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."