England
15 Freddie Steward Mopped up well at the back but met his match in Keenan. England could really have done with his aerial prowess. 6
14 Max Malins Had a hard time with Ireland always looking to release Lowe down his wing. 5
13 Joe Marchant Rose to the challenge and made numerous contributions in defence. This could be a coming of age performance. 8
12 Henry Slade Did not get the chance to offer much in attack but a robust performance in defence. He has had a consistent tournament. 6
11 Jack Nowell Maybe he is a ninth forward after all, playing his part in a scrum that was dominant. Defended well down his wing. 7
10 Marcus Smith Missed one penalty but was on target with the rest and kept Ireland’s defence honest. His high kicks also yielded reward. 6
9 Harry Randall Tried to make things happen with a few quick taps, though not really his game, and was no surprise to see Youngs on early. 6
1 Ellis Genge Had Furlong on toast at scrum time, which is not bad for someone who supposedly has wobbles there, and ran and tackled himself to standstill. 9
2 Jamie George His experience proved pivotal in settling England down after the Ewels dismissal. 8
3 Kyle Sinckler Had been hampered by a back injury in the buildup and never looked right but fought valiantly. 6
4 Maro Itoje Astonishing performance. Fired up during the anthems and led the rearguard once Ewels had gone off. Influence was obvious. 9
5 Charlie Ewels A red card after 82 seconds for a dangerous tackle on Ryan. Can have no complaints. 2
6 Courtney Lawes (capt) All his teammates talk about what a laid-back, calm captain he is and his cool head was key to keeping England in the game. 7
7 Tom Curry Compounded England’s woes when he went off with a hamstring injury after 15 minutes. 5
8 Sam Simmonds Got through plenty of work in defence, tackling his heart out. No opportunities to show what he can do in attack. 7
REPLACEMENTS
Jamie Blamire (for George, 80) N/A; Joe Marler (for Genge, 67) Got stuck in 6; Will Stuart (for Sinckler, 38) 7; Joe Launchbury (for Dombrandt, 67) Peripheral 5; Alex Dombrandt (for Curry, 15) Was later hooked 5; Ben Youngs (for Randall, 52) 6; George Ford (for Stewart, 80) N/A; Elliot Daly (for Marchant, 70) N/A
Ireland
15 Hugo Keenan Ran an unstoppable line for Ireland’s second try and composed under the high ball. A standout performer. 9
14 Andrew Conway Relatively quiet with ball in hand but on the money with two 50:22s. Reliable presence Ireland needed as match wore on. 7
13 Garry Ringrose Showed some lovely flashes but no more than that and would have hoped to find the ball in space more often than he did. 6
12 Bundee Aki His running can be such a threat – particularly when the opposition is a man light – but Ireland’s indiscipline limited his effect. 6
11 James Lowe Finished off the first try with England shellshocked. Gave away a few penalties but his power caused problems. 8
10 Johnny Sexton Tried trademark wrap-around move to exploit numerical advantage but main strength was his patience as England rallied. 7
9 Jamison Gibson-Park Quick-thinking led to Keenan’s try and showed moments of quality when it mattered. Has made the No 9 jersey his own. 9
1 Cian Healy Struggled against Sinckler at the scrum and taken off early. Not his afternoon and Ireland badly missed Andrew Porter. 3
2 Dan Sheehan A force to be reckoned with ball in hand and no complaints with his lineout work. Part of a front-row outgunned at the scrum. 7
3 Tadhg Furlong Repeatedly pinged at the scrum and could not make his usual impact in the loose. Kept plugging away though. 4
4 Tadhg Beirne Did not have his usual impact at the breakdown and was guilty of some handling errors at times. 6
5 James Ryan Lasted just over a minute before Ewels’ tackle ended his afternoon. Ireland missed his leadership thereafter. N/A
6 Peter O’Mahony Should have been more conspicuous than usual in his scrum cap but largely anonymous before he was hooked. 4
7 Josh van der Flier A lot of carries for not much reward due to England’s defence. Developing into one of the best openside flankers around. 8
8 Caelen Doris Had a try disallowed when bumping off Randall in comical fashion but ran down a few blind alleys in the second half. 6
REPLACEMENTS
Rob Herring (for Sheehan 52) Solid 6; Dave Kilcoyne (for Healy 52) Struggled in scrum 5; Finlay Bealham (for Furlong 73) Try 7; Iain Henderson (for Ryan 2) Wore England down 7: Jack Conan (for O’Mahony 61) Try 7; Conor Murray (for Gibson-Park 67) Experience 7; Joey Carbery (for Sexton 80) N/A; Robbie Henshaw (for Aki 65) Energy 6
