England v Ireland - Player Ratings
- 5629
Ireland
- Cian Healy – 7/10
Very solid at scrum time. Got through a really impressive amount of work at the breakdown, consistently disrupting the speed of the English attack and recorded a perfect tackle success rate.
- Rory Best – 7/10
Very accurate at the lineout which gave Ireland several valuable attacking opportunities. Carried really well and made several tackles. Played a key role in some of the Irish tries with some excellent play in the loose.
- Tadhg Furlong – 9/10
Man of the match. Put in a very solid shift at scrum time, causing his opposite number a host of problems. Carried dynamically throughout, showed great work rate at the breakdown and made some crushing defensive hits.
- James Ryan – 7/10
Got through a huge amount of dog work behind the scenes which provided Ireland with quick ball time and time again. Provided Best with an excellent lineout option which he used consistently during the game.
- Iain Henderson – 7/10
Henderson acted as a fantastic lineout option for Best to hit throughout the game. Put in a huge shift at the breakdown and carried dynamically when required.
- Peter O’Mahony – 7/10
Got through a huge amount of work at the breakdown and secured some vital turnovers for his side which provided excellent counter-attacking opportunities.
- Dan Leavy – 8/10
Got through a huge amount of work both at the breakdown, and in defence. Carried extremely well, showing great feet and brute strength. Also recorded a perfect tackle success rate.
- CJ Stander – 9/10
A real contender for man of the match. The most effective ball carrier in the Irish pack, gaining a total of 26 metres. Ran an incredible line and showed great power to touch down against the post for a try.
- Conor Murray – 7/10
Another perfect performance from the scrum-half. Dictated the pace of the Irish attack masterfully and marshalled his backline impressively. His box-kicking was accurate, as was his passing. He continues to show why he is one of the best in the world.
- Jonathon Sexton – 7/10
Good afternoon for Sexton. He kicked really well out of hand but missed a simple place kick which. Played a vital role in several of the Irish tries and acted as a key link between forwards and backs.
- Jacob Stockdale – 8/10
Caused the English defence huge problems in the wide channels with his blistering pace and incredible power. Scored a beautiful chip and chase try in the first half and stood up to the test defensively.
- Bundee Aki – 6/10
Quiet afternoon for the inside centre. Put in some big tackles in defence but also gave away a couple of careless penalties. Made an excellent break to set up Stander’s try in the first half.
- Garry Ringrose – 7/10
Showed some really bright moments with ball in hand, causing the English defence countless problems with his dancing feet and blistering pace off the mark. Defended resolutely and capped off his performance with a well-taken try.
- Keith Earls – 8/10
Despite not getting many opportunities to run at the opposition with ball in hand, Earls was still one of the key men in an impressive Irish performance. He was solid under the high ball and impervious in defence, making an incredible try-saving tap tackle on Daly early in the second half.
- Rob Kearney – 7/10
Another very solid performance from the Irish fullback. Defended brilliantly, dominated the aerial duels and was dogged at the breakdown. Consistently gained good ground when running from deep.
England
- Mako Vunipola – 6/10
The loosehead prop performed well in the scrum and carried well when given the opportunity. He was substituted with for Joe Marler with 30 minutes remaining.
- Dylan Hartley – 5/10
Hartley failed to make an impact on the game and was unsuccessful in managing the relationship with referee Angus Gardner. England lacked leadership which is one of the main reasons for Hartley's inclusion on the squad.
- Kyle Sinckler – 5/10
Similar to Vunipola, Sinckler scrummed well in the first half and carried aggressively. The tighthead prop was substituted for Dan Cole with half an hour remaining.
- Maro Itoje – 5/10
Itoje lacked discipline, especially in the first half. He was at fault for conceding two penalties and this allowed Ireland to build an easy lead.
- George Kruis – 5/10
The England lineout didn't function with the usual flow and Kruis must take responsibility for this. The second-row came up with a number of handling errors that prevented England from gaining a foothold in the game.
- Chris Robshaw – 5/10
Robshaw did the basics well but failed to have any real impact on the game. England lacked the experience that players of Robshaw's calibre should have brought to the game.
- James Haskell – 4/10
Haskell was completely anonymous in the game. It's a dull day when your openside flanker is unable to manifest any turnovers.
- Sam Simmonds – 6/10
Simmonds was hungry to get ball in hand and made plenty of hard yards around the fringes.
- Richard Wigglesworth – 6/10
The England backline struggled to get quick ball at times and this lies with Wigglesworth. The scrum-half boxed kicked well and got the hosts out of trouble on a number of occasions. Danny Care came on with 20 minutes remaining and really lifted the tempo of the game.
- Owen Farrell – 7/10
Farrell looked far more at home in the No.10 jersey and he caused Ireland plenty of problems. He managed the game well and had plenty of deft touches around the pitch.
- Elliot Daly – 7/10
The winger looked razor sharp and gave England the opening score of the game. He got his second of the game on 64 minutes and could have easily had another if it wasn't for a superb ankle tap by Keith Earls early in the second half.
- Ben Te'o – 6/10
Te'o was solid in defence but failed to get over the gain-line in attack. Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose ensure Te'o had a quiet day at the office.
- Jonathan Joseph – 4/10
Jonathan Joseph was poor this afternoon and spent more time slipping on the surface than creating attacking opportunities for England. George Ford came on at the 55-minute mark with Farrell moving into centre to create an attacking dynamic that Joseph lacked.
14. Jonny May – 6/10
May struggled to get ball out wide and only handled the ball on a number of occasions. The winger was solid in defence and did all that was asked of him. Scored a consolation try late on.
- Anthony Watson – 4/10
Watson was solely at fault for the Garry Ringrose score inside 5 minutes before being stretchered off half an hour into the game - A bad day for the fullback but he has plenty of ability and should bounce back.
