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
Dan Sheehan (for Kelleher, 49)7
, Jack Conan (for Baird, 49)7
, Robbie Henshaw (for Aki, 57)8
, Thomas Clarkson (for Bealham, 58)6
, Jack Crowley (for Prendergast, 58)7
, Iain Henderson (for Ryan, 61)7
, Cian Healy (for Porter, 73)n/a
, Conor Murray (for Gibson-Park, 74)n/a
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
Tom Willis (for Earl, 56)6
, Theo Dan (for Cowan-Dickie, 56)6
, Chandler Cunningham-South (for Ben Curry, 60)6
, Ollie Chessum (for Martin, 60),6
, Harry Randall (for Mitchell, 65)5
, Fin Smith (for Steward, 65)6
, Fin Baxter (for Genge, 71)N/A