15 Hugo Keenan: Energy. Try saving cover tackle on Mark Tele’s on 19 minutes and another in the second half on the touchline. One of Ireland’s brighter lights on a tough night for the team. 8
14 Mack Hansen: First half had to be all defence and for much of the second half too. Loves to get his hands on the ball and run in space but that was not available to him this time. 6
13 Bundee Aki: Dropped and early ball then made best break of the first half. Earned five-yard scrum by pumping Sam Kane over his line and from which Ireland scored their try. 7
12 Garry Ringrose: Great chase on Caleb Clarke for first penalty. Big tackle on Ioane too. Excellent first half. Marshalling the outside positions very well against lively wide runners. 8
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Live: Ireland v Fiji, third test of the Autumn Nations Series
The bird-shaped obsession that drives James Crombie, one of Ireland’s best sports photographers
Former army baby Sam Prendergast not afraid to stand his ground in Ireland senior squad
11 James Lowe: Lack of possession made go forward ball hard in the first half. Didn’t get his hands on the ball to go forward and will be frustrated in that department. Good in the air. 6
10 Jack Crowley: Kicked from the tee well for six points before the break and became involved in the hard defensive first half shift. Still on a learning curve as a playmaker in big games. 6
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Excellent around the park. Fabulous tackle of Damian McKenzie and like Keenan real energy. Brings a general excellence and tempo to the play even under pressure. 8
1 Andrew Porter: Super start with block and chase to Will Jordan. Fist pump to the crowd. Endless tackles and a huge work rate even when New Zealand dominated the ball. 7
2 Rónan Kelleher: Couple of throws off but nice turnover off a Ringrose tackle in the first half. Another who defaulted to working hard with little go forward ball especially first half. 6
3 Finlay Bealham: Was solid in the scrum and put himself around in loose play. Does not have the bigger inputs Furlong has in his locker but hard-working first half in a tough period. 6
4 Joe McCarthy: Hit Sam Kane one he will remember. Little go forward ball in the first half and while putting in hard yards and tackle count, missing the normal biff he can bring. 6
5 James Ryan: In the war room all first half. No surprise there with New Zealand 63 per cent possession in the first half. Brave energetic shift in the face of All Black dominance. 6
6 Tadhg Beirne: Exhausting first half hitting ruck and tackling in as New Zealand held the ball. Trucking around and making the hits all day, very often on the back foot. Few chances to break. 6
7 Josh van der Flier: Super tackle on Ratima and a break on 10 mins. Was all-round tackling and putting his body on the line. A crafty-taken try where he found the smallest of space. 8
8 Caelan Doris: Got in four decent carries in the first quarter. As the match progressed those opportunities faded. Never wilted in a tough attritional game for the forwards. 7
Replacements: Overall, the bench didn’t have the sort of impact Andy Farrell would have looked for. Ireland needed to bring the tempo up and take on New Zealand, who had stopped them playing. 6
Andy Farrell: The team were under pressure and gave away too many penalties to man of the match Damian McKenzie. Players found themselves under pressure for long spells even after Josh van der Flier’s try. Didn’t click on the day. 6
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
