Player Ratings: Ireland vs. France

Cian Healy (7) - Busy 50 minute effort, carried strong on 6 occasions to get Ireland momentum on the gainline. Made 8 tackles and showed why is he still one the best in the business.

Rory Best (6) - Leader. Captain. Legend. Scored a try in his last home Six Nations match and re confirmed that his starting role is under no threat. His darts were, for the majority, on point bar one over thrown in the 22 but his leadership values are hugely important to this side. 

Tadhg Furlong (6) - Anchored the Ireland scrum with merit and performed his core duties to his usual exceptional standards. Didn’t see the best of his carrying in the loose but cleaned out rucks with great intensity throughout the contest.  

Iain Henderson (7) - Powerful addition to the starting side and combined well with his lock partner in the row. Showed some lovely touches in open play and was a safe option at lineout time. Made seven carries and matched that on defence with seven hits.

James Ryan (9) - He remains one of the first names on the team sheet and it’s not hard to see why that is the case. Double digits in terms of carries and tackles are a given at this stage. Deserved the Man of the Match honours.

Peter O’ Mahony (7) - Influential leader for this Irish side and his vocal presence on the field is invaluable. His work rate at the breakdown was incredible and he backed that up with a few crucial turnovers.

Josh van der Flier - Left the game early due to injury. 

CJ Stander (9) - Incredible ball carrying and tackling throughout the 80 minute effort. His return to the team today provided real momentum on the gainline with his abrasive approach. Led the carrying and tackling stats for Ireland today.

Conor Murray (7) - On the way back to his best, his range of passing is improving and box kicked a lot better today. He provided another try assist to take his total in the tournament to 20 overall. 

Johnny Sexton (7) - Scored the second try for Ireland from a trademark loop play and pulled the strings with ease from the standoff position. Made all of his tackles and added 11 points to his total in the tournament.

Jacob Stockdale (6) - A very quiet day for the try scoring sensation, he failed to receive any clean ball in open spaces.

Bundee Aki (7) - Few errors but overall a very strong performance from the Connacht centre. He made 11 carries as he often took up it on first phase providing momentum on the advantage line. 

Garry Ringrose (9) - Top class performance from the Leinster centre on return to the starting line-up and can feel hard done by not to take home the MOTM award. He led the defensive effort with a series of crunching tackles and provided Sexton with a try assist. Linked up well with his outside backs and carried on 14 occasions with a clean break.

Keith Earls (8) - Very energetic display and was rewarded for his effort with a 25-metre run in bonus point try. He made two clean breaks, beat five defenders and gained 51 metres with ball in hand.

Jordan Larmour (7) - Remains Ireland most dangerous outside back and showcased those incredible attacking talents from full back. He beat nine defenders, gained 77 metres and made a clean break with an offload thrown. 

Substitutes:

Niall Scannell - 5

Dave Kilcoyne - 6

John Ryan - 5 

Ultan Dillane - 7

Jack Conan - 8 - Made a massive impact coming off the bench following injury to van der Flier after 20 minutes. Scored a try, carried 8 times and made 15 tackles.

John Cooney - 6

Jack Carty - 5

Andrew Conway - 5