Ireland Vs England Player Ratings After Six Nations Opening Weekend Clash In Dublin 5g1t6s

Here are our Ireland Vs England player ratings after Ireland’s 27-22 Guinness Six Nations victory in Dublin on Saturday.

Ireland Vs England Player Ratings 2q3950

Ireland: 6b1z5f

15 – Hugo Keenan: 8 262b1z

Bossed the game from the back and made a crucial cover tackle on Tommy Freeman. As reliable and solid as ever.

14 – Mack Hansen: 7 55r6m

Smashed debutant Cadan Murley opposite him and didn’t put a foot wrong.

13 – Garry Ringrose: 6 2q6g1c

Didn’t have a bad game, but was effectively nullified by England and had little impact.

12 – Bundee Aki: 7 6w2r3u

Like Ringrose, was ineffective for much of the game. However, proved his quality with a ridiculous finish in the second half to send Ireland on their way to victory.

11 – James Lowe: 9.5 693oq

Absolutely immense in the air and created two scores for Ireland with ball-in-hand. Played right on the edge without ever overstepping and wound England up superbly.

Some wayward kicking the only reason Lowe doesn’t get a 10/10 for his man-of-the-match display.

10 – Sam Prendergast: 7 4g5n1p

Shut down in the first half but grew into the game after the break. Not a great day with the kicking tee – something he’ll need to improve in tighter games.

9 – Jamison Gibson-Park: 8 12203p

Managed the game well and picked a great line to follow Lowe’s break and finish off Ireland’s opening try.

1 – Andrew Porter: 7 5p713w

Great in the scrum and bullied his way around the park. Another strong showing from the Irish loosehead.

2 – Rónan Kelleher: 7 3j5v51

Solid at set-piece and unlucky to have a try disallowed. Will hope to keep his place with the returning Dan Sheehan breathing down his neck.

3 – Finlay Bealham: 7 1f5c14

Matched up well to Ellis Genge at the scrum, and was a big contributor in the loose.

4 – James Ryan: 7 485q3m

Solid and effective. Not his best display ever but did his job and managed the line-out well.

5 – Tadhg Beirne: 7 x5j70

Got penalised for holding Maro Itoje, which cost them a try. However, on another day he gets away with it and is praised for utilising the dark arts well.

6 – Ryan Baird: 6 2s559

Nothing remarkable but played his part, will hope to have a bigger impact next weekend. Carried well.

7 – Josh van der Flier: 8 1b332

Always among Ireland’s best players, he was ferocious on both sides of the ball. His ball-playing is sometimes overlooked but played a big part in the team’s attack once again.

8 – Caelan Doris: 7 272v60

Outplayed by the English back row in the first half but stepped up when it mattered.

Replacements: 7 6i6rq

Great to see Dan Sheehan back and scoring. Subs didn’t change the game particularly, but all did their jobs when brought on and ensured Ireland saw out the game.

England: 5t1q2r

15 – Freddie Steward: 6 5r4j43

Great in the air as always, but often ran down blind alleys on the counter. Made little impact in attack, along with most of the English backs.

14 – Tommy Freeman: 7 6y595a

Took his try well late on but had next to no ball. Service from inside him not good enough, meaning he never got a chance to run in space.

13 – Ollie Lawrence: 8 6uu2k

An absolute wrecking ball in attack and defence. Showed glimpses of what he’s done in a Bath shirt for the past two seasons.

Could be massive for England if they can take off the hand-brake and use him to his full potential.

12 – Henry Slade: 7 532pu

Excellent grubber for Murley’s try and slotted in at fly-half when Marcus Smith went to the bin.

Classy as ever but needs to do better at unlocking this England attack.

11 – Cadan Murley: 6 2z2oi

Did well to score a debut try but looked nervous and made several mistakes. Bags of talent and should come good, but needs time to develop into a test player.

10 – Marcus Smith: 7 4b2a4b

Yellow card not his fault as the result of a team warning. Involved in everything England did well in attack, but didn’t see enough from him or the team.

9 – Alex Mitchell: 5 35z49

Good kicking game but twice fell off of tackles that led to Irish tries. A harsh reminder of how punishing international rugby can be.

1 – Ellis Genge: 7 5i466

Full of bite and intensity in the carry. Coughed up a pivotal scrum penalty but replays suggested it could have easily gone his way.

2 – Luke Cowan-Dickie: 6 725a4z

Great in the first period but dropped off after half time, as did most of the England team.

3 – Will Stuart: 6 5u235p

Largely anonymous, but performed solidly at the scrum. Needs to get more involved in open play.

4 – Maro Itoje: 6 292h3p

Did his best to lead from the front on his debut as captain, but gave away several penalties and seemed to lose the referee in the second half.

Some harsh calls against him and the team, but needs to get on top of his discipline now he’s leading the team.

5 – George Martin: 6 5c6hq

A solid shift, spend the majority of the game doing the hard work most people don’t see.

6 – Tom Curry: 8 382i6z

Fantastic in defence and prevented any Irish momentum in the first half. A constant nuisance at the breakdown and proved his quality once again.

7 – Ben Curry: 8 2u3h5p

A carbon copy of his twin brother’s performance, both of the Currys were excellent. If any English players deserved to win on Saturday, it was the Sale Sharks pair.

8 – Ben Earl: 7 4w5l1w

Made a trademark break in midfield and put himself about well. Not as effective in defence at the Curry twins but made his tackles and put in a good performance before being taken off.

Replacements: 6 553f4j

Tom Willis did well when he came on for Earl, but most of the others struggled to impact the game. Chandler Cunningham-South’s mistimed tackle in the air felt like a turning point, though the player cannot be blamed for what followed his error.