Player Ratings - Ireland vs France

1. Cian Healy – 7/10

Solid at scrum time. Carried powerfully and got through an impressive amount of work at the breakdown.

2. Rory Best – 7/10

Put in a solid shift at the breakdown and in defence. Very accurate at the lineout which provided Ireland with a great attacking platform throughout.

3. Tadhg Furlong – 7/10

Very solid at scrum time. Consistently hit rucks and made his tackles but struggled to make any significant impression with ball in hand.

4. Iain Henderson – 7/10

Quiet afternoon from the second rower. Made his tackles and hit a decent number of rucks.

5. James Ryan – 6/10

Very physical at the breakdown and an excellent option at the lineout both offensively and defensively. Made an impressive 15 carries.

6. Peter O’Mahony – 7/10

Impressive in attack, ran intelligent lines and carried effectively when called upon. Defensively solid as always.

7. Josh van der Flier – N/A

Unfortunately forced off early through injury but had been solid until then.

8. CJ Stander – 7/10

Consistently carried dynamically and was a menace at the breakdown. Very solid defensively, making some crushing hits at key moments of the game.

9. Conor Murray – 7/10

Classy as always. Marshalled the backline very well with accurate passing and some intelligent kicking.

10. Jonathan Sexton – 9/10

Stand out performer in the backline and winner of the man of the match award. Attacked the line impressively and showed good awareness to set teammates into key attacking spaces. Accurate with the boot and slotted an incredible 45m drop goal to clinch the victory in the 83^rd minute of play.

11. Jacob Stockdale – 7/10

Quiet afternoon by his own standards but still put in a solid attacking display and caused the France defence problems. Partly at fault for Thomas’ try.

12. Bundee Aki – 8/10

Strong day’s work from the powerful centre. Made his tackles when called upon and consistently got over the gain line when crashing the ball up. Also showed some lovely soft offloading skills.

13. Robbie Henshaw – 8/10

One of the best performers in the backline. Posed a constant threat in attack and caused the French defence an array of problems. Solid in defence and very hard working at the breakdown.

14. Keith Earls – 7/10

Stand out performer in the backline. Posed a constant threat in attack. Solid in defence and very hard working at the breakdown.

15. Rob Kearney – 6/10

Solid under the high ball and kicked well at times but was unimpressive in attack and made a few simple errors.

20. Dan Leavy – 7/10 (36’)

Put in a very solid shift having been called upon early to replace the injured Josh van der Flier. A menace at the breakdown and dangerous with ball in hand.