Ireland player ratings vs Samoa
This was more like it from Ireland, a convincing seven-try 47-5 win over Samoa in Fukuoka that will inflate optimism that they just might be able to create history next weekend by winning a World Cup quarter-final for the first time.
Sitting top of Pool A on 16 points, they won’t know until Sunday exactly when and who they will face in that knockout stage match.
A typhoon-enforced cancellation of the Japan-Scotland match would see both those teams awarded two points each, enough for the tournament’s host nation to join Ireland on 16 points, top the pool by virtue of having the better head-to-head and secure the quarter-final versus South Africa that would direct a second-place Ireland into a meeting with defending champions New Zealand.
Whatever the outcome of that particular conundrum, Ireland can at least go forward into the last-eight with their wavering confidence somewhat restored after a fortnight where they were defeated by the Japanese and were scratchy versus minnows Russia.
Unlike in those previous two outings, where they enjoyed respective early 12-3 and 14-0 leads and then went on to struggle, here they encouragingly built on the 21-0 advantage they had locked in by the 21st minute, even competently offsetting the damage that was Bundee Aki’s 29th minute red card.
(Continue reading below…)
That expulsion is likely to rule the high-tackling Aki out of the remainder of the tournament, but in the likes of the rejuvenated Johnny Sexton-Conor Murray partnership and the pack aggression exhibited by soldiers such as Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan, a foundation exists for Ireland to build on despite the fact that Samoa were unquestionably a very poor side. Here’s how RugbyPass rated the Irish players:
15. Jordan Larmour – 7
A safe pair of hands in his third start at full-back in Ireland’s last eight games. Lit up the contest with his first major front foot impression, executing a beautiful show-and-go on 21 minutes approaching the 22 to zip between Ed Fidow and Jack Lam to set up Sexton’s first try. Was held up over the line on 48 minutes but made it over to score off the next play from a whipped Murray pass. Has left Joe Schmidt with a quarter-final decision on whether to stick by him or recall veteran Rob Kearney.
14. Keith Earls – 5
A generally quiet game by his considerably high standards. Threw a loose pass on 33 minutes that temporarily handed Samoa the initiative to try and claw their way back. Much improved in the second half. Made one early break. Was then illegally blocked for a potential try on 47 minutes off a Sexton grubber kick and then ran the smart decoy that allowed Murray put Larmour in.
Ireland vs Samoa kicks off in just over half an hour in Fukuoka.
Follow our match centre here | https://t.co/AVVpc11heA pic.twitter.com/9iX5Sm1z20— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 12, 2019
13. Robbie Henshaw – 4
Rusty contribution in only his seventh start in partnership with the 23-cap Aki – and only their second together since June 2018. His first start at this World Cup after a hamstring injury was very flawed. During the opening half there was a soft knock-on as Sexton went on the loop, a penalty at the ruck which laid the platform for Samoa’s lone try and then it was his wild pass that created the awkward situation which led to Aki’s red card on 29 minutes. Hooked on 62 minutes.
12. Bundee Aki – 3
A night to forget. Got lucky with a risky pass on 13 minutes that was intercepted but fortunately called back for a penalty. That good fortune evaporated 16 minutes later when Henshaw’s passing inaccuracy exposed him and he frantically clattered into Ulupano Seuteni with a shoulder to the head. With his red card unlikely to be rescinded, his World Cup looks over as three weeks is the average ban at the tournament.
11. Jacob Stockdale – 5
Shaken early on by a shoulder to the head from Seilala Lam, who was yellow carded for the collision. Showed appetite to hunt on opposite flank when necessary. Also made important interception in his 22 on 30 minutes to snuff out Samoa’s first attack after the red card. Featured little in attack after Ireland were reduced to 14 and narrowed their approach.
10. Johnny Sexton – 9
Coughed up a couple of possessions but otherwise produced a Rolls Royce display that owed so much to his long experience in the game. Exerted near total control and was rewarded with two well-taken first-half tries, the second on 39 minutes off a Murray pass being especially crucial as it secured the try bonus point and also created a necessary three-score advantage going into the second half. Pulled on 50 minutes for Joey Carbery to help ensure he is flying fit for quarter-final.
9. Conor Murray – 9
Was the epitome of composure for nearly all of his 53 minutes on the loose-turfed Fukuoka pitch. Noticed early that Samoa were filling the back field to counter any kicks, so he relied more heavily on a pass that looked very slick and was the assist for a couple of tries. Wasn’t completely perfect, though. His pass on 24 minutes eluded Cian Healy and provided Samoa the impetus for their only try.
1. Cian Healy – 6
Generally did what he needed to do to help Ireland exert the type of physicality necessary to subdue the Samoan big-hitters. Missed a few tackles and gave up a penalty at the scrum for not driving straight. Was otherwise diligent in producing 57 minutes of honest graft before giving way to Dave Kilcoyne.
