Ireland player ratings vs Springboks | Rugby World Cup 2023
Ireland have secured a titanic 13-8 win over the Springboks in Paris to give themselves the best possible chance of topping Pool B at the Rugby World Cup – and earning a quarter-final against the All Blacks.
While it was a low scoring match, there was no lack of big hits, audacious shows of skill or heart-in-mouth moments to keep fans entertained.
How did the Irish players rate in victory?
1. Andrew Porter – 7/10
Put in a big shift on both sides of the ball, lasting almost the full 80. Felt the full weight of the bomb squad in the second half, conceding a couple of penalties in the process. At least won one back of his own at the end of the third quarter. Some good counter-rucking in the final 10 minutes helped Ireland grab a turnover. Off in 75th minute.
2. Ronan Kelleher – 5
Set the early standard with a big hit on Damian Willemse from the kick-off but then couldn’t find his target with his first four lineouts. Finished with nine successes from 14 deliveries, which could have proved costly. One of a number of forwards forced to make a significant number of tackles in the first half. Off in 53rd minute.
3. Tadhg Furlong – 5
Free-kicked then penalised for early hits at the scrum. Put in one stinging tackle on Eben Etzebeth. Like Porter, wasn’t able to weather the storm brought by the Springboks’ second-half replacements – but scrummaging against a fresh South African pack is no easy feat. Off in 64th minute.
4. Tadhg Beirne – 7
Ferocious on defence and carried resolutely. Made a good steal at the breakdown but then rushed the delivery to Doris who dropped the pass. Missed RG Snyman when the big Springbok charged down the middle of the park.
5. James Ryan – 6
Not the most impactful performance from the experienced lock. Worked tirelessly to disrupt the breakdown but wasn’t as prominent on defence or with the ball in hand. Off in 53rd minute.
6. Peter O’Mahony – 7
The safest pair of hands at the lineout. Great work at the set-piece early in the second half saw Ireland win a throw-in. Tackled his heart out. Off in 64th minute.
7. Josh van der Flier – 8
Led the way on defence in the first half. Made a big carry in the lead-up to Ireland’s first try of the night to generate some important go-forward. The only starting Ireland forward to take all his lineout deliveries. Forced a breakdown penalty shortly before halftime.
8. Caelan Doris – 7
Good work at the first lineout to snare the ball back after a steal from South Africa. Dropped the ball centimetres from the line to end a promising Ireland attack. Couldn’t shift his opposite number when Jasper Wiese latched onto the ball. Pinged at the maul. Lifted his carrying game in the second half and finished as Ireland’s top tackler.
9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 8
Dealt well with plenty of pressure from the big South African forwards. Put in a strong shift on defence around the breakdown (helped James Lowe get Eben Etzebeth off the ground) and gave his teammates good service. Off in 66th minute.
10. Johnny Sexton – 7
Ireland collectively held their breath when Sexton was left clutching his wrist following an attempted tackle on Damian de Allende – but the experienced No 10 played on. Moments later he was weaving some magic inside South Africa’s 22 to orchestrate some space out wide for Ireland to profit. Couldn’t quite unlock the South African defence but certainly forced it to work hard. Hit double figures on defence. Off in 73rd minute.
11. James Lowe – 7
Made a couple of errors but likewise made some key contributions in the win. Forced one breakdown penalty and also won a turnover on his own tryline. On the other end of the spectrum, an awful kick from inside Ireland’s in-goal after some good defence from his teammates handed South Africa prime attacking position. Quick hands gave Mack Hansen the space he needed to dot down for Ireland’s opening score. Got in underneath Etzebeth when the towering Springboks lock was charging towards the line and with a bit of help from his teammates, was able to force a turnover.
12. Bundee Aki – 9
Defended superbly close to Ireland’s try line. Made a scorching break near the half-hour mark, busting through Willemse and racing 50 metres up to the field to give his team some excellent territory. Popped up on the left wing moments later for another significant gain. Made ground with almost every carry – 14 of them! Copped a penalty in the second half for sealing off the breakdown but won a turnover of his own with time almost up on the clock.
