Player Ratings: Ireland
Ireland player ratings: Although Andy Farrell made plenty of changes, it didn’t stop Ireland from making light work of a decent Italian side.
Here’s how we rated the players.
1. Andrew Porter – 7
Conceded a couple of penalties early, one against Italy’s no-nonsense scrum and the other for not rolling away. Started to get into the Italian tighthead as the game bore.
2. Dan Sheehan – 7.5
Business as usual for Sheehan and good business at that. Lineouts went well and he took his first obligatory try well, his seventh in national colours and eight came on 49 minutes. He’s not far off Keith Wood’s 15 Test try tally and he’s only 25.
3. Finlay Bealham – 7
Carried a little upright at times and was even stripped of the ball although an advantage saved his blushes. More importantly, the setpiece went well after a wobbly start for both himself and Porter.
4. Joe McCarthy – 6.5
After last week’s heroics in Marseille, it was hard to imagine ‘Big Joe’ scaling those heights again, and in truth he didn’t quite summit here against the Azzurri. Still, a perfectly competent outing.
5. James Ryan – 6
A dependable performance from Ryan, who you guess might be feeling a little insecure with the rise of McCarthy and the unstoppability of Tadhg Beirne. Plenty of dominant tackles and unglamorous metres won with ball in hand.
6. Ryan Baird – 7
A shearing break just before the halftime break demonstrated the X Factor Baird possesses – namely the pace of a winger on a 6’6 backrower’s frame. Would have liked to have seen more of it.
7. Caelan Doris – 6
A fine debut as captain. As with the France game, started relatively quiet but brought his force to bear as the game wore on and Italian shoulders wilted.
8. Jack Conan – 7
A relatively rare start for Ireland’s former first-choice No.8, he made his presence felt with a well-taken five-pointer just before halftime. Missed the odd tackle but otherwise a pretty positive outing.
7. Caelan Doris – 6
A fine debut as captain. As with the France game, started relatively quiet but brought his force to bear as the game wore on and Italian shoulders wilted.
8. Jack Conan – 7
A relatively rare start for Ireland’s former first-choice No.8, he made his presence felt with a well-taken five-pointer just before halftime. Missed the odd tackle but otherwise a pretty positive outing.
