Rating every Ireland player from the 2026 Six Nations: ‘Video game cheat code’ provides career defining contribution but there was also a ‘horrible experience’
Ireland skipper Caelan Doris holds the Triple Crown while Stuart McCloskey, inset, goes on attack versus Scotland
Following the conclusion of the 2026 Six Nations, we are looking at every player’s performance across the Championship. Here’s how we rated Andy Farrell’s 35 Ireland charges.
Full-back (1 player)
Jamie Osborne (5 starts, 383 minutes): There was a media panic when it emerged at Ireland’s pre-tournament camp in Portugal that Hugo Keenan had again gone lame, but that anxiety was misplaced as Osborne once more showed he is a valuable alternative in the No.15 shirt. Became a more assured defensive presence the longer the tournament went on, despite copping a yellow away to England, and his strike rate of four tries was exemplary. 8
Wing (4 players)
Robert Baloucoune (4 starts, 305 mins): The first of the two Irish ‘getting on’ overnight sensations. The 28-year-old’s Test career looked cooked, as he had been on the outer since November 2022, but something pulsed provincially over the winter at Ulster, resulting in the intrigued Farrell awarding him four successive starts. Take away the fog that was his Rhys Carré mishap against Wales and you are left with a catalogue of sprightly appearances that featured three tries and a physical presence that gave the Irish something fresh. 8
Tommy O’Brien (2 starts + 1 run as sub, 191 mins): It was only July last year in Georgia when the 27-year-old finally got a Test debut but if the sparkle of his performances versus England and Scotland is going to be typical of what he can bring, he is another we will see much more of in the months and years ahead. It was interesting how well he linked with opposite wing Baloucoune and also how he didn’t shy away from the aerial contest despite his lack of size. 8
Jacob Stockdale (2 starts, 149 mins): One of the unluckiest Irish players of modern times, going from setting a Championship try record in 2018 to struggling for form and fitness for quite some time. His start versus France was a first appearance in the tournament since 2021 and while that was a difficult backs-to-the-wall night for everyone involved, Farrell ensured that the confidence-seeking Stockdale wasn’t completely cast adrift after the axe that followed. It was so lovely to see him score when recalled against Wales. That was good man-management by the coach, and the player rewarded him with a decent shift. 6
James Lowe (2 starts, 98 mins): Father time appears to have caught up with the 33-year-old winger, who has struggled to be at his best since touring last summer with the British and Irish Lions. His 80 minutes against the Italians was another demonstration of the issues he went through over the winter, and the campaign-ending groin injury sustained early against England turned out to be a blessing for the team as O’Brien came off the bench and performed with a panache that Lowe has misplaced. 4
Midfield (5 players)
Stuart McCloskey (5 starts, 400 mins): The idea that the 33-year-old could play every minute of the Championship was a far-fetched notion not so long ago, so unfavoured was he in the midfield pecking order – not only under Farrell but previously under Joe Schmidt, who gave him a debut away to England in 2016. What a difference his return to London 10 years later was. McCloskey delivered like a video game cheat code, skittling the English for fun, and he went on to finish the Championship featuring highly in so many statistical categories. Ball carries, offloads, try assists, defenders beaten, dominant contacts and post-contact metres – he figured in all of them in a belated but thrilling coming of age contribution. 10
Garry Ringrose (5 starts, 348 mins): The midfielder hasn’t kicked on in his career to definitively become Brian O’Driscoll 2.0, but it was heartening nonetheless to see him be an ever-present in this Irish starting XV in 2026. Injuries have so often restrained him – look at how he selflessly gave up a Lions Test selection last August, calling a concussion out on himself – but he stuck at it even though he seemed to be running on fumes by the end of it when taken off with 15 minutes remaining versus Scotland. His level of missed tackles was a Championship talking point – is there such a thing as a good missed tackle or was missing 17, the second worst tally by anyone across the six teams, too much of a bad thing? We’re leaning towards the latter. 5
Ciaran Frawley (3 runs as sub, 52 mins): If there was an upside to the terrible downside that was the unceremonious axing of Sam Prendergast following the opening two rounds, it was the recall of the 2024 drop goal hero of Durban. Frawley’s Ireland career hasn’t been the same since that giddy afternoon in South Africa, but having committed to quit Leinster for Connacht in a couple of months, his progressively improved bench cameos, which culminated in him joyously giving a sweet assist for O’Brien to put Scotland to sleep, demonstrated that he is still a value asset to the Farrell set-up. 5
Tom Farrell (1 run as sub, 11 mins): The 32-year-old, who debuted in the autumn, was very much only a fringe consideration, but he can take pride that his short-lived appearance versus the Welsh coincided with an Irish power surge down the finishing straight. No Rating
Bundee Aki (1 run as sub, 15 mins): Another midfielder whose contribution off the bench was restricted to just a single run. With the form of McCloskey from another stratosphere, Aki’s suspension for verbally abusing match officials when playing for Connacht in January wasn’t costly for Farrell’s team, but his brief Round Five return was followed by the penning of a new one-year deal taking him through to the World Cup. No rating
Ireland: Andy Farrell addresses long-term future after Triple Crown success
Out-half (2 players)
Jack Crowley (3 starts +2 runs as sub, 296 mins): Without Crowley possessing the mental resolve not to throw his toys out of the pram, there might not have been a mid-campaign revival for Farrell’s squad. The out-of-favour No.10 could have switched off with the frustration at playing second fiddle to Prendergast in the opening rounds, but he was there when called upon and he delivered for the most part. Cynics will highlight that his Billy Burns-like missed penalty to the corner cost Ireland the chance of the four-try bonus against Italy – a point that would have left them champions given the way the Championship panned out in the closing rounds – but that gaffe shouldn’t dent his considerable overall contribution, which included scoring 47 of Ireland’s 146 points. 8
Sam Prendergast (2 starts, 135 mins): You can only hope that the youngster’s horrible experience will be the making, and not the breaking, of his fledgling career. His coach made the wrong call to put him in for the opening rounds and so significant was the damage that he was then overlooked completely for the closing three rounds, getting a complete rest rather than a chance to redeem himself as a sub. There is no doubting Prendergast’s ability to orchestrate an attack behind a dominant pack, but Ireland didn’t have that sort of front foot when he played and it left his weak defence terribly exposed. He really does need an uptick with his tackling and rearguard spacing. 4
Scrum-half (3 players)
Jamison Gibson-Park (4 starts + 1 run as sub, 325 mins): Few were immune from the wrath of Farrell this spring, the coach’s frustrations evident in how he made so many changes with his selection from game to game after the wincing belt they suffered in France. When the bench call came in an emergency against Italy, the scrum-half finally played like everyone knows he can, and any dying embers of his inconsistent post-Lions drudgery became past tense with his swashbuckling demolition of England. That was a timely reminder that even at the age of 34, he definitely has what it takes at the highest level, so the St Patrick’s Day two-year contract renewal with the IRFU was a natural next step in their relationship. 9
Craig Casey (1 start + 3 runs as sub, 59 mins): It’s still not clicking for the 26-year-old at Test level. Handed a Round Two start against Italy with Gibson-Park dropped, he didn’t impress. Never mind the yellow card, he just couldn’t help get a misfiring Ireland going in an opening half that ended with them in arrears and eventually leaving Farrell relying on the bench to turn it around. Eleven minutes was all he then got to play against England and Scotland, highlighting how there really isn’t a genuine contest at the moment for the No.9 jersey. 4
Nathan Doak (1 run as sub, 13 mins): The silver lining of Casey’s setback was that it allowed Farrell to try his luck and present the 24-year-old with a debut off the bench versus Wales. The few minutes he got right at the end were irrelevant, but his short-lived run in the first half, with Gibson-Park needing treatment, showed he wasn’t fazed with the step-up in levels and he will be someone who will be seen again in a Test jersey. No rating
Back row (6 players)