The scene is set by @heagneyl as Joe Schmidt's Ireland prepare for their all-important tussle with Samoa in Fukuokahttps://t.co/43J3LUqMI8
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 11, 2019
2. Rory Best – 6
Similar to Healy, he was off kilter with a couple of tackles but the nuts and bolts of his game were on the money, particularly his lineout throwing. Opened the scoring with an early maul try that set the tempo. Then, as with Sexton, Murray, Furlong and Ryan, he was whipped off early enough with the job done at 33-5.
3. Tadhg Furlong – 9
The pick of the starting Ireland forwards. Lack of serious heft in the carry undermined the pack effort in the loss to Japan, but he led the drive here with a reported 23-metre gain off five first-half carries. Exhibited excellent footwork to claim a ninth-minute try and then gobbled up the first Samoan lineout before nearly grabbing a second try two minutes before the break only to be held up short. His last act was earning the early second-half penalty that gave Ireland the platform to build the pressure that led to the game-ending fifth try.
4. Iain Henderson – 6
Look better this week but the major question will be can he now go on and string two calibre performances together back-to-back, which has been a repetitive weakness in his game. Took the lineout catch for opening try from Best on four minutes and did so again for the maul-initiated move that sparked Furlong’s score. Struggled to break the gain line on the carry but went the full 80 to highlight his engine on the night.
5. James Ryan – 8
Curiously made Ireland’s first mistake, knocking on as they countered on the kick-off receipt following the restart at 7-0. Highlighting this error equates to nit-picking, though, as he was once more the general in setting the tone and was to the fore in helping to ensure that Ireland didn’t blink on this occasion as they did against Japan and Russia following similarly promising starts. Showed his latent athleticism with an excellent steal when Samoa had a 16th minute lineout in the Irish 22. Lasted 57 minutes before giving way to Jean Kleyn.
6. Tadhg Beirne – 7
Finally appeared as if his face fitted at this level with Ireland. Was busy throughout his hour-long contribution before allowing Peter O’Mahony a 20-minute run and there will surely be a selection debate on whether Beirne’s ball carrying ability is more valuable to Ireland than O’Mahony’s nuisance value on the other side of the ball. Was called on at the first Irish lineout, which his seamlessly caught, and his performance built from there.
7. Josh van der Flier – 6
The chopper was his team’s busiest tackler, which is his selection calling card. Was held up short on 45 minutes before Furlong got over without grounding, but the question remains does he do enough on the ball to give Ireland the best shot at creating history by winning a quarter-final?
Ireland promised after 2015 they would not be caught winging it at the 2019 RWC with an inexperienced out-half starting at No10 in a big match in place of Johnny Sexton, but they have not delivered on that aim https://t.co/Y2QThUAiJW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 27, 2019
8. CJ Stander – 6
Another whose tackling was more miss than hit in the opening half, but he came more into the fray in the second half when multiple mainstays of the team were substituted early. His try on 65 minutes rounded off a lengthy series of pick-and-go during the period when Samoa had their second yellow card. Will need to be better next weekend in the early stages.
Replacements
16. Niall Scannell – 6
Arrived in for Best on 50 minutes and continued Ireland’s efficiency at the lineout as well as showing up in the general exchanges.
17. Dave Kilcoyne – 5
Had done well in other appearances this season in getting his hands on the ball but his impact was limited here during the 23 minutes he was on for Healy.
18. Andrew Porter – 6
The first replacement sent on by Schmidt, replacing Furlong on 45 minutes. Readily volunteered to make some hard yards in the tight during a period of the game when Ireland’s attack severely narrowed and revolved around the pick-and-go.
19. Jean Kleyn – 5
Was like Porter in pitching in with hard-won minuscule carries in the tight during his 23 minutes for Ryan. Held up over the line on 62
20. Peter O’Mahony – 5
Looked out on his feet versus Russia and was rightly limited to a 20-minute role off the bench here to allow Beirne find his feet. Didn’t have much to do when he appeared.
21. Luke McGrath – 6
Introduced on 53 minutes to give the invaluable Murray a rest, he relatively kept the tempo high to assist Ireland secure two more tries and round off their comfortable win.
22. Joey Carbery – 6
Thrown in on 50 minutes for Sexton with the result already in the bag. Showed encouraging vision to execute the sweet kick that put Andrew Conway in for his try.
23. Andrew Conway – 6
This guy’s enthusiasm is infectious and he is developing a canny knack of delivering the goods, fastening onto Carbery’s grubber to score on 70 minutes.
WATCH: What rugby fans can expect in Fukuoka at night during the World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
I like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to comments