13. Garry Ringrose – 8
Made an excellent covering tackle on Jesse Kriel to prevent a likely South African try. His excellent triple pump pass released Keenan down the wing in the early stages of the game. Rushed out of the line to put a big hit on De Allende at the beginning of the second quarter but was bounced to the ground and left the field for an HIA. Returned to the field late in the half and immediately – with time almost up on the clock – made two big hits with Ireland eventually getting rewarded at the breakdown.
14. Mack Hansen – 6
Bravely leapt into the air to take a few high balls – and was immediately punished by the South African defenders every time he returned to terra firma. Grabbed the first try of the night – but came oh-so-close to almost running dead.
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15. Hugo Keenan – 6
Tough to bring to deck when he was given space. Made a brilliant break early in the match down the left-hand flank, cutting between two defenders to get within five metres of the try line. Didn’t have the best of luck under the high ball but always looked interested.
Reserves
16. Dan Sheehan – 5
On in 53rd minute. Copped a couple of penalties – including one of the final two that could have killed the win for Ireland. Wasn’t able to get his running game going in his World Cup debut but hit his two lineouts.
17. Dave Kilcoyne – N/A
On in 75th minute.
18. Finlay Bealham – 6
On in 64th minute. Added genuine impact and held up his side of the scrum well.
19. Iain Henderson – 6
On in 53rd minute. Toiled tirelessly.
20. Ryan Baird – N/A
On in 64th minute.
21. Conor Murray – 7
On in 66th minute. Immediately won a breakdown penalty and made one big tackle to shut down a Springboks attack.
22. Jack Crowley – N/A
On in 73rd minute. Nailed one (admittedly straightforward) crucial penalty.
23. Robbie Henshaw – 6
On in 22nd minute as a temporary replacement for Ringrose and then permanently in the 64th minute. Put in an unusual cross-field kick. Tackled well but didn’t feature with the ball.
Comments on RugbyPass
Does a blitz defence not have a weekness against a well-placed grubber kick, perhaps angled cleverly. All the defence is up and the full-back can only cover so much ground. Thoughts?
28 Go to commentsWhile Iose is destructive in the Canes set-up, he is not big for an international 8 and could struggle against the top teams. With his speed, he could be developed into a seven but, as Ben points out, he doesn’t show a scavenging game with the Canes or make dominating tackles. Sotutu has shown a step up this year and attitude plus motivation seems to be the big areas of growth. Deserves another AB shot imo.
3 Go to commentsNaholo is my only question mark for this side. He wasn’t the only one who had a forgettable game against the Brumbies but he was passive, defensively poor and generally lacked energy. Needs to get a whole lot busier for me. I would have liked to see Sullivan on that wing with Higgins on the bench (if staying with a 6-2 as BeegMike points out on here!)
3 Go to commentsWell, I am sure that Eben said exactly what he meant to say, exactly how he meant to say it. Does he strike you as a man that doesn't know arrogance when he sees it. He should know it because he has shaken the arrogance out of many foes before.
128 Go to commentsPls get it into your thick arrogant heads that the final was played by two Southern Hemisphere teams. The best against the best and that Argentina was just unlucky otherwise non of the Northetn Hemisphere teams would have seen the light of day.
128 Go to commentsAs long as New Zealand youth are involved in sport they are passionate for, and are well supported, it’s all good. I love league as well as rugby. NRL clubs have long since scouted the First 15 competitions, the NH and Japan scout super rugby and NPC. It’s a miracle there’s any players left for the all blacks to pick from.
4 Go to commentsI'm a Bok fan, so I don't say this lightly, but he is one of my all time favourite players. I am really going to miss watching him play. Thanks for many great memories. You are a true legend of the game.
3 Go to commentsBest way to deal with all of this is to play another game.
128 Go to commentsIt’s 12-15 games Luke. Ringrose has barely played in 2024 and Henshaw and Keenan have also been out for spells in the same time period. There are always injuries and for younger players to play with the likes of Barrett will be great for them. It’s just looking for negatives where there are none.
5 Go to commentsAndy Goode pushing his own agenda with very dubious considerations on refereeing performances. Luke Pearce speaking a bit of French doesn’t make him a good and adequate referee for the Champions Cup final; his latest refereeing performance in particular was not so great.
4 Go to commentsJordie knows that he has to earn the right to put on the jersey, whatever that jersey might be.
5 Go to commentsThe best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
3 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
4 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
128 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
3 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
4 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to comments