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Ireland player ratings vs England
The days of Twickenham annihilation and embarrassment by a massive scoreboard were supposed to be a thing of the past for Ireland, something last experienced in London in 2002, but records embarrassingly tumbled on Saturday afternoon when finding themselves on the wrong end of a 57-15 scoreline.
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Last time Ireland visited Twickenham for a pre-World Cup warm-up, their performance in a 21-13 defeat in 2015 had serious repercussions, so you can only imagine what drastic measures this surrender will now cause.
Four years ago, Devin Toner and Tommy Bowe, players who had started all five matches in that year’s successful Six Nations title defence, failed to make the XV that ran out two weeks later in their tournament opener against Canada.
This time round at Twickenham, the pressure on performance admittedly was not as acute as Ireland, who made a dozen changes to their starting XV from the August 10 win over Italy and handed a first start to Ross Byrne at out-half, still have two more warm-up matches to go yet before they depart for Japan.
However, in a sweltering London after a warm-weather camp in Portugal, they will be disappointed that a massively disjointed defensive effort, along with an unreliable, error-ridden lineout, left them trailing 22-10 at the break following a first-half where England’s Maro Itoje and Manu Tuilagi were the stand-out players.
With England dominating, Irish hopes of securing the win that would have lifted them above Wales into the world No1 ranking was dashed. Come the finish, the eight-two try count was gravely wounding, the lack of physicality a worrying re-run of last February’s Six Nation loss in Dublin, and it has left Joe Schmidt with a mountain to chew on before they head to Cardiff next Saturday. Here are the RugbyPass player ratings:
ROB KEARNEY – 4
Started composed and showed class with two slick early passes, one that had Ireland probing down the left on eight minutes and then another quickly after to invite Jacob Stockdale chip ahead for Jordan Larmour’s try. Missed tackles then crept in and the sight of England’s No13, No14 and No15 all scoring before the break didn’t reflect well on his porous defensive coverage.
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JORDAN LARMOUR – 5
One of just three repeat starters from the win a fortnight ago over Italy along with Garry Ringrose and Jean Kleyn, he showed good instinct in securing the bouncing ball from Stockdale’s confusion-creating kick to score on nine minutes. Also showed some maturity when kicking down the line with nothing on rather than feeling forced to create. It unravelled from there, though, and he was fortunate he bounced back up unhurt from a mighty second-half hit by the magical Tuilagi.
GARRY RINGROSE – 4
This was an eighth outing for his still-fledgling midfield partnership with Bundee Aki and they had their hands full containing England’s desire to play with width and get the barnstorming Tuilagi into the contest. Ringrose showed eagerness with an intuitive 12th minute tackle when shooting out of the line, while he was also alert in securing loose ball on his team’s 22 midway through the half. However, he was part of the general defensive malaise thereafter and the video review won’t be kind.
World Cup credentials built and destroyed in 80 mins at Twickenham #RugbyWorldCup #ENGvsIRL pic.twitter.com/HNQWhnxgIc
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 24, 2019
BUNDEE AKI – 4
Needed to show his maturity at this level with rookie Ross Byrne operating inside him, but the necessary leadership didn’t materialise. There was one turnover won on 17 minutes when Ireland were still abrasive but he was culpably passive when the pressure ratcheted up with England going from two points down into a 19-point lead in a 17-minute spell either side of the break. Scored a late try but that wasn’t even a consolation.
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JACOB STOCKDALE – 3
His outing was reminiscent of the flustered nightmare Bowe experienced when Ireland lost a 2015 World Cup warm-up in London. That cost Bowe his starting spot when the finals started and there will be an inquest now about his fellow Ulsterman. Stockdale is a natural going forward, his instinct illustrated by how his ninth minute kick ahead that left three England players confused and Larmour scoring. However, he was exposed for all three first-half tries, falling prey to the temptation every time of getting sucked in too narrow and not making a move-stopping tackle.
