Player Ratings: Ireland

OPINION: Having passed the Argentinian challenge a week ago with flying colours, Andy Farrell’s outfit faced an altogether different task in the form of Jake White’s Fiji.

While the odds were not on the visitors’ side, it was Ireland who presented a little nervously.

Had the Wales-All Blacks result spooked them? Going in 17-15 ahead at the break was probably not on most people’s bingo cards, but Fiji were good value for that scoreline, as Ireland struggled to string plays together.

Ireland started to click in the second forty, but this was far from convincing stuff, and you dare say Ireland’s next opponents, the Springboks, will be licking their lips watching on from their team hotel.

Here’s how the players rated:

15 Mack Hansen – 5.5
Moved to 15, the Connachtman’s first major input was putting Tommy O’Brien away in the left corner. Coughed up a bad missed tackle in the lead-up to Fiji’s second try. Dropped a ball in the 26th minute to bring an Ireland attack to a standstill and generally looked dodgy aerially. Nearly scored a try after James McNabney got knocked out by a Fijian fist, but was adjudged to be short.

14 Rob Baloucoune – 8
Baloucoune had another crack at the right wing after a bright showing against Argentina and started in the same spirit here, testing the Fijian cover and playing a role in Ireland’s first try. Let a Prendergast crossfield kick bounce into touch in front of him, but 10 minutes later got on the end of his fly-half’s floated pass for Ireland’s second, and he picked up his brace just before half-time. The man is paid to score tries, and he did that.

23 Stuart McCloskey – 5.5
Ireland’s Mr Swiss Army Knife Jamie Osborne was handed his first-ever start in the centre for Ireland, having played the vast majority of his Test rugby under Farrell at 15. Sadly for him, it lasted just three minutes before he went off with a HIA and didn’t return. He was replaced by Stuart McCloskey, who played more or less a full match. He went on to lose three turnovers in the first half alone, and, a few rumbles aside, it was fairly mediocre fare here.

12 Bundee Aki – 5
The 36-year-old was starting his first Test since the Bok loss last November but had a remarkably anonymous first forty, only seeming to appear when a tackle needed to be missed in midfield. Had a couple of competent carries but seems to have lost the explosive violence his younger self possessed in spades.

11 Tommy O’Brien – 7.5
Fumbling his first high-ball take under virtually no pressure was hardly the ideal start but he soon made up for it by running in Ireland’s first try on eight minutes. Matched Baloucoune’s brace on 59 minutes, but was uncharacteristically quiet other than those two, admittedly important, interventions. Bagged a decent turnover too.

10 Sam Prendergast – 6.5
It was always going to be hard to follow his all-court performance against Argentina, but the opening minutes of this outing were decidedly mid. His attempt to stop Josua Tuisova on 19 minutes was maybe the biggest mismatch since Tyson-Bruno II in 1996. Like many of his teammates, he looked off-centre in the first half. A perfectly weighted pass put Baloucoune away for Ireland’s badly needed second five-pointer and his second half, one charge down aside, was certainly far better before being replaced.

9 Jamison Gibson-Park – 7
Back in the starting XV after his injury lay-off, it didn’t take long for JGP to dummy his way over the line for what appeared to be Ireland’s second try on 15 minutes, but the TMO scrubbed it off due to the suspect grounding. Came close again a few minutes later but was short on support. Made a 20-metre break that brought the Aviva to its feet, and it would eventually lead to Ireland’s fourth try, which more or less killed off the contest.

8 Nick Timoney – 7.5
Starting at No.8 to plug Ireland’s burgeoning injury crisis in the position, Timoney was bringing fine form into the fixture as he cements himself as a legitimate option in the Irish back-row. Won a decent turnover on 36 minutes but other than that not much good or bad to report, not featuring high in either the tackling or carrying charts. His return to the field same him score a late try, which puts a bit of a polish on his rating.

7 Josh van der Flier – 6
Had an assist in turning over Tevita Ikanivere on 10 minutes and was generally one of the more passable Irish forwards in what was a frightful first half. Was on clean-up duty on the deck and threw in a few decent carries into the bargain.

6 Ryan Baird – 6
Turned over on his first carry and found himself stuck in traffic a few times, getting in the way of at least one pass that was meant for him, and was penalised on 17 minutes. Worried the tryline on 28 minutes but was adjudged to have been held up. Lucky to get away with another spill that almost resulted in Fiji’s third try. Got through a decent amount of work and was a real lineout asset, although Man of the Match felt like a real stretch to this writer.

5 Tadhg Beirne – 6
Captaining Ireland for the first time in a home fixture, the Munsterman might have been hoping for a more assured performance from his side. Yellow-carded before half-time, this was far from vintage Beirne.

4 James Ryan – 6
Back in the run-on team, having started all of the opening leg of the Nations Championship this summer. Presented himself for the odd two-to-three-metre carry, but picked up a yellow card for cynically killing the ball just before half-time, although it ended up that he had been mistaken for Tadhg Beirne, who replaced him in the bin.

3 Tadhg Furlong – 7
Up against the experienced Peni Ravai and clearly edged the scrum battle. Fairly quiet in the loose but if he can repeat the scrum stuff against the Boks, he’ll win the Irish rugby equivalent of a Purple Heart.

2 Rónan Kelleher – 8
With Sheehan on HIA protocol, it was a chance for Kelleher to banish the ghosts of lineouts past, and for the most part he did. Had a decent innings in the loose too, playing a key role in Ireland’s third try. Probably Ireland’s standout forward. Was very good value for his nerve-settling try just after the break, just reward for a fine display, and fitting that it came off a lineout.

1 Andrew Porter – 8
Up against the heft of 130kg Luke Tagi, Porter more than held his own, although there will be sterner tests next week. Guilty of a knock-on after just two minutes but won the subsequent scrum by popping Tagi. Repeatedly made himself available for bullocking runs throughout the first half, invoking the Porter of old. He rounded off a fine performance with a close-range try on 53 minutes.

Replacements – 7
McCloskey aside, it was a game you imagine few would have been gagging to get stuck into considering how spooked Ireland had been in the first half. James McNabney got a huge welcome from the Aviva and repaid it with a 20-metre charge to the line but was subsequently clotheslined by a Fijian in the next phase, sadly leaving for a HIA. Ciarán Frawley and Craig Casey added real value as the replacement half-backs. Sam Illo also picked up a HIA before full-time.