Simon Easterby’s side stuttered to victory in Rome before their hopes of a third consecutive Six Nations title ended.
Ireland required a resounding win to put pressure on their title rivals.
Ireland player ratings: Ireland made it hard on themselves, securing a narrow 22-17 win over Italy in Rome that ended their Guinness Six Nations on more of a whimper than a high note.
Has an ageing squad been exposed by Les Bleus, or was Saturday's French thrashing merely a blip for the venerated green machine?
Hansen sat out Saturday’s 42-27 loss to title rivals France because of a quad strain.
Ireland have confirmed that Tadhg Furlong, Garry Ringrose and Mack Hansen are set to return for their final match of the Guinness Six Nations against Italy in Rome on Saturday.Â
The winner of Saturday’s clash in Dublin could go a long way to determining who will finish top of the Six Nations standings.
A duel between the two best nines on planet rugby is a mouth-watering aspect of the likely Six Nations title decider between Ireland and France.
Osborne will line up on the right wing for Ireland against title rivals France.
The defending champions came away from Cardiff with a hard-fought 27-18 success that has them leading the way at the top of the table on 14 points, three clear of the second-place French.