Rating every Ireland player from the Springboks series as ‘brilliant’ back-rower tops the charts

Following Ireland’s drawn series against the Springboks in South Africa, we rated every one of Andy Farrell’s players out of a possible 10.

While Ireland will be disappointed not to secure a series win, they did notch up just their second victory over the Boks on South African soil, bouncing back from their 27-20 defeat to clinch a 25-24 win.

Despite several key men missing the series and the second Test due to injury, many of the fringe players rose to the occasion.

Outside backs

Jamie Osborne: Hard to believe that he made his Test debut in Pretoria and not in the position he has played all season for Leinster! A remarkable introduction to Test rugby from the rookie who crossed for his first try and made some stunning defensive interventions. There is certainly more to come from the brilliant 22-year-old. 7

Calvin Nash: After a superb Six Nations campaign, it was more of a solid two shifts in South Africa from the Munsterman, who was solid without being outstanding. It’s no easy task going up against Kurt-Lee Arendse, but he held his own relatively well. 5

James Lowe: Borrowing a line from Farrell to describe Lowe’s two Tests, simply ‘sublime to the ridiculous’. He brilliantly set up Osborne for his maiden Test try and had two blunders after that, leading to two Springbok tries. In the second Test, he kicked well and made good headway in attack. 6

Centres

Garry Ringrose: A tidy defensive performance over the two Test matches but had a limited influence in attack. He is still working towards returning to his best, but his ability to put the Bok attack under pressure was a real highlight of his tour. 6

Robbie Henshaw: For his lofty standards, it was a quiet trip to South Africa. The midfielder defended well and assisted a try in the second Test, but really, he was not as brilliant as he was during the Six Nations, with the Boks keeping him at bay. 6

Stuart McCloskey: He got just 18 minutes throughout the series, coming off the bench in the second Test. He had very few opportunities to really have a positive influence, but he had some good moments to help get his team over the line. 5

Bundee Aki: An injury cut Aki’s tour to just 40 minutes in the opening Test match, and he was kept in check by the Bok defence who forced errors from the powerhouse midfielder. The one area in which he did have a big impact was in winning two turnovers. 5

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Half-backs

Craig Casey: On the whole, he took his rare opportunity to start with both hands in Test I before RG Snyman’s tackle brought his performance to an abrupt end. Unfortunately, he was unable to kick on and make a real fist of his start. 6

Conor Murray: With two crucial tries in two big Tests, the veteran half-back looked reborn in South Africa, reproducing his brilliance with Munster in the Republic in the green jersey. Overall, he was excellent and continues to prove those who write him off wrong. 8

Caolin Blade: Just 21 minutes on tour, but ultimately, it was a crucial 21 minutes as Ireland levelled the series. His bullet pass to Ciaran Frawley gave him all the time in the world to nail the match-winning drop goal while he made great decisions throughout his shift. 8

Jack Crowley: He continues to take charge of the Irish attack and defence well from the fly-half channel. His kicking was amiss in the first Test but accurate in the second. It was not a box-office series for Crowley, but it was still better than solid. 6

Ciaran Frawley: The 26-year-old produced a rather underwhelming performance in Pretoria coming off the bench but had the game-changing, match-winning shift in Durban, slotting two marvellous drop goals. It was an amazing big-match temperament-esque outing from the playmaker who missed two drop goals in Leinster’s Champions Cup final defeat to Toulouse. It’s a sensational comeback story for Frawley and the kind of moment that will live long in the memory of Ireland fans. Whatever happens in his career from now, he will always have Durban 2024. 8

Loose forwards

Josh van der Flier: Ireland’s pack knew that they would be challenged physically and needed to front up against the Springboks for a full 160 minutes and some, and that’s precisely what Van der Flier did during his two stints. He wasn’t too influential with the ball in hand but was defensively sharp in both Tests. 7

Caelan Doris: Outright blockbuster in both Tests. The brilliant back-rower was outstanding across his 150 minutes on the pitch, with the small caveat of his croc roll, which he was arguably lucky to just see yellow for. But otherwise, he was excellent in all facets of the game. He is quickly becoming an all-time Ireland great. If he continues this trajectory, he will deserve that tag. 9

Peter O’Mahony: Frankly put, he was well below par in the first Test match but did produce a more fitting performance of his standard in the second when coming off the bench. He is still a real force at the lineout and a solid tackler; it’s clear he is not done with Test rugby just yet, but we did see cracks. 5

Rating every Springboks player from Ireland series as ‘sensational’ forward shines alongside ‘freakish’ rookie

Locks

James Ryan: Extremely fortunate to escape sanction for his clear-out on Malcolm Marx, but the second-rower played an influential role in both Tests, particularly the clash in Durban as Ireland got the upper hand physically when he was on the pitch. 7

Tadhg Beirne: After a sensational Six Nations campaign, Beirne had a more understated two Tests in South Africa but still impressed, starting the first at lock and the second in the back-row. He was abrasive in both performances but was better in Pretoria than Durban. Still, it was two solid shifts without being superb. 6

Joe McCarthy: Solid in the first Test match in Pretoria, but in Durban, he kicked it up a few notches with a brutally effective performance in the tight exchanges. He popped up with two turnovers, including a daylight robbery of one of the Springboks’ mauls. He is a rising star who added another standout to his ever-growing catalogue. 6

Ryan Baird: The big Leinster forward scored a wonderful try in the opening Test on tour and really threw his weight around in Pretoria. His second outing was far more subdued but still solid. 7

Props

Andrew Porter: Got the better of Frans Malherbe in the first Test, but the roles were reversed in the second, with the Bok getting the upper hand. He continues to impress with his ability to go deep into Test matches and not drop off in quality. 7

Tadhg Furlong: Given a tough time in the scrums throughout the two Test matches with Ox Nche thriving in the set-piece and putting the veteran under the pump. Still, Furlong managed to hold his own just enough in the first Test while tackling well across both games but offering little with ball in hand. 5

Cian Healy: It’s clear Ireland need to find a replacement for the ageing veteran who was dominated by Vincent Koch when he did come on the pitch in place of Porter. Scrummaging is his bread and butter and that’s where we have scored his two short cameos. 3

Finlay Bealham: He was part of the scrum that got pummelled in Pretoria in the first Test match but was solid on defence. He did manage to hold his own in some of the scrums. 4

Hookers

Dan Sheehan: His series was cruelly cut short through injury, but he still made his mark on the Tests by throwing a lovely pass to Lowe in the build-up to Osborne’s try. He got his hands on the ball plenty during his shift and tackled well. 7

Rónan Kelleher: Rose to the challenge of filling Sheehan’s absence in the starting XV in the second Test and produced a moment of magic with a well-executed set move in the first Test match. His lineouts were solid, too, and he showed that he is more than just an impact player. 8

Rob Herring: Got just the 15 minutes and did get one of his throws picked off. Otherwise, solid. 5

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