Ireland player ratings: Dan Sheehan shines in Six Nations victory over Scotland

David Skippers

19 Mar 2022 3:57 PM

After their 26-5 triumph over Scotland in their Six Nations Test in Dublin, here’s how the Ireland squad performed on Saturday.

15 Hugo Keenan: Ireland’s ‘Mr Dependable’ was as consistent as ever. A stunning tackle denied Stuart Hogg a certain try early in the second half. 8/10

14 Mack Hansen: Back in the team and acquitted himself well, albeit with limited space in which to excel. 7

13 Garry Ringrose: Worked well off the ball and constantly tried to find gaps in the Scottish defence with limited success. 7

12 Bundee Aki: Recovered well from a couple of early errors to improve as the contest progressed. Was a willing ball carrier but kept in check by Scotland’s defence. 6

11 James Lowe: A powerful performance from the New Zealand-born wing. Gained plenty of metres and assisted Conor Murray’s late try. 8

10 Johnny Sexton: The veteran collected silverware for the first time as skipper following a solid showing. Nailed a stunning 50-22 kick. 7

9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Another impressive outing from the quick-thinking Leinster man. Full of energy and ideas and caught the eye with some fine attacking runs which caught Scotland by surprise. 8

8 Jack Conan: Carried well but was solid rather than spectacular and had limited pact before being replaced by Peter O’Mahony. 6

7 Josh van der Flier: A tackling machine and his endeavour was rewarded with the crucial third Irish try. 8

6 Caelan Doris: Restricted well by Scotland but worked tirelessly and was second only to Van der Flier in the tackling stats. 6

5 Iain Henderson: Looked a little rusty on his first start of championship. A big presence at the lineout. 6

4 Tadhg Beirne: Handled aggressive opponents relatively well without enjoying his finest day in the green jersey. 6

3 Tadhg Furlong: Missed a couple of tackles but part of a solid scrum and produced a couple of strong carries. 7

2 Dan Sheehan: Burrowed over to calm Irish nerves. A battering ram who gained valuable metres with some strong carries and deserved man of the match. 9

1 Cian Healy: Bounced back from last weekend’s Twickenham struggles with his 10th Test try and a vastly improved display. 7

Replacements: Ireland’s bench helped secured the bonus point, with Murray crashing over the final score, while Robbie Henshaw also shone. 8

Features Dan Sheehan