Rob Kearney - 6
A solid 12 carries for 47 metres without so much as a hint of offloading but nothing new there as he remains the more reliable option as seen when the streakier Simon Zebo arrived late on.
Andrew Trimble - 4
Two missed tackles puts his position under threat from Zebo.
Interestingly England swapped wings with Anthony Watson exposing him in open water and he was run over by that Billy Vunipola stampede which so nearly yielded an England try.
Robbie Henshaw - 7
13 carries for 108 metres which included two exhilarating line breaks when his lack of sprinter pace was evident as Jack Nowell hunted him down to deny Ireland what could have proved the game deciding try.
Stuart McCloskey - 5
Lost two balls in contact so Joe Schmidt cautiously compliments this modern-sized inside centre who should be proud of his first Ireland cap with nine tackles and eight carries.
Keith Earls - 5
Try saving tackle on Nowell must be remembered along with a half break but, like everyone else, struggled to make any lasting impact in the most punishing of physical confrontations.
Johnny Sexton - 7
Paid for standing up to Billy Vunipola, twice smashed into the turf by Owen Farrell, badly hurt by Ben Youngs and still he landed an enormously important conversion and penalty while twice tearing open England’s defence.
Conor Murray - 7
Took an awfully late belt from James Haskell, body slam from Hartley blubber and rattled by a Joe Marler forearm when crossing for his second try of the championship. So important defensively but Eoin Reddan noticeably quickened Ireland’s tempo.
Jack McGrath - 6
Odd to criticise a loosehead for making nine tackles but it’s below the double figure standard he usually reaches. There was also the matter of breaking even, somewhat fortuitously, with Dan Cole in the scrums.
Rory Best - 4
Captaincy under serious scrutiny now. Three crucial lineout throws went awry and he is clearly struggling to influence referees like his predecessor. Richardt Strauss was dwarfed in this environment which makes Sean Cronin’s exclusion increasingly odd.
Mike Ross - 4
The offload notwithstanding, Ross was off the pace and while his scrummaging is more assured than Nathan White’s, this old truck appears to be running out of road. Not that his place is under threat.
Donnacha Ryan - 5
The official tackle count of 15 saw him reach the pitch needed to keep the front five apace in this warzone but Ryan’s career impact has fallen way short of what was predicted before the injuries started to pile up.
Devin Toner - 5
The Leinster tower is having a durable campaign in green but must take responsibility for the aerial havoc Maro Itoje, a young man of huge potential but first cap nonetheless, caused. It cost Ireland dearly.
CJ Stander - 5
Made a heap of tackles and carried into the punishing white wall but, really, he was out muscled by opposing backrowers with Chris Robshaw the more effective blindside.
Josh van der Flier - 6
17 tackles is a return deserving high praise but especially on debut.
As Schmidt rightly noted, he grew into the game with trademark direct carries and was only denied a try by weak refereeing.
Jamie Heaslip - 5
Loves an old kick of a ball. Another tireless 80 minutes but the salient fact is the best player on this field was wearing the number eight jersey and his name was not Jamie. Not a leader in true sense of the word.
Bench - 7
If Kerryman Ultan Dillane repeats this cameo for another 10 years or so the secondrow stocks, when Iain Henderson returns from injury this summer, will be a force to be reckoned with again. Reddan and Rhys Ruddock made more telling contributions than Cian Healy.
Coach - 6
He who may not be criticised has to make some crucial decisions in the next fortnight about the direction Ireland take next - two victories are essential to save face but the new generation needs to be integrated now, not in South Africa this summer.
