IRELAND MID-TERM REPORT: Captain Sexton, Stander and Ryan lead the way but room for improvement at Twickenham
Ireland have enjoyed an excellent start to their Six Nations campaign, beating Scotland and Wales on successive Saturdays in Dublin during the opening weeks of the new Andy Farrell era.
But how has each member of Farrell’s squad got on? Here, RugbyPass grades all 25 players used so far – 14 forwards and eleven backs – ahead of their down-week camp in Cork in preparation for their Triple Crown trip to England on February 23.
PROPS (4)
Tadhg Furlong: A
Monster effort. Just look at enthusiasm to get up from a scrum penalty advantage to barge over the Welsh line two phases later. Also, some smashing energy in the tackle, especially late on versus the Scots.
MINS 144 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 28/4 CARRIES 16 METRES MADE 52 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/1 PENS CONCEDED 2
Cian Healy: C-
Overstayed his welcome versus Scotland due to injuries elsewhere and was then the tamest member of the pack versus Wales. Not the full-on Healy we know. Too many penalties conceded.
MINS 117 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 16/2 CARRIES 7 METRES MADE 12 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/1 PENS CONCEDED 3
(Continue reading below…)
The RugbyPod reflects on round two of the Guinness Six Nations
Dave Kilcoyne: C
Concussion caused Ireland headache against Scotland but his vitality was important seven days later. Offers different threat than Healy in the loose and has the potential to cause debate regarding the No1 jersey.
MINS 31 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 10/2 CARRIES 2 METRES MADE 14 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
Andrew Porter: C-
Struggled when introduced off the round one bench but was more up to speed a week later.
MINS 28 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 4/1 CARRIES 5 METRES MADE 21 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
HOOKERS (2)
Rob Herring: B
Fantastic he is making his name at Test level two months shy of his 30th birthday. Has repaid leap of faith by Farrell as Schmidt had Niall Scannell lined up as Rory Best’s more likely successor.
MINS 138 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 21/2 CARRIES 13 METRES MADE 60 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/1 PENS CONCEDED 1
Ronan Kelleher: C-
One to watch in the long run. Just two fleeting cameos so far off the bench for the newcomer, but he hasn’t let himself down adapting to new surroundings.
MINS 22 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 7/0 CARRIES 2 METRES MADE 0 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
Faz Snr vs. Faz Jnr???????????????????????
This father versus son battle plot twist is pure box office
– @heagneyl on the Triple Crown saga that's bound to be the talk of the #GuinnessSixNations for the next two weekshttps://t.co/uyfQOEFADs
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 9, 2020
SECOND ROWS (3)
James Ryan: A
Does his engine ever slow down? Incredible workrate on both sides of the ball and an incredible number of metres made carrying. Only work on is those turnovers conceded.
MINS 160 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 36/2 CARRIES 25 METRES MADE 104 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 1/3 PENS CONCEDED 2
Iain Henderson: B
Some errors in the loose take the shine off what he invaluably offers in the tight. Provided the right type of niggle to undermine the Scots and was at it again against the Welsh.
MINS 133 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 24/2 CARRIES 15 METRES MADE 46 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 4/1 PENS CONCEDED 3
Devin Toner: C
Deserved the warm ovation he got when taking the field as a sub against Scotland. Was shabbily treated by Schmidt, but his presence in Farrell’s squad has helped some young Leinster forwards settle into Test level surroundings.
MINS 27 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 8/0 CARRIES 1 METRES MADE 4 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/1 PENS CONCEDED 0
Just one of those days for AWJ having to deal with a pestering POM everywhere he went ? #IREvWAL #SixNations pic.twitter.com/dUbQrT1Njm
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 8, 2020
BACK ROWS (5)
Josh van der Flier: B
Injuries and Sean O’Brien limited his previous Six Nations campaigns, but this can be his year. Pushed to the pin of the collar by the Scots but more accurate a week later.
MINS 160 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 28/5 CARRIES 6 METRES MADE 30 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 1/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
CJ Stander: A
Like a jumbo on a runway, he can be slow to take off but that hasn’t happened in this tournament. Exceptional so far, as if his initial selection at No6 and not No8 against Scotland fired him up to prove a point.
MINS 159 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 30/2 CARRIES 26 METRES MADE 101 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 5/0 PENS CONCEDED 3
Peter O’Mahony: A
A bear with the sore head after being dropped to the bench by Farrell to accommodate Doris, but got his break and hasn’t looked back in making his presence very much felt. Has even added some uncharacteristic carries to his game.
