IRELAND RATINGS
15 ROB KEARNEY 6 Outshone by the brilliance of Israel Folau on a busy night wth uncharacteristic errors mixed in with some excellent defending.
14 KEITH EARLS 6 Desperately unfortunate with injury again, was looking sharp before he was forced off.
13 ROBBIE HENSHAW 5 Did not look comfortable back in the 13 jersey and was way off what we have come to expect from him. Caught out badly in defence.
12 BUNDEE AKI 6 Abrasive as ever but the Wallabies were not unduly troubled. Uncertainty led to a bad turnover that gave the Aussies crucial momentum. His game lacks nuance.
11 JACOB STOCKDALE 6 No try this time and could not match Folau in the air but the Ulsterman was a threat – one that should have been used more.
10 JOEY CARBERY 6 Plenty of nice footballing touches but did not truly impose himself upon the game. Jury still out on whether he is a viable starter.
9 CONOR MURRAY 6 The Munster man does not do bad games but he was under pressure in this one from concerted and aggressive Wallaby attention and could not wield his customary control.
1 JACK McGRATH 6 A solid outing for the Lions loosehead with the scrum holding up well and some decent, if not spectacular, carrying.
2 ROB HERRING 6 Impressively accurate in the lineout and lively in the loose with some decent carries – however involved in two needless turnovers.
3 JOHN RYAN 6 Like fellow prop McGrath, the Corkman put in a decent shift and proved he can do a job at this level to put pressure on Andrew Porter for the Tadhg Furlong back-up role.
4 IAIN HENDERSON 5 A disappointing, error-strewn outing. Inconsistency is becoming a theme for a player who can be hugely influential on his day or largely listless as he was in Brisbane.
5 JAMES RYAN 8 The winning run may be gone but the streak of world-class performances by the 21-year-old continues. Ireland’s best player by a margin.
6 PETER O’MAHONY 7 Like the great Richard Hill, O’Mahony’s worth is best realised when he is not there. When the captain went off, the game got away.
7 JORDI MURPHY 5 Murphy has had a fine season with Leinster but this was a notable step up from club rugby and Murphy could not live with the PocockHooper double combo.
8 CJ STANDER 5 The South African did superbly to break the line but failing to properly ground the ball was inexcusable. Otherwise had little impact – Jack Conan should get his chance now.
REPLACEMENTS SEAN CRONIN 5, CIAN HEALY 5, TADHG FURLONG 5 – Experienced front row were minced in scrum when brought on for impact. QUINN ROUX 5 – Touted as a great ‘tighthead second row scrummager’, the South African didn’t show it, or anything else. JACK CONAN 6 – Put himself about as much as he could and deserves to start in Melbourne. KIERAN MARMION 6 – Injected noticeable pace into Ireland’s play late on. JOHNNY SEXTON 5 – Not used to coming off the bench and despite some strong plays, the missed penalty to the corner was damaging. JORDAN LARMOUR 6 – Belongs at this level, the trick is to get him on the ball more.
JOE SCHMIDT 6 His team had 60 per cent possession and territory but did not pose a consistent threat. Expect a marked improvement in Melbourne as Schmidt sets his homework this week.