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Ireland overcame Italy in a scrappy affair in Dublin, giving Joe Schmidt food for thought as he prepares to make the final cut to his 31-man Rugby World Cup squad.
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An injury scare to Joey Carbery may have been the headline moment in the match but there was plenty to be garnered from the individual performances of an Ireland team heavy with fringe players.
Here’s our Ireland player ratings.
Jordan Larmour
Stepped out of the back-field several times and also provided a fine scoring pass. 6/10
Andrew Conway
Finished his one opportunity well but was unable to shine much beyond that. 6
Full time score @AVIVAStadium IRELAND 29-10 ITALY #ShoulderToShoulder #TeamOfUs #IREvITA pic.twitter.com/VXOVJPZuU4
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) August 10, 2019
Garry Ringrose
A smart pop out of the tackle led to Dave Kearney’s try, but the accomplished centre had precious few chances to cut loose. 6
Chris Farrell
A reassuringly potent presence in the midfield that Ireland were always able to build around. Increased his chances of World Cup selection. 8
Dave Kearney
Took his try well, but botched an early chance he ought to have converted without issue. 6
Joey Carbery
Looked creative and improving until injury struck that could now jeopardise his World Cup chances. 7
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Luke McGrath
Solid showing that kept Ireland ticking over but struggled to gel things together early on. 6
Jack McGrath
Conceded a number of scrum penalties and was hauled off at the break, struggling overall. 5
Rob Herring
Came off early. Solid if uninspiring, but kept it tight enough to keep himself in the running as second-choice hooker. 6
Andrew Porter
Scrummaged well enough and proved his all-round power once again. 6
Devin Toner
Dominated the lineout enough for Ireland to coast to the win. 7
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Jean Kleyn
A gritty debut from the uncompromising Munster lock, but perhaps not enough to force him onto the World Cup plane. 7
Rhys Ruddock (captain)
Led the team as calmly as ever, with the dependable Leinster flanker putting in a big shift of work. 6
Tommy O’Donnell
Put himself about all afternoon but was unable to cut loose. 6
Jordi Murphy
Took his try well and manned the base of the scrum without issue at number eight. 6
#TeamOfUs @mikehaley_1 & his biggest fan on his first Ireland Cap. Cutest post match interview ever? 😀#TeamOfUs #IREvITA #ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/JD7Hk2PIYh
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) August 10, 2019
REPLACEMENTS:
Good charge-down and finish from scrum-half Kieran Marmion, a man who has never let Ireland down. Solid showing overall. 7
Jack Carty
Put in a solid shift after coming on for the injured Carbery. Held his own defence and didn’t look out of place in an unfamiliar midfield. 7
Tadhg Beirne
In the short time was made two turnovers. So strong and difficult to move when he is over the ball. 8