MINS 147 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 24/2 CARRIES 6 METRES 18 MADE TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 1/1 PENS CONCEDED 1
Caelan Doris: No Grade
A shame he was concussed just minutes into debut versus Scotland. With consensus suggesting Ireland’s back row needed a change in dynamic, he was primed to provide it and had won an excellent turnover.
MINS 4 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 4/0 CARRIES 0 METRES MADE 0 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 1/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
Max Deegan: C-
Another of the latest batch of taxis off the Leinster rank, his debut was brief last Saturday versus the Welsh. Needs more time to become better accustomed to the demands of Test level.
MINS 9 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 1/1 CARRIES 0 METRES MADE 0 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/0 PENS CONCEDED 1
The feisty Irish veteran has taken to the captaincy rather inspiringly https://t.co/1LhB7I93A7
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 8, 2020
SCRUM-HALVES (2)
Conor Murray: B
What’s that old saying – form is temporary and class is permanent. He personified this over successive Saturdays, highly raising his round two game and justifying Farrell’s faith in him.
MINS 133 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 6/4 CARRIES 11 METRES MADE 34 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/2 PENS CONCEDED 2
John Cooney: C-
Omitting Murray and starting Cooney was a step too far for Farrell’s new broom, which essentially has been starting the same Schmidt players and trying to use them differently. Must start versus Italy, though.
MINS 27 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 11/0 CARRIES 1 METRES MADE 0 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
OUT-HALVES (2)
Johnny Sexton: A
Captaincy has put rejuvenated life in old legs. Despite the doubts over his temperament, he has led the side excellently and mixed up his game far better than in a miserable 2019.
MINS 143 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 19/3 CARRIES 16 METRES MADE 85 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/2 PENS CONCEDED 0
Ross Byrne: C-
Makes it look easy when stepping in for Sexton at club level but catching the eye at this level is a tougher process and will take time. Next stop Twickenham, where he disasterously lost out on RWC selection last August.
MINS 17 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 4/0 CARRIES 2 METRES MADE 14 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
PLAYER RATINGS@heagneyl rates the Irish players #IREvWAL #GuinnessSixNations https://t.co/iUtWamtrus
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 8, 2020
CENTRES (4)
Garry Ringrose: B-
What is it about the Ireland No13 shirt? Ever since Jared Payne started getting injured, it has been a revolving door due to bumps and bangs. Ringrose had some good moments, though, before finger injury versus Scots.
MINS 40 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 3/1 CARRIES 7 METRES MADE 74 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/1 PENS CONCEDED 0
Bundee Aki: B
Remains prone to missing tackles but his attitude has been excellent in helping Ireland go two from two. Massive ground gained in the carry.
MINS 160 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 21/4 CARRIES 25 METRES MADE 178 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 1/1 PENS CONCEDED 0
Robbie Henshaw: B
Always felt he had more to offer in the less confined No13 role and he precisely illustrated this with a powerful first half against Wales before HIA ruined his day.
MINS 84 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 5/1 CARRIES 12 METRES MADE 94 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
Keith Earls: C
Can’t be easy for him seeing Andrew Conway snaffle his No14 jersey, but he showed excellent versatility and pluck slotting in at outside centre as Henshaw’s replacement last Saturday.
MINS 36 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 3/1 CARRIES 1 METRES MADE 3 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/0 PENS CONCEDED 0
It's been all sweetness and light heading into this round two encounter in Dublin https://t.co/AKTg7YkbWO
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 8, 2020
WINGERS (2)
Andrew Conway: B
It’s taken quite a while for him to reach this status but he is now in his prime and a must-have in the starting XV. An all-action player whose only work on is better shutting the defensive door.
MINS 160 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 8/3 CARRIES 14 METRES MADE 120 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/1 PENS CONCEDED 0
Jacob Stockdale: B-
Having made try-scoring his calling card – 14 tries in 17 appearances – he’s now just two tries in his last nine appearances. Still some defensive deficiencies but is finding new lease of life under Farrell.
MINS 160 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 5/3 CARRIES 12 METRES MADE 175 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 0/1 PENS CONCEDED 0
FULL-BACK (1)
Jordan Larmour: A
Can take the Ireland attack onto great things with his dancing feet now that he has the shirt and doesn’t have veteran Rob Kearney over his shoulder. The crackle in the Dublin crowd when he got on the ball was sizzling.
MINS 160 TACKLES MADE/MISSED 2/0 CARRIES 30 METRES MADE 257 TURNOVERS WON/CONCEDED 1/2 PENS CONCEDED 1
WATCH: Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton reflect on Ireland’s round two win over Wales
Comments on RugbyPass
Totally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
1 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
5 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
36 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
36 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
4 Go to commentsBut here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.
36 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
36 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to commentsThanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
36 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
36 Go to comments