Jamie Osborne: Great early tackle on Caleb Clarke. Composed and authoritative in the air and bravely competed for every high ball. A little loose towards the end when New Zealand dominated. Rating: 6
Tommy O’Brien: Tenacity on show in high balls and tackling. First half had limited time to run and gain yards which is what he does best. Almost got on to a Crowley hoisted ball in the second half. Rating: 6
Garry Ringrose: Back to shooting up fast into the line with some mixed results. Great early scramble to put Leroy Carter into touch. Gamely hit New Zealand players and grew stronger as game progressed. Rating: 6
Stuart McCloskey: Very effective carrying especially in the first half. His strength was a huge weapon and he was able to set tone when Ireland needed it badly after Tadhg Beirne was sent off. Rating: 7
READ MORE
James Lowe: Mixed bag in the first half but as ever got stuck in and got hands on the ball when it wasn’t coming to him. High-energy input on both sides of the ball but no magic this time out. Rating: 6
Jack Crowley: Remained composed even after a few kicks in the first half didn’t go where he wanted. A crossfield kick went long and a high one went astray and he didn’t really get better in the second half. Rating: 6
Jamison Gibson-Park: Exits in the first half were excellent and found some important touches. Tempo increase for the Furlong try crucial. Didn’t have as much control in the second half. Rating: 6
Andrew Porter: Typical aggressive, high-energy input from the Irish loosehead. Carried a few too but probably not as impactful as he would have liked to have been. Rating: 6
Dan Sheehan: Lineout throws amiss but his carries and work rate around the pitch made up for some set-piece inaccuracy. Not as threatening with the ball in hand and not one peel off the lineout maul. Rating: 6
Tadhg Furlong: A high-energy input especially so in his try where he cut across Simon Parker from close in and touched down. Tackled hard and often especially in the first 40 minutes. Rating: 7
James Ryan: Was involved in a lot of heavy work throughout the match. A dogged performance that was effective but like many of the Irish players faded in the last quarter of the game. Rating: 6
Tadhg Beirne: Clumsy more than malicious and didn’t wrap in the tackle. Seemed to brace for a collision rather than a tackle and came out with egg on his face after just three minutes play. Rating: 4
Ryan Baird: Great lineout steal on 27 minutes as the All Blacks pressed followed by athletic pick and go. He carried well and was strong in the lineout. One of the better players in a poor outing. Rating: 8
Josh van der Flier: Another who was a high-energy contributor, he tackled hard and covered the ground on all corners of Soldier Field. Effective until Ireland tired in the last quarter. Rating: 7
Jack Conan: For the first half Conan got himself on the ball several times and gained important yards. Used his strength well to bring the ball on in the lead-up to Furlong’s first-half try. Rating: 6
Replacements: The final quarter of the game is when New Zealand began to run riot, making Ireland look almost like the Irish side of old. Went backwards towards the end of the match with inaccuracies all over the pitch. Rating: 5
Coach: The team looked capable for most of the game but fell off badly as New Zealand pressed. It wasn’t a good outing for Ireland despite having spent 10 days in the US before the match. Rating: 5
