Player Ratings: Ireland

by Brendan Cole

After a tense and fairly even start, Ireland eventually went the way of Scotland, Italy and England; gradually succumbing to a Welsh team that was able to maintain a high standard throughout.

Worryingly, it seemed as though Ireland had completely run out of ideas by the end, and with only 6 visits to the Welsh '22 (compared to 31 going the other way) they never really threatened to score a try barring one exceptional Shane Horgan break.

1: Marcus Horan

Didn't really show in open play, and the failure to establish the platforms in the driving maul and scrum (admittedly, the scrum improved once Wayne Barnes figured out that Wales were trying to get away with it rather than contest) is the responsibility of numbers one to five. As with the rest of the team, lacked bite.

2: Rory Best

3: John Hayes

4: Donncha O'Callaghan

Match that should have suited a brave, front foot player like O'Callaghan perfectly, but Ireland's fearful and negative mentality took the sting out of their forward play and ceded the initiative to Wales all over the field.

5: Paul O'Connell

6: Denis Leamy

8: Jamie Heaslip

Ryan Jones had a fantastic day for Wales, and Heaslip will have learned a thing or two about the standard he needs to aim for to be one of the best in this competition. But at least he can play in such a way that those around him look like they might come into the match, and he nearly made a try for Ireland with one nicely timed break through the middle.

7: David Wallace

9: Eoin Reddan

10: Ronan O'Gara

11: Tommy Bowe

12: Andrew Trimble

13: Brian O'Driscoll

Unfortunate injury brings to an end a Six Nations that he has struggled to impact on, aside for some isolated moments of excellence against France. Ireland were outhit up the middle of the pitch in defence and attack.

14: Shane Horgan

15: Rob Kearney

Bench Rating

Bernard Jackman's penalty was obviously a blow to Ireland, although had referee Barnes been in more forgiving mode he might have let it go and given a warning; Jackman had not, after all, been on the field long enough to absorb the ref's breakdown "do's and don'ts".

Generally, by the time the subs were brought in, the game had already entered a holding pattern, and they did not have the wherewithal to shake it free into being the kind of looser match Ireland needed at that point.

Manager Rating: Eddie O'Sullivan

Put in place a gameplan that really ceded the initiative to Wales, and one that arguably Ireland were not capable of executing. Maul the ball from the lineout by all means, but why give up entirely on playing in the wide channels? Ireland's tight five is stronger than what Wales have, but not by that much, and with with good motivation Wales were able to do enough to gain parity. Elsewhere, where Wales had the edge, and Ireland were completely outplayed ('played' being the operative word).

Unusually, there was almost no evidence that the Irish coach had watched Wales and figured out ways to hurt them, aside from deciding to take them on in the tight. Wales played a very flat alignment at out-half and in the centres, something Ireland have a particular insight into having used it with almost no success up until quite recently. Where were the rushed up early hits? Why were Jones or Henson never stopped behind the gainline? Instead of being challenged, Wales were able to advance and pass the ball at 10 and 12 with very little opposition against a horribly passive Irish defence.

In the end, Ireland were mentally and tactically outdone, and it looks as if under this present regime they will struggle to ever have the means to beat either France or, when they have their tails up, Wales. Ireland have hit a huge flat spot in their development and changes are obviously needed; it is fair to ask if Eddie O'Sullivan is the man to make them, particularly on the back of a most un-O'Sullivan like performance in terms of the almost total lack of sophistication.