Irish Player Ratings Against Scotland

Fishooks12

15 R Kearney 7/10 another strong showing, always looked dangerous on the counter

14 T Bowe 6/10 Unlucky not to get in on the scoring, made several great catches but fell of Grey badly for the Scottish try

13 K Earls 8/10 His best game for Ireland at 13. Picked great lines and was brilliant in defense

12 G Darcy 5/10 He's not playing to the same level he was capable of a few years ago. One frustrating handling error in the second half sums up his championship

11 A Trimble 8/10 Made amends for an abject display last week, took his try very well

10 J Sexton 8/10 Another great showing in defense combined with some fantastic place kicking. People here questioning his ability as a kicker after last week have been shut up no end

9 E Reddan 6/10 Murray's physicality was missed but Reddans improved delivery got us moving through phases quicker even if he did seem a little at sea in the opening minutes. One or two poor box kicks too

8 Jamie Heaslip 7/10 Huge effort at the breakdown as usual, having a great championship

7 Peter O Mahony 7/10 Carried well when afforded the chance and made one great steal in the second half. Looks a huge prospect for the future

6 S Ferris 8/10 How Ferris gets around the park so much is frightening considering the stories about his knee, immense

5 D Ryan 8/10 Life after O Connell yet, his aggression was awe inspiring

4 DOC 6/10 gave away one very stupid penalty but other than that was very effective at ruck time and great in defense. In great form at the moment despite what some would lead you to believe

3 M Ross 6/10 Did what he does best, anchored the scrum all day

2 R Best 6/10 Got over a few sloppy throws with a fantastic set piece try

1 Cian Healy 9/10 Considering that this was his third game in as many weeks it's amazing how good and energetic he was. Got across the gainline virtually with every carry, and there were many. Destroyed Euan Murray in the scrum, a man once described as the best tighthead in NH rugby. Healy is easily the best loosehead in the world right now in my mind

conor1979

This should be interesting!:rolleyes:

phog

conor1979 wrote: »

This should be interesting!:rolleyes:

I thought the same

Fishooks12

phog wrote: »

I thought the same

I tried to set it off on a decent tone rather than an overly negative or positive one!:D

endabob1

Harsh on Reddan, and Ross & Best, considering how good the scrum was and the fact taht you've given Healy 9, did he do it all on his own?? You're very gentle on DOC

cgpg5

Agree that Healy was immense how such a big guy covered as much ground today was incredible. Like a man posessed

Fishooks12

endabob1 wrote: »

Harsh on Reddan, and Ross & Best, considering how good the scrum was and the fact taht you've given Healy 9, did he do it all on his own?? You're very gentle on DOC

Front row was Healy Cronin and Court for our most destructive scrumaging period

Spudmonkey

Bit harsh on Bowe. He looked like he was taken out accidentally for the Gray try. Don't know if there was much he could do about it.

irishbucsfan

Kearney 8 - Best attacking player by far. Some excellent kicking to touch from penalties (that one into the corner was like ROG back in the day). Let Gray in too easilly though.
Bowe 6 - He's a huge try-scoring threat but didn't have much chance to show it today apart from the one chance. Showed some more of the dodgy defending that's creeping into his game as well.
Earls 8 - Another great display. His pace in the outside channel is something we've been missing for a while. Shame that Munster brought in a 13 for next season.
D'Arcy 5 - He is more than solid in defense but I fear his time has been up for a while now. I'd actually say he's the 3rd best option at 12 at this stage, but I don't anticiapte a change.
Trimble 6 - Quiet as well. I think Fitzgerlad could be an option next week away from home. Wouldn't hold my breath on an unforced change from Declan though.
Sexton 9 - He is growing into the jersey. Don't underrate this performance. He spread the ball brilliantly well thanks to better service and his defense was excellent as always. Made one poor kick after receiving a particularly bad pass but apart from that he was probably our best back all round. Some of the kicks he made were fantastic (although I'd imagine if they were in front of the posts he would have missed them!).
Reddan 7 - He doesn't box kick well, neither does he do it often at a lower level so why on earth was he doing it today!? Either Les Kiss or Declan Kidney should take the blame for that I would think. Apart from that his service and speed are exactly what we knew he would deliver and he bagged an opportunistic scampy try. Will probably be on the bench next week, as is traditional after a strong Ireland performance.

