ENGLAND 23-22 IRELAND
England burst Ireland’s Grand Slam bubble at Twickenham. Our live hub of the England match (below) has all the biggest moments, talking points, best scores and full Ireland player ratings.
England finished 3rd in the most recent World Cup and still had quality operators like Maro Itoje, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge and Henry Slade in their team. Ireland were favourites for the game and could have set a championship record for consecutive wins (12) if they beat Steve Borthwick’s side.
FULL IRELAND RATINGS
Hugo Keenan – 7
Moved to the wing after the Nash injury. Claimed a great aerial take to spark the move for that Lowe try.
Calvin Nash – N/A
Got sparked on an early tackle attempt. Went for a Head Injury Assessment and did not return.
Robbie Henshaw – 6
Sunk some big defensive tackles. Didn’t miss a tackle and carried hard, but with little return.
Bundee Aki – 8
Went through George Ford for a short-cut, on one carry. Harshly pinged for not rolling away. Made some big carries but was tackled into touch by Chessum. Pinged for offside, on 30 minutes. Won a huge breakdown penalty, three minutes after. Spilled possession in the England 22. Cut Elliott Daly in half with a tackle.
James Lowe – 8
Was having a poor kicking day UNTIL that beauty of a 50:22 kick, on 38 minutes, gave his side a great attacking platform. Great diving try, early in the second half. Scored a super, second try in the left-hand corner, in the final stages.
Jack Crowley – 7
Weak tackle attempt on Ollie Lawrence for his early try. Kicking off the tee was great (got lucky with one that squeaked over) but missed the late conversion. He’ll wish he had that one back.
Jamison Gibson-Park – 7
Got Keenan in trouble with a loose, early pass. Fumble inside his 22 put his side in a bind. Had to play right wing for the final 35 minutes. Costly knock-on as Itoje ripped the ball, in the tackle. Took some good high balls and was brave to assist Lowe for his second.
Andrew Porter – 7
Important tackle on Mitchell forced a spill, inside the Ireland 22. Scrummaged well, with those helpful O’Mahony nudges. Stayed on late to help Ireland win a big penalty.
Dan Sheehan – 6
Could have held his pass to Lowe, out on the left wing, a bit earlier. Lineout and scrum were targeted and it was a tough day at the office. Stuck 12 tackles.
Tadhg Furlong – 6
Lost his footing at an early scrum to concede a penalty. Scrapped well at the breakdown.
Joe McCarthy – 6
His toughest game, to date, but grew into it. Stuck 10 tackles. Carries did not get much ground.
Tadhg Beirne – 7.5
Forced a turnover with a thumping tackle on Mitchell. Soon after, had a breakdown poach on his own tryline. Ran out of steam at the end.
Peter O’Mahony – 5
Did well to chase and take Ben Earl down, then yellow carded in the next sequence (offside).
Josh van der Flier – 7.5
Huge breakdown turnover inside his 22 (on nine minutes). Made some busting carries. Won a big penalty at the start of the second half.
Caelan Doris – 7
Pinged for offside at the breakdown, on 22 minutes. A battling performance but missed a few tackles.
REPLACEMENTS
Ciarán Frawley (for Nash ‘4) – 5
Exposed in defence on a couple of occasions. Set up Lowe’s try. Went off for HIA and did not return.
Conor Murray (for Frawley ’54) – 6
Flung a pass at Henshaw’s head, inside the 22. Otherwise solid.
Iain Henderson (for McCarthy ’60) – 6
Made a positive impact. Pinged for not rolling away.
Jack Conan (for van der Flier ’60) – 6
Great cameo.
Finlay Bealham (for Furlong ’60) – 5
Ronan Kelleher (for Sheehan 60) – 6
Bold, late lineout throw.
Ryan Baird (for O’Mahony ’68) – 6
Brought some real verve.
Cian Healy (for Porter ’71) – N/A
*Click on the key point you want to read about, or just keep scrolling to see updates in our live hub [below]:
Ireland player ratings from most recent outings
Andy Farrell’s side got their Six Nations defence off to a record-breaking start as they demolished France 38-17 in Marseille. Next up, was an Italian side that let victory against England, in their opener, slip through their fingers. Ireland scored six tries and kept the visitors scoreless. Wales put up a stiffer fight but were defeated 31-7 at Aviva Stadium.
Looking back at our Ireland player ratings for the opening Six Nations games, and the World Cup, it gives us an idea of who stepped up in some big games for Andy Farrell.
Most recently, we had Bundee Aki and Joe McCarthy score 8.5 out of 10 in that win over France. Tadhg Beirne, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Jamison Gibson and Caelan Doris all scored 8s. In the 36-0 win over Italy, Lowe top-scored with 9, with Keenan, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Stuart McCloskey all getting 8s. Against Wales, Aki and Andrew Porter topped out with 8.5 each.
Against Romania, in their World Cup opener, Keenan, Aki, Johnny Sexton and McCarthy all scored 8/10s. Against Tonga, Sexton and Mack Hansen both scored 9/10 while James Ryan, Andrew Porter and Aki all got 8s.
In that epic, tense win over South Africa, Doris, Porter and Lowe all scored 8/10, while Aki got 8.5 after another great effort. Doris and Garry Ringrose topped our Scotland ratings, with 9/10 each. In the quarter final loss to New Zealand, Aki top scored with 9/10, with Beirne getting 8. The rest had 6s and 7s.
HOUSE OF RUGBY, WITH LINDSAY PEAT & PAT MCCARRY
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