Lions ratings v Western Force: Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier the best of the Irish

Irish Times

a day ago

15 Elliot Daly
Very comfortable under the high ball. Always composed and put in a number of important clearance kicks in the first half when the Lions were under pressure. Alert to Finn Russell's tap and go to follow in support and get the first of two tries.
Rating:
9
14 Mack Hansen
Grew into the game after a slow start but when he got going was instrumental in several of the game breaking tries including the one Ringrose got and also Williams second score. Should be pleased with a high-visibility game and impact.
Rating:
8
13 Garry Ringrose
Set an excellent tone at the very beginning of the match when the Force had territory and possession with a couple of crashing tackles. Then began to carry a bit more ball and ended up scoring an excellent try in the second half off a Hansen break.
Rating:
8
12 Sione Tuipulotu
The Scottish centre didn't manage the same high-profile number of line breaks as he did against Argentina. But a full commitment to defence especially when the Force had momentum in the first half. Gave away a few penalties in the first half.
Rating:
7
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11 James Lowe
A quiet start but the Irish winger showed his full array of skills in defence, kicking long balls, hitting rucks with commitment and setting up tries for Williams and especially his out the back door flick to Sheehan for his try at the start of the game.
Rating:
8
James Lowe of the British Lions runs across the field. Photograph: James Worsfold/Getty
10 Finn Russell
A lovely player to watch. His crossfield kick to Sheehan was inch perfect and his decision to tap and go for Daly's try is what you would expect of a world-class outhalf. His delayed passing, which stands defenders very effective.
Rating:
8
9 Tomos Williams
Injured what looked like his hamstring scoring his second try after a super interchange with James Lowe. A high-energy contribution from the scrumhalf, who was also perfectly placed for Pollock's offload in the first half.
Rating:
8
1 Pierre Schoeman
Did most of his work when the Force were pushing for scores. Showed high energy and put his body on the line every wave of attack. Even took the ball in hand on the Lions try line. The exact king of aggression needed in an arm wrestle phase of the game. Rating: 8
2 Dan Sheehan
What a start as captain. A crossfield kick which he taps back to James Lowe and then carries on in support to score a killer try. Also made some trademark carries during the match and filled the leadership role well with an all-round performance.
Rating:
7
3 Tadhg Furlong
Great to see him start and he showed his typical abrasive way of getting in the face of the opposition and working hard to stay relevant throughout his time on the pitch, especially in defensive positions. The scrum was not an issue either.
Rating:
7
Hamish Stewart of the Force gets tackled by Tadhg Furlong of the Lions. Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty
4 Scott Cummings
Did his best work in the first half-hour when the Force were pressing. Put his body on the line and knuckled down to the painful work of hitting getting up and hitting again. Didn't have the profile of his secondrow partner McCarthy.
Rating:
6
5 Joe McCarthy
Daly might have gotten man of the match on TV but McCarthy was given the award on the pitch with an outstanding contribution from beginning to end. Carried, tackled, mullocked in when he needed to in an excellent all-round contribution. A try too.
Rating:
9
6 Tadhg Beirne
Had some valuable early carries and especially when the Force were pressing after Ireland scored their first try made some essential tackles and defensive plays.
Rating:
7
7 Josh van der Flier
Probably another contender for Player of the Match. Van der Flier was showing when others were not in a difficult opening 30 minutes. He made mini breaks and twice held up players on the Lions line. He made 19 tackles and missed zero.
Rating:
9
8 Henry Pollock
All that was said about the young backrow's pace and maturity was on show. Okay, it was not an international opposition but his defensive work and awareness to offload for the Tomos Williams try will have greatly pleased Andy Farrell.
Rating:
8
British and Irish Lions' player Henry Pollock. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty
Replacements
A try from Alex Mitchell at the end was just reward for a bench that kept pushing the match and the scoreboard forward against a tired opposition. A Huw Jones kick and chase, Ronan Kelleher, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan and Andrew Porter also kept the tempo high.
Rating:
8
Andy Farrell
He turned around a team that were weak at the breakdown in the first half and were falling off some tackles and lacked intensity in the physical clashes. More than 50 points scored is good outcome against a non-international side.
Rating:
8