FT: Ireland 17-13 Samoa
The last match before the World Cup culminated in a narrow victory for Ireland after a difficult evening in Bayonne, characterised by terrible weather, lack of discipline, and lineout difficulties for the Irish team.
Although the game served as a valuable rehearsal for matches on French grounds and a precursor to facing another South Seas team in Tonga, it highlighted several worrying aspects. Ireland's attack seemed fragmented, with a conspicuous absence of effort from some players, prompting head coach Andy Farrell relied on his dependable substitutes to rescue the match.
There were worries that some players might risk their World Cup selection with this messy display, characterised by a retreating scrum and substandard breakdown, which hardly instilled confidence. If Ireland is to be a contender in the upcoming World Cup, these lineout issues need to be rectified immediately. Depending on key players from the bench to clinch the victory may raise questions about depth and quality in certain areas.
Here's how we rated the performances on the night.
Ireland player ratings vs Samoa
15. Jimmy O'Brien – 5/10
A terrible evening for the Irish full-back, raising significant questions for the coaches about who will backup Keenan.
Scored his first international try in the first half but left the field with a shoulder injury.
14. Mack Hansen – 5/10
Not the typical high work-rate from Ireland's right wing.
13. Robbie Henshaw – 5/10
Saw little of the ball offensively and spent most of the night on defence. Missed three tackles.
12. Stuart McCloskey – 6/10
Provided solid ball carries for the midfield.
Might have done enough to secure one of the final squad spots. 13 ball carries.
11. Jacob Stockdale – 4/10
A last-minute substitute for Earls and seemed disoriented. Stockdale was a liability under the high ball in difficult conditions.
Contributed well to Murray's try with a clever chip kick but probably played himself out of a World Cup spot.
10. Jack Crowley – 7/10
Displayed great attacking instincts in the first half with excellent vision for his crossfield kick to Hansen for Ireland's opening try for O'Brien.
However, he failed to orchestrate the Irish attack, which looked very poor under his guidance. Showed his versatility by moving to full-back in the second half.
9. Conor Murray – 6/10
Resorted to his strengths early with some early box kicks on a wet and messy night. Finished off Stockdale's chip with a crucial try. His passing was sharp under the pressure of a poor breakdown.
1. Cian Healy – 5/10
Subbed off after 20 minutes with what seemed like a severe calf injury.
Struggled before that and conceded a scrum penalty before leaving.
2. Tom Stewart – 4/10
Had a tough time in his first international test match start. Started poorly with a bad throw and a penalty conceded in the opening minutes.
Contributed to Ireland's lineout problems. Only touched the ball twice.
3. Finlay Bealham – 4/10
Absent for much of the first half when the team needed their tight head to put in some hard work.
4. Iain Henderson (capt) – 5/10
Not a performance that will force his way into the starting 15. His breakdown work was subpar, and he struggled with lineout calls.
5. Tadhg Beirne – 4/10
A disappointing performance from the player who usually inspires those around him.
6. Ryan Baird – 6/10
His lineout defence was excellent and was probably one of the few highlights for the Ireland pack in the 1st half.
7. Josh Van Der Flier – 7/10
At times, it seemed like he was the only forward who showed up from the hotel. Missed a few tackles in the first half. 12 tackles made in the game.
8. Caelan Doris – 7/10
Took care of the hard work when some of his teammates didn't seem up for it.
Replacements
16. Rob Herring – 6/10
His entry brought some much-needed quality to the lineout.
17. Jeremy Loughman – 5/10
Faced immense pressure at scrum time and didn't add much to Ireland's attack.
18. Tom O’Toole – 6/10
Made a good impact off the bench during his 19 minutes on the field.
19. James Ryan – 7/10
Brought much-needed quality to a struggling Irish pack.
Disrupted a crucial lineout in the last minute, which could have easily resulted in a penalty for Samoa.
20. Peter O’Mahony – 7/10
Injected much-needed energy into the Irish pack.
21. Craig Casey – 6/10
Managed to get through it with minimal fuss or pressure.
22. Ross Byrne – 6/10
Came on at 10 to provide some much-needed direction to the Irish attack.
23. Garry Ringrose – 6/10
Joined with other senior players to rescue the game.
Coach – 5/10
A poorly managed first half. Farrell will be worried about the fragmented attack and the players' inability to solve problems on the field.
He now faces the task of finalising his squad and putting this performance aside to focus on the World Cup.
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