Leinster player ratings: Ireland stars upstaged by ‘lesser lights’ before Rieko Ioane’s ‘fantastic finale’ thrills the Aviva

Following a 31-7 victory over the Lions in the United Rugby Championship clash at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Leinster.

15 Ciarán Frawley: Some nice touches in attack, including an early weaving run through the opposition defence but, in a changed backline and against a spirited Lions, they lacked fluency and Frawley didn’t have too many chances to impress. Moved to fly-half after Sam Prendergast went off and looked comfortable. 7

14 Andrew Osborne: A late change after JJ Kenny pulled out, but it was a relatively quiet game from the wing. Chased everything and worked hard, but it did not quite go his way. 5

Fantastic finale

13 Rieko Ioane: Followed a similar to pattern to most of his Leinster outings until the latter stages. Great work ethic, solid on both sides of the ball but nothing that spectacular. Had a magnificent final 10 minutes, though, as the All Black managed to get in space, leading to a try and an assist. 7

12 Jamie Osborne: Arguably the best of the backline, scoring a lovely, if slightly fortuitous, individual try, while there were other influential moments with ball in hand. Will be unhappy with the missed tackle that led to Francke Horn’s try, however. 7

11 Jimmy O’Brien: Threatened to break free on a couple of occasions, while his aerial work was impressive but, like Andrew Osborne, he didn’t get too many opportunities. That was until the final minute when he finished excellently. O’Brien took his moments well to impact the game. 7

10 Sam Prendergast: Was saved by the TMO after another defensive mistake allowed Siba Mahashe to break free and touch down. Outside of that, it was slightly better in other areas but again not consistent enough due to a few mistakes. Prendergast hasn’t helped his chances of getting in the 23 for the Investec Champions Cup final. 5

9 Luke McGrath: Plenty of desire and heart, and managed to find some decent rhythm at the base on occasions, but mistakes killed their attack. 6

8 James Culhane: A dominant carry from the kick-off set the tone for his performance as the number eight was prominent in all areas. One of the game’s top carriers and tacklers, and he was effective in contact, too, making 70 metres. 8

7 Will Connors: Put himself about in the opening quarter before going off soon after. 5

Consistently outstanding

6 Max Deegan: Got better as the game wore on and, come the second period, was a very influential figure. Deegan might not be a guarantee for the 23 when the big Champions Cup games come around, but he’s often among Leinster’s best players when he features. 8

5 James Ryan (c): Did well in the technical aspects at close quarters, but ultimately it was a matter of job done rather than anything spectacular from the Ireland star. 6

4 Brian Deeny: Another to do his job well enough but Deeny was replaced early in the second period with the Lions competing well up front. 5

3 Thomas Clarkson: Some great work in the loose but found himself under pressure at the scrum, even if it wasn’t a huge factor in the match. Needs to shore up that set-piece. 6

2 John McKee: Another forward to be competent in the fundamentals as they kept their opponents at arm’s length. Lineout went smoothly. 6

1 Ed Byrne: Has returned due to Leinster’s loosehead crisis and he was put under a fair bit of pressure. Hasn’t played a lot this season and it showed. 5

Replacements: When you’ve got Ireland stars Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter, as well as France international Rabah Slimani, coming on, it was always going to make a difference, but the player that made the biggest impact was the so-called lesser light Diarmuid Mangan, who was absolutely exceptional in all facets. Hugh Cooney also had a fine cameo, while Hugo Keenan, as expected, added some class to the backline. 8

READ MORE: Leinster v Lions and Ospreys v Scarlets: Results, match details, stats, line ups