Ireland player ratings: Jamison Gibson-Park steers hosts to back-to-back Six Nations titles

Dylan Coetzee
Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park clears the ball.

Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park clears the ball.

Following a 17-13 win over Scotland in their Six Nations Test at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, here are our player ratings for Ireland.

Ratings

15 Jordan Larmour: For a player who was elevated into the starting XV after a Hugo Keenan injury in the warm-up, he did relatively well. The full-back straightened the line in certain phases and ticked boxes throughout. Solid without being a standout. 5

14 Calvin Nash: Not quite as successful as other games in the championship, but still produced a great shift where there were not many opportunities to work with by beating six defenders on the night. 6

13 Robbie Henshaw: Was used as a battering ram with a total of 14 carries on the day. He was no slouch on defence, making eight tackles and just missing one. His partnership with Bundee Aki was key. 7

12 Bundee Aki: Like Henshaw, Aki was at his robust beast as he carried the ball up 12 times, making just short of 50 metres with two clean breaks and two defenders beaten. Throw in nine tackles, and it is obvious why the Irishman is amongst the best 12s in the world. 7

11 James Lowe: An all-around effort from the wing who tries to make things happen with the ball in hand. Ireland used his canon of a left boot often. Just another straight-out good performance with a charged-down kick his main blemish. 6

10 Jack Crowley: A different kind of game to what he had to deal with in the early stages of the tournament, but the fly-half held his own and, for the most part, made solid decisions. He will be grateful for the influence of Jamison Gibson-Park, who certainly made his life easier. 6

9 Jamison Gibson-Park: The scrum-half has grown in influence since the retirement of Johnny Sexton as the life and brains of the team. Gibson-Park is an incredibly intelligent rugby player who rarely makes a bad decision. Just about everything good from Ireland today came through the experienced star. 9

Planet Rugby player ratings key 10 - Career defining performance 9 - Outright blockbuster effort 8 - Significantly influenced the result of the game 7 - Committed and effective outing 6 - Flashes of brilliance outside of executing fundamentals 5 - Fulfilling the role required by position (base level) 4 - Poor execution of fundamentals 3 - Costly errors and/or discipline in the game 2 - Poor performance that directly impacted the result 1 - Grossly ineffective throughout 0 - Should have carried water instead

Planet Rugby’s player ratings key.

Forward pack

8 Caelan Doris: Another player who carried strongly tonight with 14 in total. On defence, he was strangely quiet, making only five tackles even with Ireland dominating possession. By no means was he poor, but the number eight was certainly not up to his lofty standards. 5

7 Josh van der Flier: Much like Doris in that his influence was reduced by a passionate Scotland effort. He did not manage many carries, nor did he reach double digits in tackles as he normally would. A few uncharacteristic errors too. 4

6 Peter O’Mahony (c): It was a spirited outing from the captain on what could be his final Test match for Ireland. O’Mahony was crisp in the line-out, with ball in hand he made 10 carries and on defence managed 12 tackles. A true Irish legend and a warrior throughout his time on the Test scene. 8

Ireland v Scotland: Five takeaways as ‘deserved’ champions edge past a ‘sensational’ Scottish defence to clinch back-to-back Six Nations titles

5 Tadhg Beirne: The second-row had a milestone of his own to celebrate as he ran out for his 50th cap. It certainly fired him up as he made a team-high 13 tackles in another typically tireless display. 7

4 Joe McCarthy: Operates brilliantly in tandem with Beirne as the more bruising of the two second-rows. He is so clever in contact with a key strip of the ball on defence, a great example of that. McCarthy was good this evening but did not reach the heights of earlier in the campaign. 7

3 Tadhg Furlong: Was solid in the set-piece during his 50-odd minutes on the park whilst also making a decent amount of tackles. Outside of him threatening to bring out his trademark sidestep on occasion, there was nothing to write home about with ball in hand. 5

2 Dan Sheehan: Showed great awareness to nick a try early on for Ireland off the back of a poor Scottish throw. Otherwise was commanding and even elusive at times in the carry. Sheehan’s mobility continues to impress, making him one of the best hookers about at the moment. 7

1 Andrew Porter: Chief carrier on the day with an impressive 15 in that department, one of which resulted in the decisive try. The prop really looked up to it this evening in every facet of the game. 7

Replacements: Most of the changes were for fresh legs rather than tactical changes with Garry Ringrose’s return probably the highlight of the replacements. Still, the bench did maintain intensity and helped hold onto the win and, ultimately, the title. 6

READ MORE: Ireland seal back-to-back Six Nations titles after hard-fought victory over Scotland

Features Bundee Aki Jamison Gibson-Park

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