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England 23 Ireland 22: How the Irish players rated at Twickenham

Johnny Watterson runs the rule over Andy Farrell’s side as their Grand Slam hopes end in London

Ireland's players react to defeat to England in the Six Nations. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire
Ireland's players react to defeat to England in the Six Nations. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire

15 Hugo Keenan: First half did the defensive and high ball work well and made a brilliant tackle just after the yellow card. One of the better players on the day. Rating: 8

14 Calvin Nash: Lasted just six minutes before Ciaran Frawley came on. Not enough time on the pitch before he hit Freeman hard and failed his subsequent HIA. Rating: N/A

13 Robbie Henshaw: Great defensive tackle on Furbank and super turnover at end of the first half. Kept his physicality and tackle count high throughout. Rating: 7

12 Bundee Aki: Turnovers, power carries through bodies and tackling hard right through both halves. Was Ireland’s outstanding player on the day. Rating: 9

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11 James Lowe: Got his hands on ball early on with some long-range relief kicks. But his try-taking was superb. Neither of his scores were easy. Excellent. Rating: 9

10 Jack Crowley: Kicked all of Ireland’s points in the first half, showing poise under pressure from tee and hand. Also put his body on the line throughout. Rating: 7

Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park vs England in the Six Nations. Photograph: by Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images
Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park vs England in the Six Nations. Photograph: by Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Missed a catch early on but showed his edge later. Adapted to the changes and delivered perfectly to Lowe for the second try. Rating: 7

1 Andrew Porter: Early carries and big tackling, especially when England were on top first half. Played for most of the match and major contributor. Rating: 7

2 Dan Sheehan: Didn’t get many opportunities with ball in hand or from the attacking Irish lineout. He stuck to the grunt work around the pitch. Rating: 7

3 Tadhg Furlong: Good early carries and put body on the line under pressure. Scrum creaked a little but he is never short on tackling and taking on work. Rating: 7

4 Joe McCarthy: Quiet enough first half spent tackling and doing the donkey work. Didn’t get the opportunity to cause havoc as he’s done before. Rating: 6

5 Tadhg Beirne: Great steal as Ireland creaked after attacking English lineout in the first half. Not as dominant as in previous games but stuck to it. Rating: 7

Peter O'Mahony of Ireland leaves the pitch after being shown a yellow card. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Peter O'Mahony of Ireland leaves the pitch after being shown a yellow card. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

6 Peter O’Mahony: Again, lots of close contact work and made a nuisance of himself everywhere. Too obvious hand in ruck for the yellow card, though. Rating: 6

7 Josh van der Flier: Showed early promise with carries. Turned over the ball and blocked a drop goal effort in the first half. Close to being back to top form once again. Rating: 8

8 Caelan Doris: Excellent tackle on the dangerous Feyi-Waboso in the first half and ripped the ball from Lawrence. More ball in hand would have been good. Rating: 8

Replacements: Frawley thrown in earlier than usual and took time to adjust. But the bench clear out worked well and almost pulled it off. Henderson especially made the lineout stronger. Rating: 7

Coach: Andy Farrell took a risk with the 6-2 split and then injuries to Nash and Frawley messed up plans from the sixth minute. It worked last time out, however not this time. Rating: 6

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times