Ireland player ratings: Stuart McCloskey ‘in the form of his life’ as usual suspects star but ‘brain fades’ almost prove costly
Ireland's Stuart McCloskey and Jamison Gibson-Park celebrate against the Wallabies.
Following a 33-31 victory over the Wallabies in the Nations Championship clash at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Ireland.
15 Hugo Keenan: Rescued Ireland with a fantastic tackle on Joseph Suaalii which prevented the former rugby league star from taking the Wallabies potentially 31-12 ahead. That proved crucial as Ireland remained in the game and eventually edged it, with Keenan going over for one of their second-half scores. That victory wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of Keenan. 8
14 Jimmy O’Brien: In late for Robert Baloucoune and did his best, but the visitors missed the stardust that the Ulster wing brings. Baloucoune has that out-and-out pace that O’Brien doesn’t and it basically gave the visitors another similar type of player. The Leinsterman was technically accurate in everything he did but there were no game-breaking moments. 6
13 Garry Ringrose: Some slick handling which led to Jamison Gibson-Park’s try but he was found wanting on defence when Suaalii broke through, while he was often smashed in the tackle. 5
Another superb display
12 Stuart McCloskey: Continued where he left off from the Six Nations with another physical display which saw him be Ireland’s most potent threat with ball in hand. Carried, off-loaded and gave his side a focal point – he’s in the form of his life at the age of 33. 8
11 Jamie Osborne: Not really a winger and it showed. Has done it before for both province and country, but he’s much better in the midfield or at full-back. Like O’Brien, Osborne didn’t really add anything different to the team, despite being solid enough. 5
10 Sam Prendergast: Infuriating for an hour. There was notable improvement at the end of Leinster’s season, even in defence, but once again at the highest level Prendergast was found wanting for 60 minutes. Terrible defensively and poor decisions in attack with one bad pass being picked off by Max Jorgensen, leading to Ryan Lonergan touching down. However, with all that being said, Prendergast was excellent in the final quarter and picked the Aussie defence apart. More of that going forward please, Sam. 4
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Alongside McCloskey, they were a shining light among a sea of backline mediocrity for the umpteenth time this season. Gibson-Park, despite the slow ball, made the most of what he was given by the forwards and still managed to create opportunities for his side. His exits were also invaluable. 8
8 Jack Conan: At number eight due to the injury to captain Caelan Doris and, as ever, he didn’t let Ireland down. Was a real presence in the loose, with his assist for Gibson-Park the highlight, despite the suspiciously forward-looking nature of the off-load. 8
7 Josh van der Flier: Couldn’t doubt his work ethic and his tackle count was absolutely ridiculous, but Van der Flier was smashed on occasion in contact. However, he never backed down and continued to chip away on both sides of the ball. 7
6 Cian Prendergast: Useful in the lineout while he touched down for Ireland’s first try. Also put in a mammoth defensive shift but was one of those to be outmuscled by the Aussies. 5
Front five struggles
5 James Ryan: Some key errors from the lock in the second period which almost cost his side. The first was getting in front of Dan Sheehan at a maul, thus ruling out a try, before Ryan knocked on close to the line. Before that he was playing reasonably well, but he’s always got a brain fade in him. 5
4 Joe McCarthy: In many ways, he sets the physical tone, so it was a concern to see Wallabies tacklers all over him and sending him flying backwards. Was slightly better in the second period but one of the his least convincing performances for some time. 5
3 Tadhg Furlong: Was under pressure in the scrum but it wasn’t too much of a factor and the tighthead was prominent elsewhere. Furlong was an absolute powerhouse in the loose while he produced some deft touches on the gain line. 7
2 Dan Sheehan (c): Not at his best with some lineout inaccuracies, while he didn’t really make his presence felt in the loose before being replaced on the hour mark. 5
1 Tom O’Toole: Was under the pump in the set-piece but he contributed plenty around the field, particularly late on when he returned following a head injury to Jeremy Loughman. O’Toole brought real impetus in the latter stages. 6
Replacements: Nick Timoney and especially Tadhg Beirne turned the game around with absolutely superb shifts. Front-rowers Ronan Kelleher and Tom Clarkson were also lively in the loose – the latter scoring the winning try – albeit they were dominated in the scrum. Ciaran Frawley deserves credit for a fine cameo, but Bundee Aki was fortunate that his brain fade with the clock in the red did not lead to them losing the game after Ben Donaldson missed a difficult penalty. Overall, there were some game-changing performances from the bench. 8