{"id":238881,"date":"2025-11-02T02:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T02:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/238881\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T02:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T02:59:08","slug":"ireland-player-ratings-vs-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/238881\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland player ratings vs New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ireland<\/a> player ratings: Ireland came into this one as underdogs and started with a bite that briefly had the All Blacks<\/a> on the back foot. But after Tadhg Beirne\u2019s early red card and a late flurry from Beauden Barrett<\/a> and co., Andy Farrell\u2019s side were eventually beaten 26-13.<\/p>\n

It was a spirited showing for an hour \u2014 before the champions of chaos turned the screw.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the players rated:<\/p>\n

1. Andrew Porter<\/a> \u2013 6
Found himself under plenty of heat from the All Blacks\u2019 front row, especially early on. He scrapped his way back into the contest as the game wore on and eventually found parity in the set piece.<\/p>\n

2. Dan Sheehan<\/a> \u2013 5
The opening overthrow set an uneasy tone that lingered throughout. The lineout became a lottery, and while he made metres with ball in hand, it\u2019s impossible to overlook the chaos in that department. His carrying was as dynamic as ever, but composure deserted him at key moments.<\/p>\n

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Ireland <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

New Zealand <\/p>\n

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3. Tadhg Furlong<\/a> \u2013 7.5
Started with a fumble from Sheehan\u2019s misfire but recovered impressively. Rumbled over for Ireland\u2019s only try and eventually tamed Tamaiti Williams<\/a> after being shunted back once or twice. One of the few to deliver genuine front-foot moments.<\/p>\n

4. James Ryan<\/a> \u2013 6
Brought a calm head after Beirne\u2019s dismissal but wasn\u2019t his usual aerial commander self. Beaten once in the air and lacked his trademark bite in contact. Still, kept the defensive line organised when things threatened to unravel.<\/p>\n

5. Tadhg Beirne<\/a> \u2013 2
Seemed to think he was a Chicago Bears defensive lineman with his bizarre shoulder check on Beauden Barrett after two minutes. Clearly caught in two minds. Once the TMO upgraded yellow to red, Ireland\u2019s hopes of repeating 2016\u2019s heroics took a major dent.<\/p>\n

6. Ryan Baird<\/a> \u2013 8
Superb defensively. Two lineout steals \u2014 one on his own line \u2014 were Test-class interventions. Didn\u2019t quite punch holes with the ball but his athleticism was a constant nuisance to New Zealand\u2019s jumpers. Justified every bit of faith shown in him.<\/p>\n

7. Josh van der Flier \u2013 7
Set the tone with a vital turnover in the ninth minute and kept competing until the end. Industrious and reliable, though perhaps a shade quieter in attack than usual. His work at the breakdown prevented the All Blacks from running riot during Ireland\u2019s 14-man spell.<\/p>\n

8. Jack Conan<\/a> \u2013 6
A blue-collar shift from the No.8. Carried strongly in tight channels and tackled manfully but couldn\u2019t impose himself as the game loosened up. Outshone by Doris off the bench.<\/p>\n

9. Jamison Gibson-Park<\/a> \u2013 7
Sharp around the fringes and some beautifully weighted box kicks early on. The tempo he injected gave Ireland a foothold. His withdrawal on 67 minutes coincided with the game tilting firmly New Zealand\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

10. Jack Crowley<\/a> \u2013 6
Looked composed for much of the first half, taking the ball flat and attacking the line. A couple of poor positional kicks, including one 48-minute miscue, let him down. Knocked over a penalty and conversion but missed another straightforward effort. Solid, not spectacular.<\/p>\n

11. James Lowe<\/a> \u2013 5
The heart was there \u2014 it always is \u2014 but the execution wasn\u2019t. Chased everything like a demented Border Collie but missed a couple of reads and didn\u2019t finish off half-chances. One of those Lowe outings that leaves you admiring the effort but questioning the end result.<\/p>\n

12. Stuart McCloskey<\/a> \u2013 8
Ireland\u2019s central fulcrum. Bumped All Blacks defenders out of the way for fun early on and gave the attack a directness it badly needed. His removal just before the hour baffled many; Ireland lost structure without him.<\/p>\n

13. Garry Ringrose<\/a> \u2013 4
A rough day at the office to say the least. Beaten by Leicester<\/a> Fainga\u2019anuku\u2019s fend for Ardie Savea\u2019s try and exposed on several other occasions. Did land one bone-shaking hit on Barrett but otherwise endured a torrid evening.<\/p>\n

14. Tommy O\u2019Brien \u2013 6
Saw little of the ball but looked lively when involved. Nearly gathered a Crowley chip but was pinged moments later for going off his feet. Still finding his feet at this level.<\/p>\n

15. Jamie Osborne<\/a> \u2013 7
Excellent aerially and tidy under pressure. His positioning was generally sound and he countered smartly when space appeared. Assured and mature beyond his caps \u2014 Ireland may have found their long-term replacement for Hugo Keenan.<\/p>\n

Replacements<\/p>\n

16. Ronan Kelleher<\/a> \u2013 6
Added a bit more control to the lineout and carried hard through contact. Did enough to remind everyone that Ireland\u2019s hooking depth is in good hands despite the chaos earlier.<\/p>\n

17. Paddy McCarthy<\/a> \u2013 6.5
Cameo appearance but held his own in the scrum until that fateful 70-minute collapse. Encouraging signs nonetheless.<\/p>\n

18. Finlay Bealham<\/a> \u2013 6
Carried on where Furlong left off, scrummaging solidly until tiring late on. The one collapsed scrum aside, a dependable contribution.<\/p>\n

19. Iain Henderson<\/a> \u2013 7
Very effective off the bench. His composure and experience steadied the forwards after Beirne\u2019s exit. Quietly influential in the maul and collisions.<\/p>\n

20. Caelan Doris<\/a> \u2013 7
On for his first match back from injury and instantly made metres. Carried with aggression, tackled relentlessly, and provided much-needed energy. Looked like a man itching to reclaim his No.8 jersey.<\/p>\n

21. Craig Casey<\/a> \u2013 4
Rough cameo. Missed tackle on Cam Roigard<\/a> that led directly to the killer try. One of those small moments that define Test matches. He\u2019ll know it.<\/p>\n

22. Sam Prendergast<\/a> \u2013 5
Didn\u2019t have much time to stamp authority and mirrored his mixed Leinster<\/a> form.<\/p>\n

23. Bundee Aki<\/a> \u2013 5
Introduced when Ireland needed fireworks; instead, it was more of a damp squib. The shape around him was gone, but he never managed to impose himself physically or creatively.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ireland player ratings: Ireland came into this one as underdogs and started with a bite that briefly had…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-238881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}