Ireland player ratings: Josh van der Flier a standout: Planet Rugby

Following Ireland’s narrow 22-19 win over Los Pumas from Argentina, here are our player ratings for Andy Farrell’s men.

Back line

15 Hugo Keenan: The full-back looked to be making things happen in attack as he made a boatload of carries, many of which were key to Ireland’s attack. A solid excursion. 5

14 Mack Hansen: Looked far more like the scrum-clad superstar we know and he scored a try to justify it. Although he had many positive interventions, the attempted tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia’s try is not one he would like to look back on. 6

13 Garry Ringrose: The center has such deceptive pace and strength which was a huge asset today. Ringrose beat five defenders and made 68 meters with the ball in hand – a team-high for both – while making solid defensive contributions. 8

12 Robbie Henshaw: Such an all-rounder and he jumped into the 12 channel with confidence today. The center will mostly welcome his switch and may have convinced Andy Farrell to back him again. 6

11 James Lowe: He is never quiet in an Irish shirt and it was the same again, especially in the first half. His kicking game provides a good amount of balance in the back three. 6

10 Jack Crowley: Finally got a try in what was a great bounce-back ride, finishing with 12 points. Crowley got the attack spinning in the first half and made a few mistakes in the second until he was substituted. 6

9 Jamison Gibson Park: As usual, the scrum-half was at the center of all the good that came from the Irish attack and used his expert understanding of the game to trouble Argentina at every opportunity. What a player. 8

Ireland can’t convince Argentina to bounce back from All Blacks defeat to claim hard-fought three-point win

Mixed bag ahead

8 Caelan Doris: Better from the skipper, but still not the ferocious Doris we’ve come to expect, although he made a whopping 18 tackles. Still, he’s trending well and he certainly looks at home with the captain’s armband. 7

7 Josh van der Flier: 24 tackles! That alone speaks volumes for his tireless shift, which was one of his best at Test level for a while. When he’s on song, he’s right up there as one of the players with the biggest motor. 8

6 Tadhg Beirne: Would have hated the fact that he knocked the ball forward on the line. Beyond that, Beirne was busy and had a complete game, but his typical breakdown impact was not there and Ireland struggled as a result. 6

5 James Ryan: Had some good touches in the first period but got a bit lost in the chaos as Argentina had their tails up. Nothing wrong, but nothing great about his effort. 5

4 Joe McCarthy: The yellow card for too many penalties lowers his score, but otherwise he was solid, throwing his body into contact with and without the ball. He was rewarded with a try as a result of a decent game. 7

3 Finlay Bealham: Some might feel he was lucky to be in the park after that crocodile, and otherwise he didn’t have much. At scrum time, he did not gain much dominance and was under pressure from Los Pumas, who are not known for their scrummaging ability. 5

2 Ronan Kelleher: A turnaround to note in a fairly bland shift beyond his 18 tackles. Kelleher was solid enough on the day. 6

1 Andrew Porter: Took a bit of heat in scrums and made some solid defensive contributions until he was taken off. Not perfect, but acceptable. 5

Substitutions: Headlining is Sam Prendergast, who will give Crowley sleepless nights after an impressive cameo on debut. The prodigy looked at home in Test rugby and ran the attack with confidence, only for Argentina to hold on. Jamie Osborne injected some venom on both sides of the ball while Cian Healy equaled Brian O’Driscoll’s record. While solid in defense from the bench, they offered little attacking threat as Farell’s charges held on for a narrow victory with an underwhelming performance as they failed to score a single point in the second half. 5

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