Where it went wrong for Ireland in their staggering loss to the All Blacks
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Ireland suffered a big loss at the end of their season in a game they wanted to get more out of against the All Blacks. A game that was less competitive than many expected and there were a few places that Andy Farrell would want to sure up ahead of the second leg of the Nations Championship and the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Irish Half Backs:
It is fair to say that Gibson-Park did not have his best game and Prendergast was poor too and it opens up the conversation around how Farrell needs to approach things moving forward. For a long time they have been able to dovetail with their 9 and 10 controlling things with the front foot ball created giving JGP better ball to dictate things, having his nince tied up hampered the foundation of the Irish attack and ability to exit from solid foundations.
Locks and Loosies:
While the impact of 4-8 was hampered by their half backs not controlling things better, Farrell would have expected more on attack from his bulky but hard working locks and loose forwards. Both Beirne and vd Flier did not provide their usual impact and would be dissapointed with their games.
Midfield:
Stuart McCloskey delivered one of the most dominant performances from a 12 during the Six Nations this year but has not been able to replicate that since returning from injury ahead of the Nations Championship. Pair this with a Ringrose performance that looked a bit scratchy with a number of handling errors.
Ireland Player Ratings:
- Tom O'Toole - 6
- Dan Sheehan - 6
- Tadhg Furlong - 5
- Joe McCarthy - 7
- James Ryan - 7
- Tadhg Beirne - 5
- Josh vd Flier - 6
- Jack Conan - 7
- Jamison Gibson-Park - 4
- Sam Prendergast - 3
- Jimmy O'Brien - 5
- Staurt McCloskey - 4
- Garry Ringrose - 4
- Robert Baloucoune - 4
- Hugo Keenan - 6
- Ronan Kelleher - 6
- Jeremy Loughman - 6
- Thomas Clarkson - 6
- Nick Timoney - 5
- Sean Jansen - 5
- Craig Casey - 5
- Ciaran Frawley - 5
- Bundee Aki - 6
