Hugo Keenan: In Ireland’s uneasy start, Keenan had to cover a lot of territory in the backfield and was called upon to play frequently. usually shown himself capable, especially with his deft kicking technique. 8.
Mack Hansen: Playing with a support on his injured calf heading into the game, it was his break that earned Aaron Smith’s yellow card. He appeared to be playing well until the injury returned, ending his game abruptly. 5.
Garry Ringrose: The centre saw a lot of ball while Ireland was attacking, but he was unable to open doors at critical moments. He was left unsure of whether to stick or twist in the build-up to New Zealand’s first try. 5.
At a time when Ireland’s early ’22’ trips were becoming annoying, Bundee Aki, the country’s player of the tournament, once again delivered, breaking through for a score. spotted a major breakdown with ten minutes remaining. 8.
James Lowe: Although this was a game when his significant offensive skills ultimately had little impact on the outcome, it was never one in which he could use his reliable left boot. Lowe continued to hunt for work. 5.
The Johnny Sexton Ireland trailed by eight goals at the time, and a massive missed kick revived painful memories of this match from 2013. How terrible that his career ended like this for a guy who has contributed so much to Irish Rugby. 5.
Park, Jamison Gibson The Irish scrum-half was having a rough night due to the breakdown, but he took matters into his own hands by putting on a show from close range. On Aaron Smith’s intercept, his mouth would have been full of heart. 5.
Andrew Porter: In the first few minutes, there were two pings: one at the breakdown and another in the scrum. In fact, he pulled the whistle on Wayne Barnes during two of the opening three scrums of the match. Having a conversation with the referee, while appearing irritated all along. 5.
Dan Sheehan: Although he was having his own difficulties in the line-out, his brilliant tackle on Will Jordan saved some harm in the first half. Neither did he envelop himself in glory on Will Jordan’s effort. 5.
Tadhg Furlong: The Leinsterman’s quarterfinal was mostly consistent with his tournament overall, despite the fact that there were only three scrums during his time on the pitch in a game that featured very few set pieces. Not the same impact as before. 5.
The Tadhg Beirne became entangled in the ruck on the incorrect side, allowing New Zealand to score the game’s first points. Never again will likely have a more intensely pressed line-out take than the one against Whitelock prior to the penalty try. Six
Iain Henderson: He cleared the contact area with an equal amount of aggression and true venom in the early going. was unlucky to be left alone by his forward teammates after one turnover. drained the petrol tank. Six
Peter O’Mahony: The seasoned player was tasked with battling for possession up front as Ireland’s line-out struggled early on. probably prevented a try by tap-tackling Aaron Smith. 7.
Josh van der Flier: Despite Ireland’s breakdown not being as tidy as normal, he is as diligent as ever. During his nearly hour on the pitch, he led all players in tackle counts, but he will have left the game contemplating Mo’unga’s mistake. Six
Caelan Doris: Turned over after being blasted by Sam Cane, resulting in a penalty that gave the All Blacks three points; nevertheless, at the halfway point, with Ireland closing in, he made a vital steal. Important knock-on a deadly late. 5.
Finlay Bealham in lieu of Furlong (52) as a replacement attempted to grab hold of the ball, six
Hansen’s Jimmy O’Brien (55) – a difficult request that was successfully fulfilled, 7
Henderson (58): Joe McCarthy made an impression that belied his inexperience, 7
Jack Conan for Van der Flier (58): Aided in bringing Ireland back into the game, seven
For Gibson-Park (60), Conor Murray gave up a ridiculous three points, six
Ronan Kelleher’s eventful cameo for Sheehan (64)
Porter (75), Dave Kilcoyne; only on for five minutes, five
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