Ireland player ratings: ‘Mighty’ Caelan Doris shines but backs struggle to break through

Following their 27-20 defeat to the Springboks in the first Test of the series, here is how we rated the Ireland players in the physical encounter in Pretoria.

Ireland player ratings v Springboks

15 Jamie Osborne: Got off to a very shaky start at full-back, but was also left exposed due to Ireland’s defence. Carried well when deployed in the 12 channel, however, and scored a nice try from a clever support line. 6

14 Calvin Nash: Was caught out for South Africa’s opening score, and due to the narrow system the Springboks got a lot of change down his channel. He struggled to make much of an impact on the game in attack too. 4

13 Robbie Henshaw: Was kept fairly quiet by the Springboks‘ defence, but took a heavy blow in the first half and was taken off. 5

12 Bundee Aki: Couldn’t quite add his usual punch through the middle in attack, however was often met by multiple defenders. Was solid in defence though and came up with some crucial tackles. 5

11 James Lowe: Was often caught out due to Ireland’s narrow defence, and his late error eventually led to the winning try for the Springboks. Did produce two beautiful offloads for both Osborne and Ryan Baird’s tries. 6

Springboks player ratings: Bomb Squad blows Ireland ‘off the park’ after Jesse Kriel’s ‘masterclass’

Half-backs

10 Jack Crowley: Grew into the game as Ireland gained more possession, and started pulling the strings. He did have his issues from the kicking tee though, which cost Ireland precious points with the game in the balance. 5

9 Craig Casey: Replacing Jamison Gibson-Park was always going to be a hard job, but Munster man Casey gave it a decent go. When Ireland did have the ball he tried to inject some pace into the game, and kicked well from the base of the ruck. Unfortunately, he was forced off the pitch after a nasty blow. 6

Back-row

8 Caelan Doris: Put in a mighty good shift across the board. Got heavily involved in attack, and helped Ireland break down the powerful South African defence. Nearly burrowed over for a try. 8

7 Josh van der Flier: Ireland were put under monumental pressure for much of the game, and Van der Flier again stepped up for his team. Never stopped grafting. 6

6 Peter O’Mahony: Fronted up when his team needed it most, and did the ugly stuff very well. An assured performance yet again from the Ireland skipper. 6

Tight five

5 Tadhg Beirne: Similar to Joe McCarthy, just really got stuck into most facets of the game. Was very solid in the tight and also gave a decent platform at the set-piece. Notably pulled off a clever interception to deny the Springboks a brilliant chance. 7

4 Joe McCarthy: He is really finding his feet at international level. He was solid as ever in the set-piece, and made plenty of work for himself around the pitch. 7

3 Tadhg Furlong: Really locked down his side of the scrum, which in turn allowed Andrew Porter to go all-out attack on the other side f0r big parts of the game. Brought plenty of power in the tight as well. 7

2 Dan Sheehan: Gave Ireland a very good platform from both the scrum and lineout, and his abrasive carrying helped Ireland claw their way back into the game. He also produced a wonderful offload in the build-up to Osborne’s try. Was unfortunately withdrawn at half-time through injury. 7

1 Andrew Porter: Was incredibly strong in the scrum, and really went after his opponent Frans Malherbe in this area. Packed a punch on both sides of the ball too. 7

Replacements: Much has been made of the South African ‘Bomb Squad’, but Ireland’s bench also added some decent impact. Conor Murray’s late try involved three of the replacements, and Ryan Baird also notched one himself. 7

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