Irish fans will be heading home disappointed this evening as they saw their team be defeated by the All Blacks in a wonderfully tense match at the Aviva Stadium.
Here is how we rated the players:
1 Tamaiti Williams – 7
Solid in the scrum and the tackle area. Wasn’t asked to do too much in attack, but defensively he held his own.
2 Asafo Aumua – 7.5
A largely impressive game from the set piece, but will be kicking himself for not throwing straight on the Irish five-metre line midway through the first half. He will be pleased with his performance, however, after being heavily involved throughout.
3 Tyrel Lomax – 7
Used regularly as a ball carrier and was utterly devastating in the scrum, giving the New Zealand pack the perfect grounding at the set piece.
4 Scott Barrett – 6.5
Helping to rile up the already intense atmosphere, the All Black captain got up in the face of Irish lock Joe McCarthy early on. He had a solid match throughout, but nothing to write home about.
5 Tupou Vaa’i – 5.5
The giant lock was used to break the Irish line, but never really made much more than a dent. Alongside his lock partner, he will be hoping for more of an impactful performance next time.
6 Wallace Sititi – 8.5
As expected, Sititi was a menace at the breakdown and involved in most of his side’s attacks. The young man has a huge future in the black shirt.
7 Sam Cane – 7
Despite plenty of criticism over his impact on the team, his performance was admirable today. He was constantly involved in the All Black defence, putting his body on the line to help grind out the result. He was guilty of being dragged back over his try line in the second half to give Ireland the 5-metre scrum, but to criticise his effort would be harsh.
8 Ardie Savea – 7.5
Characteristically powerful in the contact area as he helped the boys in black to break the gain line. Always offered himself on the attack and made the all-important breakdown turnover with just 7 minutes remaining.
9 Cortez Ratima – 4.5
Charged down early on and the game never got much better for him. He looked dangerous at the base with good forward momentum, but the opportunities were too few and far between. He showed his inexperience by getting caught on his heels more than once. Taken off at 50 minutes, and will be frustrated at the ball presentation he received from the forward pack during his time. Needs to improve his breakdown management, but will learn.
10 Damian McKenzie – 9.5
A powerful first nudge to relieve his side of pressure signalled the start of what would be an incredibly impressive performance. Incredibly composed of the boot, particularly after the ball fell off the tee during a 40-metre penalty kick, McKenzie proved his doubters wrong with a vintage fly half performance.
11 Caleb Clarke – 7.5
Found himself heavily involved in the game, often offering himself down the centre. Looked threatening with the ball in hand, and will be pleased with his showing.
12 Jordie Barrett – 6.5
Provided McKenzie with comfort on the outside as a second playmaker. Despite his yellow card at the end of the first half, Barrett built back into the game, providing plenty of running options.
13 Rieko Ioane – 7
Smashed by Ringrose early on and was guilty of a silly knock-on to cost an early attack. As the game continued, his contribution improved, becoming one of the key players All Black’s resurgence.
14 Mark Tele’a – 7
Continued his impressive performance from last week, looking dangerous with the ball each time he had it in his hands. Telea was guilty of losing multiple turnovers, however, something that the talented winger will want to eliminate from his game.
15 Will Jordan – 9
One of the busier players, he offered plenty of attacking lines, but sadly found his route blocked by heavy Dublin traffic. Stripped a couple of times in the tackle, Jordan will be cursing the wet surface. Will Jordan scores most matches, and this one was no different. The flying full-back collected the ball on the left wing late ultimately clinch the match.
Substitutes – 10
Exactly how the replacements should be used. The forward replacements arrived on the field to sure up the breakdown area to give new arrival Cam Roigard a base to play off. The difference was noticeable, with the All Black kicking game shutting the Irish down.
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