Ireland defence must 'hugely step up' - Ryan

Ireland forward James Ryan says his side's defence will need to improve considerably if they are to overcome Italy in their final Six Nations match in Rome on Saturday.

Ireland conceded five tries as they lost 42-27 to France at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to leave their hopes of a third consecutive success in the competition hanging by a thread.

The Irish must beat Italy and hope that subsequent results go in their favour if they are to leapfrog table-toppers France and England into top spot in the championship standings.

Italy are looking to claim a second scalp of the campaign, having already defeated Wales.

"I think they [Italy] are a very good attacking side. Their attack has really evolved so our defence is going to have to hugely step up from where it was in the weekend," said Ryan.

"Counter-attack, kick chase, our connections, are huge. If you're not defending in twos or threes your defence can come under real pressure.

"There is obviously a lot going on regarding other permutations but it's about focusing on what we can control and getting our bits right, then let's see what happens."

The second row went on to say that the message within the camp this week was about "turning the page" and producing the kind of display the squad know they are capable of.

"This will probably be the last week as a group together, some guys will go and other guys will move in going forward, so it's important we enjoy it, but you enjoy it when you put in performances.

"The message has been about delivering a proper performance on Saturday that would mean we finish the tournament on a good note.

"We know ourselves we were a little bit off on Saturday and they [France] were unbelievably good on the day and then the outcome looked after itself."

Ryan started the opening couple of games against England and Scotland but has been on the bench for the meetings with Italy and France.

"I suppose it's just about putting your best foot forward, trying to contribute to the team as much as you can.

"I mean there's huge depth in my position now and across a number of positions so it's great to have that depth in the squad and competition for places."