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Ireland player ratings vs Italy
By Online Editors
Ireland overcame Italy in a scrappy affair in Dublin, giving Joe Schmidt food for thought as he prepares to make the final cut to his 31-man Rugby World Cup squad.
An injury scare to Joey Carbery may have been the headline moment in the match but there was plenty to be garnered from the individual performances of an Ireland team heavy with fringe players.
Here's our Ireland player ratings.
Jordan Larmour
Stepped out of the back-field several times and also provided a fine scoring pass. 6/10
Andrew Conway
Finished his one opportunity well but was unable to shine much beyond that. 6
Garry Ringrose
A smart pop out of the tackle led to Dave Kearney’s try, but the accomplished centre had precious few chances to cut loose. 6
Chris Farrell
A reassuringly potent presence in the midfield that Ireland were always able to build around. Increased his chances of World Cup selection. 8
Dave Kearney
Took his try well, but botched an early chance he ought to have converted without issue. 6
Joey Carbery
Looked creative and improving until injury struck that could now jeopardise his World Cup chances. 7
Luke McGrath
Solid showing that kept Ireland ticking over but struggled to gel things together early on. 6
Jack McGrath
Conceded a number of scrum penalties and was hauled off at the break, struggling overall. 5
Rob Herring
Came off early. Solid if uninspiring, but kept it tight enough to keep himself in the running as second-choice hooker. 6
Andrew Porter
Scrummaged well enough and proved his all-round power once again. 6
Devin Toner
Dominated the lineout enough for Ireland to coast to the win. 7
Jean Kleyn
A gritty debut from the uncompromising Munster lock, but perhaps not enough to force him onto the World Cup plane. 7
Rhys Ruddock (captain)
Led the team as calmly as ever, with the dependable Leinster flanker putting in a big shift of work. 6
Tommy O’Donnell
Put himself about all afternoon but was unable to cut loose. 6
Jordi Murphy
Took his try well and manned the base of the scrum without issue at number eight. 6
REPLACEMENTS:
Good charge-down and finish from scrum-half Kieran Marmion, a man who has never let Ireland down. Solid showing overall. 7
Jack Carty
Put in a solid shift after coming on for the injured Carbery. Held his own defence and didn't look out of place in an unfamiliar midfield. 7
Tadhg Beirne
In the short time was made two turnovers. So strong and difficult to move when he is over the ball. 8
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Latest Comments
Agree with Wilson B- at best. And that is down to skilled individual players who know how to play the game - not a cohesive squad who know their roles and game plan. For those who claim that takes time to develop, the process is to keep the game plan simple at first and add layers as the squad gels and settles in to the new systems. Lack of progress against the rush D, lack of penetration and innovation in the mid-field, basic skill errors and loose forwards coming second in most big games all still evident in game 14 of the season. Hard to see significant measureable progress.
Go to commentsKeep telling yourself that. The time for a fresh broom is at the beginning - not some "balanced, incremental" (i.e. status quo) transition. All teams establish the way forward at the beginning. This coaching group lacked ideas and courage and the players showed it on the pitch. Backs are only average. Forwards are unbalanced and show good set piece but no domination in traditional AB open play. Unfortunately, Foster - Mark 2. You may be happy with those performances and have some belief in some "cunning plan" but I don't see any evidence of it. Rassie is miles ahead and increasing the gap.
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