Ireland player ratings vs New Zealand | Nations Championship 2026

Ireland player ratings: A mammoth task awaited Andy Farrell’s men at Eden Park, but this was one in which Ireland repeatedly shot themselves in the proverbial foot. Endless errors, ill-discipline and basic execution failures meant they never really got a look-in, while the All Blacks were utterly ruthless whenever an opportunity presented itself. Ireland’s defensive system malfunctioned too often and too many tackles were slipped.

To their credit, they fought back valiantly and stopped the scoreboard from becoming truly ugly, but much of this 40-21 defeat felt like damage limitation.

1. Tom O’Toole – 6
Not flawless, but deserves some credit for a scrum that held up better than many expected against quality opposition. There were a few costly pre-engagement penalties and he was partly implicated for New Zealand’s opening try, but there was enough set-piece stability to prevent things getting completely out of hand.

2. Dan Sheehan – 6.5
The captain started brightly with a good early lineout and a strong 20-metre carry. Unfortunately, he was pinged for a break-foot infringement at the first scrum and later penalised for offside as Ireland’s discipline continued to creak. Worked hard throughout and never stopped competing. Deserves credit for Ireland’s improved set-piece.

3. Tadhg Furlong – 6
Like O’Toole, by no means perfect, but part of a front row that gave Ireland a more solid scrum platform than they often enjoyed of late. A couple of penalties dented his afternoon, yet there was enough graft in the fundamentals to earn a pass mark.

4. Joe McCarthy – 8
Ireland’s best player. Right in the thick of an early set-to with the New Zealand pack and brought the sort of physical edge his side badly needed. Muscled his way over for Ireland’s second try after initially being repelled and was one of the few Irish forwards consistently winning collisions. A proper Big Joe shift.

5. James Ryan – 5.5
Got through a mountain of work but a fumble on 12 minutes killed a promising attack deep in the New Zealand 22. Tried to bring energy and physicality but, like so many around him, struggled to maintain accuracy when Ireland desperately needed it.

6. Tadhg Beirne – 6.5
A bit of a mixed bag. Produced some smart moments, including a crucial intervention that helped foil an All Blacks attack by legally slapping a loose ball back into Irish hands. There were decent defensive contributions and some trademark breakdown nuisance, but errors also crept in, notably a dropped pass that bounced into touch.

7. Josh van der Flier – 6
One of several forwards who spent long periods firefighting and shipped a shot to the head from Luke Jacobsen. Put himself about defensively and tackled diligently in difficult circumstances. Didn’t have many opportunities to influence matters in attack as Ireland struggled for field position and continuity.

8. Jack Conan – 8
Picked a superb line to crash over for Ireland’s first try when his side desperately needed a foothold in the contest. Carried strongly and kept competing despite the scoreboard pressure. One of Ireland’s more effective ball carriers on the day.

9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 5
Not his finest game in green. A soft penalty for pushing Damian McKenzie in midfield summed up some of the frustrations. The service wasn’t consistently sharp and there were some questionable decisions and poor passes. That said, he was arguably more sinned against than sinning at times, with several team-mates making life very difficult around him.

10. Sam Prendergast – 5.5
A curious evening. Defensively, there was genuine commitment and he deserves credit for getting stuck in, while a lovely pass created Hugo Keenan’s second-half try. However, far too much of his distribution fell into the slop category. One attacking platform disappeared when he popped a pass straight into touch in the New Zealand 22 and another poor pass found touch on 48 minutes. Ended up with four missed tackles, but the defensive intent was better than some might assume.

11. Jimmy O’Brien – 5
A difficult day. Returned from a blood injury only to help derail a promising midfield attack shortly afterwards. Competed gamely in the aerial battle but New Zealand generally came off best there too. Penalised for tackling Reuben Love in the air and never really managed to get going with ball in hand.

12. Stuart McCloskey – 4.5
A nightmare first half. Defensively he was under severe pressure and Ireland’s midfield repeatedly looked vulnerable. An appalling no-look pass from deep inside Ireland’s own 22 effectively gifted Will Jordan a try and he was later turned over just five metres from the New Zealand line when Ireland desperately needed points. There were one or two decent carries after the break, but not enough to repair the damage.

13. Garry Ringrose – 5.5
Started poorly with a dropped pass before being held up in a choke tackle that killed another attack. To his credit, he responded with a big turnover after some excellent work from O’Brien and remained involved throughout.

14. Robert Baloucoune – 5
Never got much of a sniff in attack and looked slightly naive in defence at times. Missed an important tackle on Tupou Vaa’i and later lost possession in contact, with the All Blacks quickly converting the ensuing territory into points. Shot out of the line on New Zealand’s fifth try after spotting the overlap, but couldn’t prevent the score. A tough afternoon.

15. Hugo Keenan – 6
Not at his accurate best. Missed a tackle on McKenzie and some of his defensive work contributed to Ireland’s problems. He was unable to prevent New Zealand’s fifth try as the defence stretched alarmingly. However, he took his try well after being put away brilliantly by Prendergast and remained a willing runner throughout.

Replacements – 5
Some decent value-add from the bench without anyone dramatically shifting the momentum. Ciaran Frawley was in the wars after taking a nasty accidental knee to the head and seemed permanently in and out of the blood bin. Jeremy Loughman and Thomas Clarkson were reasonable enough, Nick Timoney added some welcome beef to the pack and an ageing Bundee Aki brought a bit of bite in contact across two separate stints. Sean Jansen, after impressing a week earlier, faded into the background somewhat, while Craig Casey had little opportunity in six minutes to influence proceedings.