Caelan Doris (5 starts, 400 mins): Ireland’s other every-minute man was worth his weight in gold along with McCloskey. Rugby can be a brutal sport and the Irish skipper bore this scar only last May, his serious shoulder injury ruling him out of the Lions. He played like a weighted-down jumbo jet struggling to pick up speed on the runway when he returned last November, going straight in at Test level without a provincial warm-up, but this spring saw him back at his scintillating best, repeatedly carrying the ball into traffic with zest and also dominating the defensive line. 9
Jack Conan (3 starts + 1 run as sub, 271 mins): Another of the Irish Lions who had lost his growl. He started all three tour Tests at No.8, but Farrell only deemed him worthy of starting in three of Ireland’s five Six Nations matches. That suggested a carrot and stick approach was needed to bring out his best, and we finally got to see that in the grind against the Welsh where he was a standout on the night, going on to follow that with another bruising effort against the overhyped Scots. 8
Josh van der Flier (3 starts + 1 run as sub, 172 mins): It’s been an intrigue watching the 2022 World Player of the Year pick up the pieces of being a Lions tour pick who was overlooked by Farrell when the Test sides were named. No different from so many of his fellow tourists, picking up the thread was difficult. What played in his favour was the coach’s willingness to allow him to play himself to a standstill and leave the fray early around the 50-minute mark. That allowed him to get his business done without having to mind his engine, and the reward was a freshly inked two-year IRFU deal this week. 7
Cian Prendergast (1 start + 1 run as sub, 67 mins): Farrell invested heavily in the older of the Prendergast brothers having the brute force to start against the French, but this was another selection that didn’t work in the coach’s favour. Unlike his sibling, though, the back-rower was handed an 11th-hour shot at recovery when Conan, named as a sub, turned ill in London, allowing him to feature for 18 minutes off the bench and see out his Six Nations contribution with a smile and not a frown. 5
Nick Timoney (1 start + 4 runs as sub, 170 mins): Farrell’s penchant for naming some second and third choice Leinster players ahead of those from the other provinces has meant it’s been a slowly built Test career for the Ulster back-rower but in making five appearances across the spring, he showed that he has the consistency for this level and just needs to keep on getting these opportunities. The start against Wales will especially stand to him going forward. 6
Cormac Izuchukwu (1 start, 58 mins): When it comes to stitching rookie players into the tapestry, some choices will inevitably be an immediate success and others less so. The 26-year-old was unfortunate that his chance came in an Ireland XV against Italy that was still struggling in search of its best form, so we didn’t fully glimpse during this single appearance what he potentially can offer. 5
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Second row (5 players)
Tadhg Beirne (4 starts + 1 run as sub, 338 mins): Despite getting named in the World Rugby dream team for 2025, Beirne played like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders in November, and this struggle for flow continued over the winter at Munster and then into that setback in France. Getting benched was the development that roused him, though, and from the moment he appeared as a sub to rescue the result against the Italians, a breakdown nuisance fire was lit that burned brightly in London at blindside and then singed the Welsh and the Scots when back playing at lock. 9
Joe McCarthy (4 starts +1 run as sub, 248 mins): Twickenham was his finest hour in a campaign where inconsistencies had worryingly affected his game in the opening rounds, and he finished it out with oomph off the bench against Wales and then a durable effort versus Scotland. Another of the Lions from Leinster who endured a scratchy winter, the review of his spring is that the next step in his career is delivering a full house of blockbuster performances, not a series where he can be up and down in what he brings. 7
James Ryan (3 starts + 1 run as sub, 239 mins): It was a shame that a pesky calf injury ruled him out against the Scots, as he had been bang in form across his three successive starts after beginning the campaign on the bench in Paris. Ryan had fallen into the trap in November of acting hard without actually playing hard, culminating in his sending-off versus South Africa, but he reigned in that nonsense aspect to his game to remind everyone he is still very much a quality Test-level operator, the glue that every pack needs to be competitive and to thrive. 8
