Ireland player ratings: Brilliant backs and bench keeps the Grand Slam dream alive

Jared Wright
Ireland beat Scotland 7-22 at Murrayfield to keep their Six Nations Grand Slam hopes alive. Here is how we rated Andy Farrell's side in the victory.

Ireland beat Scotland 22-7 at Murrayfield to keep their Six Nations Grand Slam hopes alive. Here is how we rated Andy Farrell’s side in the victory.

Brilliant backs

15 Hugo Keenan: Consistency is one of Keenan’s best attributes, and he has shown that this Six Nations. Every game, he has been superb, and today was no different. A rock at the back, Keenan weighed in with an outstanding one-on-one tackle on Duhan van der Merwe. He assisted a try with a beautiful skip pass and gained over 100 running metres again. 8

14 Mack Hansen: A standout performance from the winger who acrobatically scored in the corner during the first half. He won the aerial battle for Ireland’s third try. Solid defensively again and earned the man of the match award. Rightly so. 8

13 Garry Ringrose: A horrid head knock forced him off the pitch in the 72nd minute. Ringrose had a strong game until then, making sound decisions on defence and ran attacking lines that kept the Scottish attack guessing. He did get caught out for Huw Jones’ try, but there is no doubt that the Irish midfield is better with him than without him. 7

12 Bundee Aki: He battered into the Scottish defence and got through a boatload of work in the rucks too. He didn’t give an inch in defence. 7

11 James Lowe: Regularly got his hands on the ball, trying to influence the game. His kicking game pinned Scotland back, while he also found his way over the whitewash. 8

10 Johnny Sexton: A trademark tactical clinic from the veteran number 10. He equalled Ronan O’Gara’s record for the most points scored in the Six Nations. Sexton missed once from the tee, but that mattered little in the end. He controlled and dictated Ireland’s attack while on the pitch and kicked well out of hand. Sharp and accurate. 7

9 Conor Murray: There was a notable uptick in the Irish attack when he left the pitch, but Murray was still swift and accurate during his 54-minute stint. A solid performance. 6

Injury-hit pack

8 Caelan Doris: An early blow for Ireland as Doris had to leave the pitch in the 18th minute with an injury. He had a bright start pouncing on the quick Scotland lineout that ultimately came to nothing. He was already making good yards with the ball in hand. 5

7 Josh van der Flier: Did a sound job as Ireland’s stand-in lineout thrower as they got by with his darts. His front-row antics did not detract from his usual standards around the pitch. Bullish with the ball in hand, brutal at the breakdown and tremendous on defence. 8

6 Peter O’Mahony: Often, the veteran’s work goes unnoticed, but O’Mahony stepped up and helped compensate for the loss of Doris in the back row. He carried powerfully and more often than he usually does. His defence was sharp again, as was his lineout work. 7

5 James Ryan: He had the challenging task of organising the lineout with the disruptions at hooker and losing his locking partner and a loose forward. However, he dealt with it with a calm head, keeping it simple. He came away with three steals at the set piece. Prominent in all aspects of the game. Dominant with his carries and tenacious in defence. Mammoth performance. 8

4 Iain Henderson: A bushy 24 minutes for the lock before he, too, was forced off through injury. He made all eight of his tackles and won four lineouts and two carries. Conceded a penalty as well. 5

3 Tadhg Furlong: Back to full fitness, and Ireland’s ‘Jukebox’ did not miss a beat. Furlong didn’t give an edge in the scrums and bright and brutal with the ball in hand with abrasive carries and a few offloads. 7 

2 Dan Sheehan: Lasted just 19 minutes before being forced off through injury. He did manage six tackles in that as he looked to make his mark. Unfortunate not to build on that bright start. 5

1 Andrew Porter: A full 80-minute shift from the Ireland loosehead and he stepped up to the task once again. His scrummaging was solid and he made ground with the ball in hand. 7

Replacements: Cian Healy deserves massive plaudits for his performance at hooker, particularly in the scrum. Incredible from the veteran front-rower. Jack Conan was brilliant when he came on for Doris and took his try superbly. Ryan Baird also shone as an early replacement, while Jamison Gibson-Park picked up the tempo when he came on. The bench stepped up for Ireland today, and they probably wouldn’t have won had they not been as good. 9

READ MORE: Ireland one win from Grand Slam after battling victory over Scotland

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