Player ratings: Irish spine impress against England

Adam Kyriacou
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Following their 32-18 victory over England in their Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Ireland.

15 Hugo Keenan: Fantastic under high balls and was everywhere during a top-class display. A possible Lions bolter. 8/10

14 Keith Earls: Opportunistic try – his 34th on the international stage – puts him a small step closer to Brian O’Driscoll’s Ireland record of 46. Unlucky to be denied another. 8

13 Robbie Henshaw: Arguably Ireland’s player of the tournament. Always a bright, willing runner and another exceptional display should strengthen his Lions chances. 9

12 Bundee Aki: A little unlucky with red card for dangerous tackle on Billy Vunipola. Left his team in lurch but it did not prove too costly. 5

11 Jacob Stockdale: Slipped back in seamlessly on his first Test outing of 2021 but evidence of rustiness and could have done more to deny Youngs’ try. 6

10 Johnny Sexton: Led his country to their best display of the Andy Farrell era. Reliable as ever with the boot, kicking a remarkable 22 points in this win over England. 8

9 Conor Murray: Pulled the strings and kicking game continually put Ireland in position. Late yellow card blotted copybook slightly. 7

8 Jack Conan: Statement performance to celebrate his first Test start for 15 months. Deft assist for Earls’ score before a try of his own. Seized his opportunity. 8

7 Josh van der Flier: A sound and satisfactory afternoon from the hard-working flanker. Ripping the ball off Billy Vunipola was a highlight. 7

6 CJ Stander: Quietly efficient on his farewell appearance before international retirement. Fitting way to finish. Will certainly be missed. 7

5 Tadhg Beirne: Another who Lions boss Warren Gatland will struggle to ignore. An absolute beast in the engine room, brilliant at the breakdown. 8

4 Iain Henderson: Went about his business with little fuss. Influential showing helped Ireland cope with James Ryan’s absence. 7

3 Tadhg Furlong: Fine job to limit Mako Vunipola. Appears to be back to his best following year-long injury issues. 8

2 Rob Herring: Ended a solid tournament with another substantial contribution. Long line-out throw caught out England and helped free Earls to score. 7

1 Dave Kilcoyne: Unfortunate to have only his third Six Nations start cut short by a head injury after just 20 minutes. 5

Replacements: Cian Healy was thrown on early due to Kilcoyne’s injury and, as expected, was a more than able deputy. Such was Ireland’s dominance, the rest of the bench were given little time to impress. 7

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