Rugby

Ireland 29 New Zealand 20: Ireland player ratings

John O’Sullivan hands out the marks after a thrilling victory over the All Blacks in Dublin

Ireland rugby captain Johnny Sexton spoke of pride in his teammates when he addressed the post match press conference following their defeat of New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium. Video: IRFU / Irish Rugby TV

John O'Sullivan's face
John O'Sullivan at the Aviva Stadium
Sat Nov 13 2021 - 18:19

15 Hugo Keenan

A couple of small errors but another excellent outing for a player who adds massive value to his team with the manner in which he plays the game. A great pass for the James Lowe try. Rating: 8

14 Andrew Conway

He chased the high ball to great effect all day forcing one crucial fumble, worked off his wing, beat the first up tackles more often than not and tackled with authority. Rating: 8

13 Garry Ringrose

He offered a masterclass in how to read the game from a defensive perspective and when his team needed someone to take the ball into and through cluttered human corridors, he obliged. Rating: 8

Garry Ringrose excelled in midfield for Ireland against New Zealand. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inpho

12 Bundee Aki

Ireland used him as a primary battering ram to get over the gain-line and he never shirked that workload while also aggressive and hard hitting in defence. He picked up a few bangs before being replaced. Rating: 7

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11 James Lowe

He had the first and last Irish player to touch the ball and in between produced a colossal performance. His tackle on Rieko Ioane ensured that Ireland would win while he took his try with typical aplomb. Rating: 9

10 Johnny Sexton (capt)

Came in for some ridiculous late hits, one which saw a yellow card (Codie Taylor) and another which should have seen one for Ethan Blackadder; he was brave, resilient and led his team by word and deed. Rating: 8

9 Jamison Gibson-Park

He backed up last week's performance with another outstanding effort, providing his team with a wonderful quick tempo from the breakdown and he read the game intelligently. Rating: 9

1 Andrew Porter

Quite simply he is an outrageous athlete, hugely powerful, athletic and mobile; he tackled hard and carried harder in a prodigious physical effort. Rating: 8

2 Rónan Kelleher

A brilliant display, arguably his best in an Ireland jersey, his carrying into contact took him through multiple tacklers time and again, his throwing under pressure was excellent and his try was a fitting reward. Rating: 9

Ronan Kelleher produced arguably his best Ireland performance against the All Blacks. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

3 Tadhg Furlong

He was very powerful in contact on both sides of the ball, getting Ireland over the advantage line and stopping New Zealand players in their tracks. Mix-up with his hooker for Codie Taylor try but that was a system error; overall a very fine effort. Rating: 8

4 Iain Henderson

He conceded a couple of penalties but his work-rate in all aspects of the game particularly at the epicentre of the forward exchanges was laudable. Rating: 7

5 James Ryan

He got through a staggering volume of work, took responsibility at lineout time, including some brilliant work on the New Zealand ball and was a key player for his team. Rating: 8

6 Caelan Doris

The official man-of-the-match capped a wonderful display with a superb individual try, seeking out the soft inside shoulder and accelerating under the posts. Breakdown, lineout, open play, it didn't matter, he was everywhere. Rating: 9

7 Josh van der Flier

If anyone wants to understand the value of coming onto the ball from deep, at pace and changing the angle then watch his contributions while also providing the usual quality at the breakdown and in defence. Rating: 8

Jack Conan delivered another powerful performance against the All Blacks. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

8 Jack Conan

Another lionhearted performance from Ireland's number eight whether eking out the hard yards or deciding to take a few All Blacks for a tour of the Aviva stadium. Rating: 8

Replacements

Joey Carbery came on and kicked three penalties, one gargantuan effort from the halfway line to close out the match while Peter O'Mahony did what he does so effectively, making life horrible for the opposition. Tadhg Beirne with one of his special penalty turnovers at a ruck; the bench provided energy. Rating: 8

Coach

A well coached team, an intelligent and well executed game plan that required both courage and accuracy that Ireland managed to get right. Andy Farrell and his coaching team deserve huge kudos for the evolution of the playing patterns. A huge stride forward for all concerned with the national squad. Rating: 9