Heaslip 6 - I thought this was his weakest game of the competition so far. Saying that, we controlled possession more so he perhaps didn't get as much opportunity to display his defensive breakdown skills. I'd say the 2009 Heaslip would have been more suited to this game than the 2012 version.
POM 7 - A brilliant first start from the guy who has been rocketed into the team. His passion and commitment are a joy to watch. One turnover in our 22 stands out in my memory as well as a few good carries. He was a little sloppy at times but this guy has a star studded future. 7 seems to be where he'll end up and I hope Munster give him that opportunity. I'd start SOB for sure next week but if he isn't fit I have no qualms at all with this guy keeping the jersey.
Ferris 9 - He's just a massive beast who eats opposittion rugby players for breakfast and somehow manages to still be lighting fast for a 6. Stephen Ferris basically IS our defense. If the lads fancy a week off they could send him over to Twickenham on his own next week and he'd probably manage a win.
Ryan 9 - His take at the lineout for the Best try was incredible. He reached right back over his head to secure an overthrown ball. Around the field he was everywhere and he has the physicality to really make a positive difference in support. WHY WAS HE ON THE BENCH?!
DOC 5 - His time is up. He brings a bit of divil and honesty and has a bit of dog in him. Unfortunately those things do not count as actual rugby attributes outside Munster. A great servant to Ireland and a legend of a man but he was completely outplayed by the guy everyone has been calling to be ahead of him.
Ross 7 - All he does is scrummage and lift so it's hard to rate him too highly, but he does both those things very very well.
Best 6 - His lineout throwing wasn't good today. He scored a try and was his usual busy self around the park though. Also gets credit for good scrummaging. But more than once we lost lineouts in good areas because of bad throwing (and I was defending him in 09/10 when people were incorrectly blaming his throwing for our POCless lineout failures). Hopefully he'll ge the throwing back up to his usual standards soon. Next week will become our most capped hooker of all time, fair play.
Healy 8 - He does so much on the field and has really come on as a scrummager. His carrying was great, his defense was great. Great performance. One of the best looseheads in the world. Hard to believe he's just 24.

Cronin 7
Court 7
McCarthy NA
Jennings 6
TOL 7
ROG 6
McFadden 6.5

My team for Engerland:

Healy, Best, Ross, Ryan, McCarthy/Tuohy/Toner, Ferris, O'Brien, Heaslip;
Reddan, Sexton, Trimble, McFadden/Wallace, Earls, Bowe, Kearney

Cronin, Court, McCarthy/Tuohy/Toner, POM, TOL, ROG, Fitzgerald

Syferus

Can't fault Bowe for the Gray try, if you watch the replay he got blind-sided by a Scottish player falling on top of him as he was about to make the tackle.

phog

Syferus wrote: »

Can't fault Bowe for the Gray try, if you watch the replay he got blind-sided by a Scottish player falling on top of him as he was about to make the tackle.

I'd fault Reddan more than Bowe for the try.

Conas

The front row we have now is the best front row Ireland has ever had. I'd give all three of them a top rating, even though some of Bests darts were a bit off.

I think Reddan is the best scrum half in the country, I like him more than Murray, and he had a great game today.

Ferris doesn't get enough credit from our RTE panel or the media in general. What a player, incredible in defence. Our best performer in this years Six Nations.

bilston

Conas wrote: »

Ferris doesn't get enough credit from our RTE panel or the media in general. What a player, incredible in defence. Our best performer in this years Six Nations.

This.

I watched on BBC and Matthews was waxing lyrical about Ryan, and fair play one knock on aside Ryan proved he should have been starting throughout the Championship but Ferris was just immense, incredible defensive display and some powerful carries as well. He ALWAYS gets over the gainline. Usually on slow ball teams need to pick and go or use a wrap ball to develop quick ball but Ireland just need to pop it to Ferris as he will cross the gainline from a standing start and create forward momentum.

Cpt_Blackbeard

I don't think Ferris gets the deserved credit because we expect incredible displays from him. He is a truly phenomenal player and vying with Kaino to be the best 6 in the world. He has a rightful claim for the MOTM gong in all our 6N games bar the Welsh one (where he showed that he is actually human).

twinytwo

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

I don't think Ferris gets the deserved credit because we expect incredible displays from him. He is a truly phenomenal player and vying with Kaino to be the best 6 in the world. He has a rightful claim for the MOTM gong in all our 6N games bar the Welsh one (where he showed that he is actually human).

nah.. he just never got out of bed:D

for the record 54 tackles in 4 games and only 1 miss.