ROSS BYRNE – 4
Ian Madigan’s inexperience as a starter in the No10 slot was singled out as a prime reason why Ireland crashed out of the 2015 World Cup with Johnny Sexton injured. The soundings were this situation would never arise again, yet here were Ireland in London handing a first Test start to the Leinster back-up for Sexton a month out from their latest finals campaign. Byrne showed pluck off the tee, nailing an excellent touchline conversion with his first attempt, and he illustrated further confidence with a chip cross-field to Kearney. From there, though, his afternoon disintegrated, highlighting how much of a giant leap he will have to make at this level.
CONOR MURRAY – 4
He picked up from where he finished off last season, lacking sharpness and being unable to give Ireland badly needed composure. The early signs were worrying. He was too slow to prevent an Itoje steal at an Irish ruck and then threw a forward pass. This unease eventually cost points, Murray caught out patrolling the short side of the scrum as England gallivanted away on the other side to score their opening try. Came through his HIA test after a collision with Jonny May, but offered little after returning and soon left again.
CIAN HEALY – 5
Left Ireland with their hearts in their mouths when looking in serious pain on the Twickenham turf a minute before the interval. Thankfully, he walked off to be replaced despite having an ankle that needs to be scanned. He will have left knowing his effort wasn’t a major part in his team’s destruction as he was one of the rare few who stood up. Did concede the opening three points, getting penalised at the scrum.
RORY BEST (capt) – 3
This was an afternoon when the 37-year-old looked as if he is over the hill and rolling fast down the other side. There was no effective leadership shown amid his pack’s shredding and his inaccuracy at the lineout was mortifying. You would have thought after losing three of five throws in the first half, the interval chat would have been to treat the bleed and take no risks. However, failure to find Iain Henderson at the tail on halfway left to Itoje scoring just four minutes after the restart.
Ohhhhhhhh @maroitoje ?
Watch live now on @SkySports Main Event. #ENGvIRE #CarryThemHome pic.twitter.com/QheS4KJTVf
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) August 24, 2019
TADHG FURLONG – 4
Looked like a guy who has been on a programme of heavy training and is some way away from his peak. Brought none of the energetic power that is now an expected part of his game away from the set-piece and his forgettable afternoon was summed up by his missed tackle on try-scoring Itoje’s run to the line early in the second half.
IAIN HENDERSON – 4
Started promisingly as it was his forceful steal at an England maul that stole Ireland the possession which led to Larmour’s try. There was also some breakdown foraging, including a penalty win for English holding on midway through the opening half, but there the positives dead-ended. His lineout calling was amateurish, putting too much pressure on the unreliable Best, and he had no answers to the sublime Itoje show.
JEAN KLEYN – 3
A second start for the South African who has been catapulted into the Test mix after becoming eligible under residency this month and he had a chastening time. He was left unsupported on first ruck carry in the opening minute, having the ball taken by Itoje, and his dull performance never picked up from there.
Everyone In
Warming up in Twickenham #ENGvIRE #TeamOfUs #ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/39HB4lQpnb
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) August 24, 2019
PETER O’MAHONY – 4
He knew he needed to get through the ugly stuff but he had no answer to the breakdown scavenging of a superior, physical England pack. Even bread and butter stuff went awry, Itoje pilfering a first-half lineout off him which was hugely deflating.
JOSH VAN DER FLIER – 4
There is a huge focus on him with injured duo Sean O’Brien and Dan Leavy both out of the World Cup picture and this effort won’t do his credentials much good as he was anonymous compared to the likes of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill. He was busy with his tackling for a time, but that was about it in a back row that lacked balance and cohesion as a trio.
CJ STANDER – 3
He has a habit of failing to make an impact when up against Billy Vunipola for club and country and his contribution was again minimal. He is traditionally a slow enough starter nearly every club season, taking a while to get up to pace, but he doesn’t have that luxury in a World Cup year. His despairing tackle as Tuilagi skipped in to score signified the lethargy, the No8 arriving across way too slowly off the back of the scrum. Also offered nothing in the ball-carrying department.
WATCH: Here’s how Maro Itoje set the scene with RugbyPass ahead of England’s match with Ireland
Comments on RugbyPass
Hope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
1 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
9 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
39 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
9 Go to comments