Ireland Player Ratings v Wales
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Ireland Player Ratings v Wales
A spirited 14-man Ireland side went down 21-16 to Wales in their opening Six Nations game after Peter O'Mahony was sent off for a nasty clear out on Tomas Francis.
Ireland kept the ball in hand well throughout the game forcing Wales to make a ton of tackles as stayed within touching distance until the final moments of the game.
Here is how we rated Andy Farrell's men.
15. Hugo Keenan - 8
Made a good start with a good carry in the 6th minute and continued that form throughout the game.
He entered the attack nicely from fullback and was solid under the high ball and kicked superbly.
A standout in Ireland's backline.
14. Keith Earls - 5
An excellent tap back in the opening two minutes gave Ireland an excellent attacking position that was wasted.
Continued to do well under the high ball except for an uncharacteristic spill in the 10th minute.
Saw precious little ball and was replaced after the hour mark.
13. Garry Ringrose - 7
Linked up superbly with Henshaw. and made an excellent break in the final play of the game and looked set to break away before being dragged down.
Varied his attack nicely with his carries and passes. Strong defensively.
12. Robbie Henshaw - 8
A moment of magic saw him breakthrough to set up Ireland's first with some excellent footwork.
His carries were excellent and he was a threat throughout the game.
11. James Lowe - 7.5
Did well to keep in Biggar's first touch finder from a penalty. He kicked well out of hand as well in the first half.
Cruised around the pitch looking for work and made over 100 metres. A strong game from the Leinster winger.
10. Jonathan Sexton (c) - 7
Kicked well for most of the game with the expectation of one kick to touch where he tried to get too much out of it.
A few errors but marshalled Ireland's attack well despite being a man down.
9. Conor Murray - 8
Nice accurate kicks in the opening stages that were chased equally well.
His service was swift and he attacked the short side nicely.
Refreshing to see him attack a bit more.
1. Cian Healy - 5
Produced a nice clearout before Tadgh Beirne forced his way over the line. Strong in the scrum but his three missed tackles from seven attempts hurts his rating.
2. Rob Herring - 6
Two lineout darts did not go to hand which can't be pinned on Herring entirely. He did do well with his carries and often passed out the back. Strong without being excellent.
3. Andrew Porter - 6
Got stuck in early on with some burling carries driving his legs forward. Was busy around the park clearing our rucks and was solid in the scrum.
4. Tadhg Beirne - 8
An excellent first half was rewarded with a try as Beirne powered through a ton of ruck work winning two turnovers and was busy with ball in hand making over 10 carries in the first 40.
With O'Mahony off, Beirne took the fight to wales and was involved in just about everything the entire game. One of the best players at the Principality.
5. James Ryan - 6
Had a bright 24 minutes and could have kicked on nicely to have a really strong game but a head knock ended his game. He stole the first lineout of the game off of Ken Owens' throw and command Ireland's lineout nicely. Six tackles and seven carries showed how he got stuck in from the onset.
6. Peter O’Mahony - 2
Some nice early touches including a pass from the base but his bright start came to an abrupt end as he was rightly red-carded for a nasty clear out on Tomas Francis.
https://twitter.com/ultimaterugby/status/1358438962180808704?s=20
7. Josh van der Flier - 6.5
Nice cover tackle early on, on Rees-Zammit who looked threatening. Made a strong carry and did well not to reach out for the score with Beirne going over soon after. Two turnovers in the first half and made all of his attempted tackles and 30 running metres from his six carries in his hour on the pitch.
8. CJ Stander - 7.5
Worked nicely as a lineout jumper making a steal before the hour mark. Once again he was one of Ireland's go-to ball carriers which he thrived in. He tackled well and was often threatening over the ball at the rucks. Also flattened Faletau with a monstrous carry and made over 40 running metres.
Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher - n/a
Came on to nail his first lineout but with under 10 minutes on the pitch, it was not long enough to give a fair rating despite a bright impact.
17. Dave Kilcoyne - 6
Some really strong carries from the bench dominating the contact. Just as effective on defence.
18. Tadhg Furlong - 7
Almost got to the touchline to deny Louis Rees-Zammit a try but was just too late. Carried with the usual vigour that we have seen in the past while he was solid in the scrum. Nice to see him back in the test set up and performing,.
19. Iain Henderson - 6.5
Got more minutes than he may have expected but he made the most of it with a strong impact in the first half. Won a nice turnover and pressured Wales' lineout well.
20. Will Connors - 6
Did some good work in the rucks generating quick ball for Ireland's attack while contesting Wales' rucks as well.
21. Jamison Gibson-Park - n/a
Sharp but not long enough to give a fair rating.
22. Billy Burns - n/a
The same as Gibson-Park. Killed the game for Ireland when he tried to get the most out of his kick to touch which went dead.
23. Jordan Larmour - 5
Didn't see enough ball and could have probably gone out looking for more work. Forced into an error by Tompkins with Ireland chasing a match-winner.
