Ireland full-back Girvan Dempsey has failed to recover from a groin injury and is out of Saturday's Six Nations Championship match against Italy.
Geordan Murphy switches from wing to full-back and John Kelly is called up on the right wing for his 10th cap.
Murphy was originally named in the starting line-up on the right wing in place of Shane Horgan, who has a thigh injury.
Kelly scored two tries on his debut against Italy in Dublin last year. His played in the win over world champions Australia last November.
Dempsey has become a fixture in the Irish team over the last three seasons, having missed just six of his country's last 31 internationals, and he was outstanding in last Sunday's record 36-6 win over Scotland.
He played the full 80 minutes at Murrayfield. But the injury flared up during the week, and he was ruled out after undergoing a fitness test today.
"He just didn't make it, but we hope he'll be all right for the French game," said Ireland team manager Brian O'Brien.
Fortunately for Ireland, who are looking for a record-extending eighth successive win, in the 24-year-old Murphy they have a more than useful deputy who was once described by Leicester director of rugby Dean Richards as "the George Best of rugby".
Murphy was at full-back when Ireland beat Fiji 64-17 in Dublin last November and made a big impact when coming on as a first-half replacement for Shane Horgan at Murrayfield.
Coach Eddie O'Sullivan criticised the new championship format, with teams cramming the fivefixtures into a seven-week period.
"I think six days between games is really too short," he told a news conference at Stadio Flaminio.
"It's very difficult for players to play at the level of intensity required within that timeframe.
"The travel hasn't helped us either but so be it. We've come here prepared to play."
Ireland:Geordan Murphy (Leicester); John Kelly (Munster/Cork Constitution), Brian O' Driscoll (Leinster/Blackrock College, capt), Kevin Maggs (Bath), Denis Hickie (Leinster/St. Marys College); David Humphreys (Ulster/Dungannon), Peter Stringer (Munster/Shannon); Anthony Foley (Munster/Shannon), Keith Gleeson (Leinster/St. Marys College), Victor Costello (Leinster/St. Marys College), Malcolm OKelly (Leinster/St. Marys College), Gary Longwell (Ulster/Ballymena); John Hayes (Munster/Shannon), Shane Byrne (Leinster/Blackrock College), Reggie Corrigan (Leinster/Greystones)
Replacements:Frank Sheahan (Munster/Cork Constitution), Marcus Horan (Munster/Shannon), Leo Cullen (Leinster/Blackrock College), Alan Quinlan (Munster/Shannon), Guy Easterby (Llanelli), Paul Burke (Harlequins), Rob Henderson (Munster/Young Munster)