than expected due to Andrew Porter picking up a knock and got through some good work. 

(for Furlong, 62) 

Would have liked more minutes but looked comfortable across the final quarter.

(for Beirne, 62)

In for the final quarter to win his fourth Test cap but saw very little of the ball before crossing for a try with the last play of the game.

(for Doris, 55)

Will have been happy to get a good run out off the bench following a difficult afternoon in Paris last time out but didn’t make the desired impact.

(for Gibson-Park, 62)

Tried to add some variation to Ireland’s play across a rather turgid closing 20 minutes.

(for Carbery, 54)

Thirty minutes of action to get the Ireland captain back up and running ahead of the trip to Twickenham. Looked sharp and quickly made his presence felt, playing a key role in Lowry’s second try. 4/4 from the tee and Ireland looked better with him on the pitch.

(for Ringrose, 3-9 blood, 54)

A decent amount of minutes but another who didn't make the desired impact on the game. This will have felt like a missed opportunity.

Could have been more conservative with his selection for this game but gave players an opportunity to impress, with James Lowe slotting back in well, Ryan Baird getting some valuable Test level experience and Micheal Lowry capping his International debut with two tries. 

Italy had made life a little difficult in the opening 20 minutes but the farcical situation which emerged following Italy’s first half red card spoiled this as a contest. Ireland’s sloppiness in the second-half will be a concern.