Ireland player ratings vs Maori All Blacks
It was not a good start for Ireland in their tour of New Zealand as they fell to the Maori All Blacks 32-17 at the FMG Stadium Waikato on Wednesday.
Andy Farrell’s men were able to claw back a 32-10 half-time deficit to win the second-half, but an ill-disciplined opening 40 minutes did all the damage as the visitors looked disorganised and were tactically naive. Worse still for Farrell, a number of players went off with what looked to be serious injuries, including frontline prop Cian Healy. Centre James Hume also picked up what appeared to be a tour ending injury, and Jeremy Loughman came off at half-time with a head injury.
Not many players put their hand up for consideration to face the All Blacks this Saturday, but there were some standout performances. Here is how the players rated:
15. Jimmy O’Brien*- 6.5
A mixed bag from the boot from the fullback during his hour on the field. A deft attacking attacking kick early on almost resulted in a try for Jordan Larmour, but he was guilty of a number of loose kicks in the first-half which led to a 50:22 and a counter attack try. Kicking did improve in the second-half.
14. Jordan Larmour- 6
Grew into the game and was gifted a bit more space in the second-half to show off his feet, but was part of a back three that were in disarray at points. Larmour was one of the players that would have wanted to stake a claim to be part of the matchday 23 against the All Blacks, but did not shine as much as he would have wanted.
13. James Hume- 5
Limped off the field early in the second-half after a quiet first half that was marked by trying to quell the Maori All Blacks’ attack in the outside channels. Tour looks to be over after a great season.
12. Bundee Aki (c)- 5.5
Of course scored an impressive try in the first half, but had a game that was marred by a string of penalties, often at the ruck for not releasing or rolling away. An emotionally charged game for Aki, and that manifested itself with some good and bad flashes.
11. Keith Earls- 5.5
Saw a lot of action in the first-half defensively as the Maori All Blacks frequently attacked down his left wing. That may not necessarily have been his fault, but there were often huge swathes of space in the back field that the opposition either kicked into or exploited with ball in hand.
10. Ciaran Frawley*- 5.5
Leinster’s Frawley was never really able to grab hold of the game the way he would have liked, which was partly down to the conditions. The 24-year-old produced a few kicks in the first-half that just gifted the hosts with attacking opportunities, but that was endemic in the entire back line. His kicking tightened up in the second-half and as a result Ireland were able to exert more pressure, but he still didn’t pull the strings the way he would have wanted and was caught in contact a few times which led to penalties.
9. Craig Casey- 7.5
Seemed on his own at times trying to pick up the tempo in the first-half, and persistently looked threatening around the breakdown by either sniping himself or bringing players into the game. Was quieter in the second-half, but stood up when it counted.
1. Jeremy Loughman*- 5
Went off within 90 seconds for an HIA and though he did return to the field, he was replaced by Cian Healy at half-time. Played in a half where Ireland were often on the back foot, and was unceremoniously marched back in the scrum.
2. Dave Heffernan- 5.5
Picked up his performance in the second-half and started to carry well, although he produced a poor error when Ireland were applying pressure by knocking on a tap and go.
3. Tom O’Toole- 7
Huge shift from the tighthead O’Toole going the full 80 minutes, and despite the one scrum in the first half where Ireland were marched back on their own put in, he produced a few scrum penalties.
4. Joe McCarthy*- 5
Was full of enthusiasm in his first match for Ireland for the 50 minutes he was on the field, but that enthusiasm spilled over into ill discipline and handling errors when trying to force an offload. Was pinged by Wayne Barnes a couple of times in the first half for being offside and not rolling away, but he was not the only one.
5. Kieran Treadwell- 6
An industrious game although fairly quiet. Solid in the lineout and most other areas of the game. Did not damage his chances of playing against the All Blacks, but perhaps did not boost them either.
6. Cian Prendergast*- 6
Got through a huge amount in defence, running tirelessly from touchline to touchline. However, he was guilty of missing a crucial tackle in the build up to Cullen Grace’s try.
7. Nick Timoney- 7
A strong carrier throughout the 80 minutes and was at the heart of any momentum that Ireland were able to build, and stood out in the first-half when Ireland seemed shy of a few players to make hard yards. Timoney’s carrying suited the way Farrell wants Ireland to play.
8. Gavin Coombes- 8
Had a hand in both of Ireland’s tries, assisting Aki’s with a well timed pass and scoring the second himself. Probably the best Irish player on the field, and put his hand up for Test selection.
Replacements- 6
Though the entire bench was not used, they had a tough job trying to turn the game around. Niall Scannell impressed after only arriving in New Zealand yesterday.
* denotes first appearance for Ireland
Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments