Ireland 27-22 England: Six Nations player ratings

Ireland

Hugo Keenan

Exceptional covering tackle on Tommy Freeman in the first half, and joined in the attack with intelligent support lines as usual.

8

Mack Hansen

Big hit on Cadan Murley in the opening seconds was impressive and he bounced back well from an early injury.

7

Garry Ringrose

Kept a little quiet overall by the dynamism of England’s defence but as always a key cog in the champions’ machine.

7

Bundee Aki

Quiet by his standards until a fantastic second-half finish after being fed by Prendergast, crashing past three defenders.

8

James Lowe

Rock solid under an early high ball. Muscled through Mitchell to create hosts’ first try and also created key score for Beirne.

9 (man of the match)

Sam Prendergast

A mixed bag. Endured a difficult first quarter but grew into the game. Missed conversions looked like they might be costly.

7

Jamison Gibson-Park

A model of consistency - popped up on Lowe’s shoulder to get Ireland off the mark and typically effective elsewhere.

8

Andrew Porter

Scrummaged well and is always an intimidating physical presence in the loose. Played his part in the second-half surge.

8

Rónan Kelleher

Lineout functioned smoothly despite some recent concerns about the Irish set piece. Snuck over for a disallowed try.

8

Finlay Bealham

Competed well in the scrum, winning a penalty from Ellis Genge, and contributed to the attack with his usual quality.

7

James Ryan

The lineout went well and like the rest of the pack it was largely a different, better story for the lock after half-time.

7

Tadhg Beirne

Cynical holding of Maro Itoje at a ruck led to a disallowed score. Always a massive presence and took his late try with aplomb.

8

Ryan Baird

One strong carry in the first half that led to Marcus Smith’s yellow card. Grew into the match after the break like the others.

7

Josh van der Flier

Slick hands, strong carrying and crushing defence. The back row is one of Ireland’s most consistent performers.

8

Caelan Doris

Perhaps upstaged by the Curry twins in the early part of the game but grew into it along with the rest of his teammates.

7

Replacements

England

Freddie Steward

Solid but unthreatening. He won some important aerial battles, but England’s lack of attacking spark was notable.

6

Tommy Freeman

Crossed for a late try to earn a losing bonus point. Did his best with little service: England’s attack never consistently fired.

6

Ollie Lawrence

Muscular carry led to the opening score and always looked a threat – extremely strong on both sides of the ball.

8

Henry Slade

Classy touches all over the place in first half. Exquisite grubber to create early try for Murley a reminder of his enduring ability.

7

Cadan Murley

Quickly snaffled a try on debut, but later invited pressure on teammates twice with a serious lack of composure in defence.

5

Marcus Smith

Bright and breezy as usual, but not always as effective as he needs to be. Does he maximise the talents of his backline?

6

Alex Mitchell

Decent kicking from hand, but fell off a tackle against James Lowe after England had worked so hard to keep the hosts out.

6

Ellis Genge

Played a part in a big forward effort. Carried with purpose and added weight in defence but gave away key scrum penalty.

6

Luke Cowan-Dickie

Another England forward who performed admirably in the first half, but the pack collectively ran out of steam after the break.

6

Will Stuart

Unspectacular around the field but did his bit defensively and performed his scrummaging duties competently.

6

Maro Itoje

Communicated well with the referee, at least early on, and brought his usual physicality but his influence waned.

6

George Martin

Mostly invisible but only because he was mostly doing the dirty work where it counted. Another quality day’s graft.

7

Tom Curry

Sensational turnovers seemed to justify Steve Borthwick’s back-row plans. Rarely gave his opponents time to settle.

8

Ben Curry

Just like his brother, did not deserve to end up on the losing side. Hurried Ireland up at the breakdown but limited in attack.

7

Ben Earl

A quality display overall. Punishing in attack and defence, ran a perfect line to capitalise on a fizzing pass from Smith.

7

Replacements