Darragh Murray (1 run as sub, 26 mins): Ryan’s untimely injury opened the door for this rookie’s Triple Crown match exploits and he didn’t let his side down, scoring a try while Beirne was temporarily away receiving treatment and then returning as part of the wholesale bench introduction that blew the Scots away down the finishing straight. A single bench appearance, though, wasn’t enough for an overall Championship mark. No rating
Edwin Edogbo (1 run as sub, 11 mins): Given a debut off the bench against Italy, the giant’s time involved was limited but he is very much one to keep an eye on for the future. It was disgusting that his first cap was marred by racial abuse online. These shameful, anonymous nitwits need to be silenced. No rating
Tighthead (3 players)
Tadhg Furlong (3 starts + 1 run as sub, 210 mins): There were moments in the scrum and in general play where it looked like the veteran’s best days were behind him, but the 33-year-old showed when it mattered most against Scotland that he still has what it takes to impress the Test cauldron. Just like this Ireland team, rumours of his demise were proven to be premature as there were flashes of brilliance to go with set-piece dependability in that final outing. 6
Tom Clarkson (2 starts + 1 run as sub, 120 mins): He had been built up to offer an alternative when Furlong wasn’t around, but arrested development was the best way to describe his stuttering campaign. His successive starts versus the French and Italians were joyless, and the going was also tricky off the bench when he returned against the Welsh. He can only hope it was a couple of steps backwards where the lesson will be learned and can come back stronger in the long run. 4
Finlay Bealham (3 runs as sub, 70 mins): The 34-year-old found himself limited to a bit-part role, which was frustrating for someone who hasn’t started at Test level since February 2025 and who should really be ahead of Clarkson in the pecking order given his greater experience. Still, getting that cameo when the game was still there to be won against the Scots was nice. 5
Hooker (3 players)
Dan Sheehan (4 starts, 233 mins): His new three-year IRFU deal was confirmation of how highly valued he remains despite being another member of the pride of Lions who encountered issues in getting back to their best. His uptick finally arrived against England and was repeated against Scotland following the useful provision of a rest versus the Welsh, something that Farrell deserves a hat-tip for. With it, Sheehan’s magnetism with regard to finding the try line returned and so too did his reliability at the lineout, something had been hurting Ireland. 8
Ronan Kelleher (1 start + 4 runs as sub, 149 mins): Should benefit greatly from Farrell’s vote of confidence which was starting him against the Welsh, a call where his lineout stood up to scrutiny, and his contribution off the bench also became more impactful, the hooker getting straight to the point rather than letting these opportunities pass him by as had happened at time previously. 6
Tom Stewart (1 run as sub, 18 mins): Farrell was rightly criticised for lacking in aspects of his squad building since his return from the Lions. The accusation was that he was over-reliant on his favourites, but Stewart’s encouraging involvement against the Welsh was another spring example that the coach is intent on mending the error of his ways and exploring more of the depth chart. Again, as with others restricted to a single cameo, it wasn’t enough to put up a score that would be fair. No rating
Loosehead (3 players)
Jeremy Loughman (3 starts, 171 mins): A hat-trick of starts was quite the upturn for the undervalued 30-year-old, who was behind a busload of Leinster players in the pecking order. Injuries earned him his run and it culminated in that shiny effort in England after difficult outings against the French and Italians. The irony was that injury then did for him, a calf problem sidelining him in March. 5
Tom O’Toole (2 starts + 2 runs as sub, 175 mins): As the rugby saying goes, one man’s injury is another man’s unexpected opportunity and it resulted in the club tighthead finishing out the campaign as the starting Test loosehead. There were parts against Wales that needed a polish and he scrubbed up well against the Scots to round off a four-match contribution that he can be happy with overall. 5
Michael Milne (3 runs as sub, 54 mins): What a 27th birthday, making a first Six Nations appearance off the bench in Paris and scoring within a matter of minutes. It looked like he wouldn’t be seen again with the way the rest of the February selections went, but Loughman’s strain provided two unexpected March camoes that weren’t shabby. 5