Ireland player ratings: Several stars have ‘stinkers’ as bench rescues fortunate Irish but ‘still more questions than answers’ over fly-half battle
Ireland's Bundee Aki and Jack Crowley in action against Italy in the 2025 Six Nations.
Following a narrow 22-17 victory over Italy in the Six Nations clash at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Ireland.
Ireland player ratings
15 Hugo Keenan: Even when most around him are struggling, as they were in the first half, Keenan does his job effectively and with minimal fuss. Very solid at the back and took a nice line for his try. 7
14 Mack Hansen: Had a quiet first half as Ireland failed to secure much attacking ball but was key to their improvement after the break, making a couple of excellent breaks and setting up Dan Sheehan’s hat-trick score with a superb piece of skill. Probably should have done better with Stephen Varney’s try, however, despite the horror bounce. 7
13 Garry Ringrose: On his return to the side, Ringrose didn’t have his greatest day. He conceded a stupid penalty and was tested defensively by Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex, missing several tackles. 4
12 Robbie Henshaw: Similar to Ringrose, the Italian midfield duo had their number, but Henshaw did well to cover back and prevent Ange Capuozzo from scoring in the first half and was altogether more effective than his centre partner. 6
Turnovers and errors
11 James Lowe: A bit of a stinker to be honest, although not necessarily the only one. Not wholly his fault, given that Ireland struggled to open space out wide, but Lowe made a number of errors and conceded several turnovers. 4
10 Jack Crowley: Suffered in the first half as his pack failed to get front-foot ball but created Keenan’s try by running flat to the line. Also did some nice things in attack in the second half, but his kicking was atrocious. Can’t expect to be first-choice fly-half if he’s not nailing those conversions. 6
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Subdued in the opening 40 minutes, making the odd surprising mistake, but the scrum-half was so much better after the interval. Gibson-Park dictated the game and the tempo, allowing his forwards to get over the gain line more regularly. 8
8 Caelan Doris (c): Not often the captain falls below a certain but he did in Rome. His lack of intensity and physicality rather summed up the Irish performance. Better in the second period, though. 6
7 Josh van der Flier: Usually dovetails so well with Doris but that partnership was neutralised by Italy. Was taken off early in the second half. 5
One of Ireland’s best
6 Jack Conan: One of Ireland’s better forwards as he impacted the game on both sides of the ball. Was physical in the carry and also did his bit on defence. 7
5 Tadhg Beirne: The lineout went well with the maul being a big weapon for Ireland on Saturday. Didn’t have his usual impact in the loose but deserves immense credit for his part in the visitors’ driving game. 7
4 James Ryan: Given a chance to start after being on the bench against Wales and France but didn’t really take it. Conceded a couple of turnovers and was physically bested by the Italians. 4
☘️ Italy v Ireland: Five takeaways as Easterby’s men ‘let off the hook’ by Azzurri’s ‘utter lunacy’
3 Finlay Bealham: Had a try rightly ruled out for a double movement and was then pushed backwards in the scrum, even if that area of the game was not a huge factor in the contest. 5
2 Dan Sheehan: Scored a hat-trick as the hooker once again showed his class. Granted, two of them were mainly down to those in front of them as the maul marched towards the line, but his throwing was accurate while he also contributed plenty in the loose. High up on the charts in both the carrying and tackling numbers. 8
1 Andrew Porter: Like Bealham, he had his issues in the scrum and was not his usual self around the field. 5
Replacements: Ultimately changed the game with good contributions from Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy and Bundee Aki. It was also great to see Peter O’Mahony get a huge ovation as he and Conor Murray ended their Test careers with a victory. As for the much-debated fly-half battle, with Sam Prendergast entering the field with 15 minutes remaining, there are still more questions than answers. 8