EPointer=Birdss

Ferris is without doubt the best 6 in the world.
Kaino is good but Ferris is a beast. He was outstanding today & just stopped Scotland dead so many times. He ragged their 8 around like a child at one stage.
He has it all. Speed defense & offense. As hook said himself once the best player on 1 leg since long John silver.
Like the guy has no cartilage in his knee apparently & is still lightning fast for his size.
I would say 9 out of his 10 tackles stop people dead or they go backward. When he runs the first tackler just had to accept the hit. Wales got it right on him in the world cup but that was 2 men tackles. Either way he draws 2 men to stop him. I think the BOD comment above is spot on.
His line speed in the centers is fantastic & I'm liking how he gets out across behind the backs like a good 6 when the opposition attack & cleans home everything.
Hands down fantastic player & reputation is BS he should be getting MOTM for his performances.
Him & Healy for me would be on a world 15 now. Shoe in for the Lions if only that knee holds up!

boynesider

Not long back from the Aviva and it was a really enjoyable game at times (although the ref seemed to lose the plot in the 2nd half and the game turned into a mess, which didn't suit us).

This was definitely a good performance by the lads. To beat that Scottish side which probably should have beaten France and England while missing three of our world class players is not to be sniffed at. Too lazy to rate the whole team, so here are just a few of the more notable performances in my eyes.

Kearney- Fantastic. Best attacking form of his life for club and country, and he needed to find it or Isa would be taking his place.

Trimble- Really good performance in response to a nervous display in Paris.

Earls- Quality. His defence and distribution have improved hugely and he is now one of our most reliable tacklers.

D'Arcy- Sad to see a once great player in such poor form and so low on confidence. Living on borrowed time and the only thing keeping him in the team is the lack of a truly convincing alternative at the moment. Long term I think Luke Marshall and JJ Hanrahan will be top-class inside centres, but until some younger players develop I would like to see Luke Fitzgerald start getting gametime here for Leinster and who knows what could happen? A confident and on form Fitz would be worth playing anywhere in the backline.


O'Mahony- Great debut. I saw this lad playing in September and I said it then that he would be starting for Ireland by the end of the season. The best thing is he has so much more in his locker than what he showed today. I was a bit dissapointed when he went off as his pace and fitness would have really come to the fore in the last 15mins, but I think he did enough to give Kidney a selection headache for next week.

Ferris- My petty praises can't do this man justice.

Ryan- He's been doing this all season for Munster, and it's infuriating to think what might have been against Wales and France if he had of been starting.

Healy- As exceptional as ever in the lose and a destructive scrummaging performance. We could easily have another ten years of this from Healy in a green jersey


Finally, I still think we are kicking too much and the penalty count against us is worryingly high. But I look forward to Twickenham with reasonable confidence

cgpg5

EPointer=Birdss wrote: »

Ferris is without doubt the best 6 in the world.
Kaino is good but Ferris is a beast. He was outstanding today & just stopped Scotland dead so many times. He ragged their 8 around like a child at one stage.
He has it all. Speed defense & offense. As hook said himself once the best player on 1 leg since long John silver.
Like the guy has no cartilage in his knee apparently & is still lightning fast for his size.
I would say 9 out of his 10 tackles stop people dead or they go backward. When he runs the first tackler just had to accept the hit. Wales got it right on him in the world cup but that was 2 men tackles. Either way he draws 2 men to stop him. I think the BOD comment above is spot on.
His line speed in the centers is fantastic & I'm liking how he gets out across behind the backs like a good 6 when the opposition attack & cleans home everything.
Hands down fantastic player & reputation is BS he should be getting MOTM for his performances.
Him & Healy for me would be on a world 15 now. Shoe in for the Lions if only that knee holds up!

While I'm a massive Ferris fan I don't think he's as good as Dusautoir

EPointer=Birdss

cgpg5 wrote: »

While I'm a massive Ferris fan I don't think he's as good as Dusautoir

He's a great player but I always felt he played his best games at 7 for France. Different type of player but excellent none the less

danthefan

EPointer=Birdss wrote: »

He's a great player but I always felt he played his best games at 7 for France. Different type of player but excellent none the less

France don't really play openside and blindside like everyone else though. And sometimes the openside will wear 6, sometimes they just play right and left.

