How the players on both teams rated out of 10 as Ireland finished off their 2021 Six Nations campaign with an impressive performance to defeat England 32-18 at the Aviva Stadium
Sunday 21 March 2021 20:21, UK
We look at how Ireland and England's players rated out of 10 as the hosts triumphed in the Six Nations clash in Dublin...
Hugo Keenan: He was fantastic under high balls and was everywhere during a top-class display. A possible Lions bolter, particularly with Warren Gatland watching this game. 8/10
Keith Earls: An opportunistic try - his 34th on the international stage - puts him a small step closer to Brian O'Driscoll's Ireland record of 46 and he was unlucky to be denied another. 7
Robbie Henshaw: He finishes as arguably Ireland's player of the tournament. Always a bright, willing runner and another exceptional display should strengthen his Lions chances. 9
Bundee Aki: He was a little unlucky with the red card for a dangerous tackle on Billy Vunipola which left his team in the lurch, but it did not prove too costly. 5
Jacob Stockdale: He slipped back in seamlessly on his first Test outing of 2021 but there was some evidence of rustiness and he could have done more to deny Youngs' try. 6
Johnny Sexton: Led his country to their best display of the Andy Farrell era. Reliable as ever with the boot too, kicking a remarkable 22 points. 8
Conor Murray: Pulled the strings at scrum-half and his kicking game continually put Ireland in strong positions. A late yellow card blotted his copybook slightly. 7
Dave Kilcoyne: Unfortunate to have only his third Six Nations start cut short by a head injury after just 20 minutes. 5
Rob Herring: The hooker ended a solid tournament with another substantial contribution. His long line-out throw caught out England and helped free Earls to score. 7
Tadhg Furlong: A fine job to limit Mako Vunipola and appears to be back to his best following year-long injury issues. 8
Iain Henderson: He went about his business in the second row with little fuss. An influential showing helped Ireland cope with James Ryan's absence. 7
Tadhg Beirne: Another player who Lions boss Warren Gatland will struggle to ignore. An absolute monster in the engine room and brilliant at the breakdown. 8
CJ Stander: Quietly efficient on his farewell appearance before international retirement and the win was a fitting way to finish. He will certainly be missed by Ireland. 7
Josh van der Flier: A sound and satisfactory afternoon from the hard-working flanker. Ripping the ball off Billy Vunipola was a highlight for him. 7
Jack Conan: Produced a statement performance to celebrate his first Test start for 15 months. Conan came up with a deft assist for Earls' score before scoring one of his own. 8
Replacements: Cian Healy was thrown on early due to Kilcoyne's injury and, as expected, was a more than able deputy. Such was Ireland's dominance, the rest of the bench were given little time to impress. 7
Elliot Daly: He must have cursed his luck when Max Malins was ruled out by injury and he had to switch to full-back late on. It was a shaky display at 15 from him too. 5/10
Anthony Watson: A star of a disappointing Six Nations for England, but the Bath winger was denied any meaningful ball. 6
Ollie Lawrence: Handed a start due to England's late reshuffle, the centre was given more opportunities to make an impact than previously. However, his runs failed to dent Ireland. 5
Owen Farrell: Disappeared for a head injury assessment in the second half and did not return. The captain was unable to impose himself on Ireland in any capacity. 5
Jonny May: A late try failed to mask a disappointing afternoon for the Gloucester wing who operated in a misfiring backline. 5
George Ford: England's pack was overpowered, giving fly-half Ford a poor platform from which to operate. 5
Ben Youngs: The scrum-half darted over for a try which hinted at sparking a comeback, but he came off worst against an inspired Ireland. 6
Mako Vunipola: The prop was substituted at half-time after giving away successive scrum penalties which saw Ireland gain the ascendancy. 4
Luke Cowan-Dickie: Handed a start again after the win over France, he was another to make way at half-time as England conducted urgent repairs to their front row. 4
Kyle Sinckler: The prop was a shining light in a pack which was otherwise over-run. Sinckler carried hard and was full of fight. 7
Maro Itoje: Even the Saracens colossus came off second best as Ireland emptied the tanks. 6
Charlie Ewels: England's line-out and breakdown started well, but Ewels was present for the forwards' collapse. 5
Mark Wilson: He put in a big shift full of low-key interventions but could not stop the dam bursting. 5
Tom Curry: The bulldozing flanker suffered with his team-mates and was unable to make much of an impression. 6
Billy Vunipola: It was an ineffectual performance following his impressive display against France from the No 8, who was eventually concussed during a high tackle and departed. 5
Replacements: Ellis Genge played with controlled fury after coming on at half-time and there were fine moments from Ben Earl. 6
