A bonus point win for Ireland on a tough evening in Twickenham for Andy Farrell’s team as Ireland won 15-32 in a bruising encounter against an English side that played 79 minutes with 14 men after Charlie Ewels' reckless tackle on James Ryan in the 1st minute of the game. Ireland v England was a wild encounter. Not for the first time in Twickenham, Ireland struggled at scrum time all afternoon with the tactical superiority of England's scrum and the lack of weight from the 2nd row.
It was a sloppy performance as Ireland really struggled in attack, but the team, coaching staff and fans will certainly take the result.
A look at how we rate the Ireland players' performance.
Ireland v England: Ireland Player Ratings
15 Hugo Keenan - 8
Another professional performance as he had so much time and space . He is getting more confident with his counter attack ability. He got in for Ireland’s second try at a crucial stage of the game. Is there a better fullback under a high ball than this? You’d wonder why England kept kicking it to him!
14 Andrew Conway- 7
He chased everything all afternoon. Didn’t see much of the ball in attack. Two Super 50:22 in the second half. His positioning in defence was excellent.
This was some kick from Andrew Conway - benefiting from the 50:22 rule after a brilliant piece of play
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13 Garry Ringrose- 7
Worked hard all afternoon and was on the ball for much of Ireland’s attack. Made some important tackles (4)
12 March 2022; Garry Ringrose of Ireland is tackled by Tom Curry of England during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
12. Bundee Aki - 6
Direct running and has added passing skills to his game.
11. James Lowe- 7
He provided a huge go-forward down the left wing for Ireland. His left boot is a huge weapon to this team. As much as he doesn’t like people mentioning it, his defence needs to improve to play at this level.
10. Johnny Sexton (Capt) - 6
Showed great leadership when England rattled Ireland’s cage. Physically, he was excellent. He struggled with his decision-making as he nearly had too many options in attack after the England red card.
9 Jamison Gibson Park -8
Jamison gave a man of the match performance. Kept the pace of the game high with his quick taps. Great vision and pass to Keenan for Ireland’s second try.
1 .Cian Healy- 6
Won a great turnover 5m out to stop an England try in the 24th minute. He got caught out badly in defence at times. He struggled at scrum time against Sinckler.
2 Dan Sheehan- 7
It was a coming of age performance for Sheehan, as he announced himself as one of the best hookers in the world. Heavily involved in Ireland’s first try with 2 huge ball carries. It was an odd decision to remove him in the 53rd minute.
3. Tadhg Furlong -6
Worked hard to stay in the fight during his scrum battle against Genge, who had the upper hand due to the wait he had behind him from the 2nd row. Some lovely passing skills in Ireland’s attack.
4. Tadhg Beirne - 6
Struggled with the weight at scrum time. A few sloppy hand handling errors. Some big But came up with an epic lineout steal in the 67thminute.
5 James Ryan – n/a
Unfortunately, he only lasted 50 seconds as he was hit high by Ewels, resulting in England’s red card.
6 Peter O’Mahony - 6
Worked hard in defence with 10 tackles. Good in the lineout and worked hard on the opposition's ball. It is hard to see what he offers in attack.
7 Josh Van Der Flier - 7
Was winning the battle between himself and Curry before Curry went off. Made11 carries and made 5 tackles.
8 Caelan Doris - 6
12 March 2022; Caelan Doris of Ireland avoids the tackle of Ben Youngs of England during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Won a crucial penalty in the 54th minute. He found himself in more of a defensive role with his 7 tackles.
Replacements
Rob Herring 6
No real impact on the game. Had 5 ball carries.
Dave Kilcoyne 6
He was always hungry for work and offered himself in attack.
Finlay Bealham 6
Only saw 7 minutes of action. And grabbed a bonus point try.
Iain Henderson- 4
On after one minute and looked like he lacked the game time at this level. Gave away a silly penalty in the 28th minute. Lucky to stay on the pitch before half time. 10 Ball Carries.
Jack Conan -6
Got over for an excellent try.
Conor Murray - 6
Showed good experience to slow the game down and bring Ireland home.
Joey Carbery - n/a
Only on for 30 seconds
Robbie Henshaw - 7
Had a huge impact on the game when he came on.
Coach – 5
Ireland looked tactically beat for much of the game. Some of his timing of the substitutes was off and he may need to rethink what impact he has on his bench. The 2nd game in a row Ireland struggled against a team down a player.
SEE ALSO: England's Charlie Ewels Sent Off After 82 Seconds For Sickening James Ryan Hit
