The Ireland rugby team clinched their sixth Six Nations championship and achieved a back-to-back Championship, against a Scottish team that posed few challenges until the final three minutes. Dominating in set pieces, possession, and territory, Ireland struggled at times with Scotland's defensive strategy. But tries from Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter gave Ireland a well-deserved win and with it came the Championship.
Here's a look at the individual performances of the Ireland rugby team:
Ireland Rugby Player Ratings - Starting XV
15. Jordan Larmour – 6/10
Nice to see him back in an Irish jersey as he came in as a late replacement for Keenan. Showed some good aerial skills early on but got too lateral in his counterattack and became an easy target for the defence.
14. Calvin Nash – 6/10
Huge work rate off his wing and got a great offload in the 1st half. Held his width well in defence as he prevented Scotland from getting Van Der Merwe into the game
13. Robbie Henshaw – 7/10
Scotland struggled with his ball-carrying ability as he dominated the midfield battle. Came within a blade of grass in getting Ireland’s 2nd try. Missed a bad tackle on his opposite number to give Scotland a try in the final 3 minutes.
12. Bundee Aki – 7/10
Aki continues to be a key player for Ireland as he gave Ireland a focus point in attack with his direct running. Made some good defence reads but fell off a bad tackle on his opposite number that gave Scotland a chance in the 1st half. 13 Ball Carries.
11. James Lowe – 7/10
Injected much-needed life into the Irish lacklustre attack when he got on the ball. Brought some good physicality in defence.
10. Jack Crowley– 6/10
Kicked well off the tee but at times lacked the creativity to unlock the Scottish defence. Forced to change up the attack with some short kicking game but it was poorly executed. Got very lateral in the attack. A good tournament all around and will continue to grow for the experience.
9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 8/10
Reads the game so well and was central to much of Ireland's good play. His defence was outstanding.
1. Andrew Porter – 8/10
A big one from the big man. Had massive scrum dominance for much of the game and came up with the crucial try when his team needed it.
2. Dan Sheehan – 7/10
Got Ireland over the try line again for his 5th try in this year’s championship with a gift from a Scottish overthrow. Big scrum performance - 3 Tackles / 10 ball carries.
3. Tadhg Furlong – 6/10
Had his playmaking skills back working with some nice passing in Ireland’s attack system. Close to getting over for a try in the 2nd half but unfortunately had to come off with a shoulder injury. 7 Tackles / 6 ball carries.
4. Joe McCarthy – 7/10
One of the few Irish forwards that was up for the fight early on. Involved heavily in the 1st half as he wanted to end the tournament the way he started it. 6 Tackles / 6 ball carries.
5. Tadhg Beirne – 8/10
Got through a huge amount of work and had a good lineout performance. Ireland’s top tackler with 13 Tackles / 9 ball carries.
6. Peter O’Mahony (Capt) – 7/10
Much better performance by the Ireland captain. Emotional start and came up with a big defence performance. 12 Tackles / 10 ball carries.
7. Josh Van Der Flier – 7/10
Made some good reads on the Scottish breakdown and slowed any of their attack momentum. 7 tackles / 5 ball carries.
8. Caelan Doris – 7/10
Ireland’s go-to Forward runner and Scotland struggled with his ball-carrying ability. Took on some big responsibility in the team's ball carrying. Ireland’s top ball carrier with 14 ball carries.
SEE ALSO: Officials Made Two Very Questionable Decisions To Overrule Tadhg Furlong Try
SEE ALSO: Brian O'Driscoll Serves Timely Reminder To Ireland Rugby Fans After Six Nations Win
Ireland rugby Player Ratings - Replacements
16· Ronan Kelleher – 6/10
Came on early for Sheehan and added to the team's attack with some impactful carries/breakdown impacts. Great pass to Porter for his try.
17· Cian Healy – 6/10
On for Porter and worked hard to see Ireland through to the finish. Forced into defensive duties.
18· Finlay Bealham – 6/10
A massive impact with a huge scrum when he came on. Got through a load of work.
19· Ryan Baird – 7/10
25 minutes for the big man into the 2nd row. Some good breakdown work. Came up with a try-saving tackle in the final few minutes
20· Jack Conan – 5/10
A quiet impact off the bench for him. Didn’t get on the ball to show his impact. Left to defence duties.
21· Conor Murray – 6/10
Saw 10 minutes of action and closed the game off well in the end.
22· Harry Byrne – 4/10
Very poor tackle technique saw him off with a yellow card not long after he came on.
23· Garry Ringrose – 7/10
Came on to the unaccustomed position of wing. Had a big moment with a 50m line break when he came on. Had some good defensive moments
Coach– 7/10
The best coaching staff in the Six Nations got the job done. Tactically Ireland struggled in the 1st half to come up with a plan to break Scotland down. A few half-time changes that saw Ireland switch to a more direct plan and upping the physicality, Scotland had no answers. The set piece was excellent and Farrell will be delighted to get his hands on the trophy again in what was a very successful Six Nations.