Tigerandahalf

I thought Reddan made a huge difference today. The speed at which we went from ruck to ruck, phase to phase was a big improvement. He has a great pass on him. He made a poor tackle on Gray. A guy like him has to be taken around the ankles.
I still think we need to improve in our support play. Too many times players made line breaks and there was no one on the shoulder, player was isolated and we conceded a penalty. However, overall I thought there was a real improvement in the Irish play today. In a funny way I think having the games on successive weeks is benefiting Ireland. They seem to need games to get into their stride.
Scrum was once again decent. In another year we could be using it as a real attacking threat. Great to see. Court did ok again today. I hope the H Cup games coming up bring him on that bit more.
Sexton defence was excellent again. He has the jersey I think now. He still seems to lack a bit of confidence though, getting irritated easily.
I thought McFadden did well when he came on again. It would be interesting to see what he would do in the 12 position. Is his pass good enough?
D Ryan and POM played v well, great to see players like that coming through.
Ferris was outstanding and Kearney is in that vein of form.
Only player (besides DOC who is real competition for his place now) who didn't do a huge amount was Heaslip. As much as Kearney is in form he seems to be out of form. But he'll come good.
We have some great options now on the bench.

Edit: great to see how Earls has settled into the 13 position. I must admit I thought we'd have holes in our centre defence but the high line they are playing seems to have really helped the players. They are going forward and are more sure about what man to tackle. Earls has a great turn of foot and looks dangerous in the centre. Great to see.

EPointer=Birdss

danthefan wrote: »

France don't really play openside and blindside like everyone else though. And sometimes the openside will wear 6, sometimes they just play right and left.

That's very true ESP with Bonnairre at 7 but that's France for you & traditional terms of 6 & 7 Ferris to me is the ultimate 6. I played most my rugby at 6 & his game is just perfect for it.

duckysauce

EPointer=Birdss wrote: »

Ferris is without doubt the best 6 in the world.
Kaino is good but Ferris is a beast. He was outstanding today & just stopped Scotland dead so many times. He ragged their 8 around like a child at one stage.
He has it all. Speed defense & offense. As hook said himself once the best player on 1 leg since long John silver.
Like the guy has no cartilage in his knee apparently & is still lightning fast for his size.
I would say 9 out of his 10 tackles stop people dead or they go backward. When he runs the first tackler just had to accept the hit. Wales got it right on him in the world cup but that was 2 men tackles. Either way he draws 2 men to stop him. I think the BOD comment above is spot on.
His line speed in the centers is fantastic & I'm liking how he gets out across behind the backs like a good 6 when the opposition attack & cleans home everything.
Hands down fantastic player & reputation is BS he should be getting MOTM for his performances.
Him & Healy for me would be on a world 15 now. Shoe in for the Lions if only that knee holds up!

Teferi

Is anyone else just plain scared of Fez?

What an utter beast of a man. Absolutely loves the physical side of the game. I would hate to have him bearing down at me because you know there is going to be only one winner...

He'll be a huge loss when he eventually goes. I just hope he ends it on his terms, anything else would be a shame.

mfceiling

Teferi wrote: »

Is anyone else just plain scared of Fez?

What an utter beast of a man. Absolutely loves the physical side of the game. I would hate to have him bearing down at me because you know there is going to be only one winner...

He'll be a huge loss when he eventually goes. I just hope he ends it on his terms, anything else would be a shame.

Seriously proud of him as he's a fellow dungannon club man.

Bit of man love every time he runs on to the pitch.

twinytwo

Teferi wrote: »

Is anyone else just plain scared of Fez?

What an utter beast of a man. Absolutely loves the physical side of the game. I would hate to have him bearing down at me because you know there is going to be only one winner...

He'll be a huge loss when he eventually goes. I just hope he ends it on his terms, anything else would be a shame.

your options would be ..

1 run straight at him
- result- get smashed

2 run and try to side step him
- result- get smashed

3 run away from him
- result- get smashed

4 stand there like a deer in the headlights
- result- get smashed but run the risk of getting broken in two