Following a 26-13 defeat to the All Blacks in the international clash at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Ireland.
15 Jamie Osborne: Had big shoes to fill with Hugo Keenan absent, but he was incredibly composed. Marshalled the backfield well, cleared his lines nicely and did his job in the air. 6
14 Tommy O’Brien: Like Osborne, not a hugely experienced Test player at the moment, but he looked the part in Chicago. It wasn’t a game where O’Brien had too many searing breaks with ball-in-hand, but his basics were sound. 6
13 Garry Ringrose: Hugely unfortunate to miss out on the British and Irish Lions Test series through concussion, but he was back playing at the highest level here. However, the All Blacks managed to find a few too many holes via his channel. 5
Outstanding display
12 Stuart McCloskey: Was perhaps a surprise inclusion, but Andy Farrell rewarded his early-season form and McCloskey more than justified his selection. The Ulster centre was hugely physical and a real focal point in that Ireland attack. Absolutely superb display. 8
11 James Lowe: Loves this game against the country of his birth and revelled in the contest, but there were some poor moments. Had one big claim under the high ball, and his boot was once again useful, but he’s had much better days. 5
10 Jack Crowley: Playing at 10 after his starring role in Munster’s victory over Leinster, and he took that confidence into this game. However, he really needs to nail his kicks and he just lost control in the second period. 6
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Had a few questions to answer after Leinster’s loss two weeks ago, but he was much better in Chicago. Gibson-Park’s clearances on his own line were remarkable and helped to keep the All Blacks at arm’s length for the opening hour. 7
8 Jack Conan: Carried well and was certainly a presence in contact before he was replaced early in the second period. 6
7 Josh van der Flier: A big influence in the first-half as the openside fired into contact on both sides of the ball, but it reduced after the interval. 7
6 Ryan Baird: Some game from the flanker, who was absolutely immense and probably Ireland’s best player. Baird stole All Blacks lineouts, roamed around the field and made metres with ball in hand. 8
Red card controversy
5 Tadhg Beirne: For us, his red card was rather harsh. Yes, there was effectively no attempt to tackle, but, at the very least, he was absorbing the contact and therefore it was a low degree of danger. But ultimately, his day did only last three minutes through, to a certain extent, an error in technique. 1
4 James Ryan: Your typical workhorse shift from the lock, who does everything very efficiently, but he wasn’t a standout in the second-row. 6
3 Tadhg Furlong: Getting closer to his best and took a nice line for his try, while also showing other good touches, but the All Blacks did have the edge in the scrum. 7
2 Dan Sheehan (c): Was influential early on, bumping off defenders and showing his class around the field, but perhaps the lack of game time told as Sheehan could not maintain those standards. 6
1 Andrew Porter: Similar to Furlong, there were some good moments in the loose, but the set-piece was always under pressure. 6
Replacements: Caelan Doris had a huge first carry back following injury but, perhaps understandably, he wasn’t quite up to the speed of the game. It was the only real positive moment of note from the bench, which paled in comparison to the All Blacks’. The front-row were marched back in the set-piece, Sam Prendergast couldn’t alter the momentum and Bundee Aki had a stinker, which makes you question why McCloskey was replaced. 3
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