Ireland were far from their best, but ground out a 22-19 win over Joe Schmidt’s Australia. Here’s a look at Ireland’s player ratings from their hard-fought victory over The Wallabies.
Ireland ended their 2024 season with a 22-19 win over Joe Schmidt’s Australia. It was a tight contest, with Ireland performing below their usual high standards, but Andy Farrell’s men got the job done.
With Farrell now off to coach the British and Irish Lions next summer, here’s a look at Ireland’s player ratings from their hard-fought victory over The Wallabies.
Starting Lineup:
Andrew Porter 7
Porter went about his business well this afternoon. At scrum-time he was solid, he tackled well and across the park was generally good. Not at his best, but he certainly performed the basics well.
Ronan Kelleher 6
Overall, the lineout functioned much better this afternoon, but it did fall apart at times when it really mattered. It is not solely the fault of Kelleher, but he played a part in it. Across the park Kelleher was solid, but it was far from his best performance. Hardly helped by the electric newbie Gus McCarthy who replaced him in the second half.
Finlay Bealham 5
It’s safe to say this November hasn’t been Bealham’s best. Tadhg Furlong’s shoes are incredibly big to fill, and this autumn has shown that. Bealham was a victim of some compounding errors, particularly in the first half, as he struggled to shake some of his mistakes. He scrummaged well, but he dropped a number of passes which you would have expected him to catch.
Joe McCarthy 6
‘Big Joe’ went about his business well, but didn’t dazzle. He tackled well and motored around the park well, whilst his carrying was of his usual standard. The lineout mostly functioned well, as Ireland won 19/23 on Saturday.
James Ryan 6
Always the workhorse, Ryan put in a big shift against The Wallabies. He tackled well and carried hard, and was no-doubt a key driving force behind Ireland’s much improved lineout.
Tadhg Beirne 7
At times during the second half Beirne looked back to his poaching-best. He made himself seen and heard across the park and looked to cause some chaos at the breakdown. He was difficult for Australia to deal with at the lineout, and carried well. Beirne’s passing was also sharp today, however he forced an offload deep in the second half to ease the pressure valve on Australia.
Josh van der Flier 8
One of Ireland’s try-scorers on the day, Josh van der Flier was excellent again against The Wallabies. Capping off a super strong Autumn Nations Series, the flanker carried hard, tackled well and was excellent across the park.
Caelan Doris (C) 8
Captain and Player of the Match, Doris has consistently performed to a high level this autumn. He admits himself in the post-match press conference that he was surprised to be named player of the match, but you cannot disregard the work he gets through across the pitch. Also one of Ireland’s try scorers this afternoon, he showed off his strong carrying skills. His temperament with the referee was tested at times, but overall his leadership skills have grown a lot over the past month.
Jamison Gibson-Park 6
The scrum-half again looked a bit leggy against The Wallabies. Whilst it can be argued that he was not dealt the best platform, Ireland’s ruck was regularly too long, and allowed the visitors to set a strong defensive line. He performed the basics well, but was not up to his usual sky-high standards.
Sam Prendergast 7
Making just his third appearance, and indeed his second ever start, Prendergast looked remarkably composed for 21-years-old. Whilst he made some mistakes that he won’t be happy with, this was a great opportunity for him to play against a top-level opposition. Australia had done their homework and looked to put him under pressure, occasionally succeeding, but overall it was a strong performance from the young fly-half. His kicking out of hand and down the line was superb, but he will be scratching his head about that missed conversion in the 22nd minute
James Lowe 6
Decision making came back to bite Lowe this afternoon. Whilst he went about his business well, his error count was high. Simple miscommunications and decisions to offload or execute chip kicks in hindsight were poor options. He has improved his aerial game in the past few weeks, but it still looks a weak point for the Irish winger.
Bundee Aki 7
Coming off the back of a player-of-the-match performance last week, Bundee Aki impressed again this afternoon. You can always rely on him to generate front-foot ball, or crash up after a lineout maul. He and Robbie Henshaw partnered each other well in the midfield, with Aki making a number of key carries, tackles and indeed offloads.
Robbie Henshaw 7
Retaining his spot from last week, Henshaw was sharp this afternoon. He and Aki worked well together, reminding everyone of their Connacht days. Henshaw carried well, passed superbly and offered his services in defence on numerous occasions.
Mack Hansen 6
Hansen had a quieter game today. Not as sharp as his opposite number in the air, he struggled at times. He was on hand to neutralise any errors or spilt balls in behind the Irish defence, and performed the basics well. He would have liked to have had more touches of the ball, but it was a solid performance against the country of his birth.
Hugo Keenan 6
Definitely not his best performance this afternoon, Keenan was solid but not stunning. He looked to lack a bit of top-end speed at times, and struggled to break the game open. His kicking was slightly loose and offered Australia easy time and space. Where Keenan excelled tonight was in the air, regularly getting change from high balls from Prendergast, challenging well in the air.
Substitutes:
Gus McCarthy 7
Three tries in two games, not bad! McCarthy was assured and impactful from the bench. Where the Irish maul had struggled before his arrival, McCarthy seemed to breathe new life into it. He crossed over for Ireland’s crucial try in the 73rd minute, showing great patience and execution at the back of the maul.
Cian Healy 7
The record breaker. 13 minutes at the end to cement his legacy as an Irish Rugby history maker. He was solid in the scrum and even offered his hand at scrum-half. It was clearly an emotional day for the Leinster veteran, and he will be delighted to cap off the historic day with the win
Tom O’Toole 6
O’Toole was solid after his introduction, and was good in the scrum. He got penalised at the breakdown late in the second half, which looks to have been a harsh decision.
Ian Henderson 6
He didn’t have the impact that he would have liked to after his introduction, spilling a catch-able lineout. He threw himself around the park well, and got some praise from Andy Farrell afterwards. He will head back to Ulster disappointed in his Ireland cameos, but with time to turn things around before the six nations.
Peter O’Mahony 6
The veteran back-row had some nice touches whilst on the park, and added some tempo with his introduction. He secured some crucial lineout ball, which offered Ireland good opportunities in attack.
Craig Casey 8
Casey’s cameo was very promising. He and Jack Crowley brought a much-needed fizz to attack once they stepped onto the field. Casey passed brilliantly and had some nice touches in what limited time he had on the pitch. His passes had a higher speed on them than Gibson-Park’s, and his ruck appearance was incredibly impressive. Casey has proved a real spark this autumn, and will be pushing for a starting jersey come February.
Jack Crowley 8
Desperate to quieten the hype around Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley looked to make an impact off the bench. He certainly did. Alongside Casey, Crowley added an edge to the Irish attack which Prendergast is currently unable to provide; he adds a bravery and carrying threat which he put to great use in his cameo. He kicked a difficult conversion to edge Ireland further ahead of Australia in the closing ten minutes and was robust in defence.
Garry Ringrose 7
Ringrose provided a good energy off the bench, and put in a strong shift both in attack and defence. He capitalised on a bouncing ball during the second half to relieve some Aussie pressure and went about his work diligently.