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Player ratings Ireland vs Italy | Connors, Keenan battle for top spot

Ireland were in fine fettle when they ran out 50-17 victors over Italy on Saturday, with Hugo Kee...



Ireland were in fine fettle when they ran out 50-17 victors over Italy on Saturday, with Hugo Keenan and Will Connors putting together match-winning performances.

There were some big performances from most of the starting lineup, although Ireland never looked as if they got out of third gear.

Cian Healy 7/10

A solid performance from the experienced prop, in a match which did not rely heavily on set pieces to make the difference. Healy ran the ball well, and was instrumental in helping drive Will Connors over for his try.

Rob Herring 7.5/10

The 30-year-old put together a strong performance in the number two jersey that is hotly contested at the moment. He helped Ireland secure 90% of their lineout ball.

Andrew Porter 8/10

Porter was a menace at the breakdown, helping himself to the Italian ball whenever he got near it. He was pinged twice at scrum time, however, he was still able to gain dominance in that area over a strong Italian front row.

Tadhg Beirne 7/10

Beirne was quiet on attack in this match, but was huge in Ireland's defensive efforts, with 17 tackles made without a single miss. He was a towering figure in the lineout as well, helping Herring and Dave Heffernan maintain their collective 90% success rate.

CJ Stander of Ireland scores his side's first try during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. CJ Stander of Ireland scores his side's first try during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

James Ryan 7/10

The other half of the towering lineout duo, Ryan was similarly quiet with ball in hand. He made 15 metres with his four carries, and did all the work expected of him at the breakdown to secure Ireland's ball.

Caelan Doris 8/10

Another player that could have won man-of-the-match if it weren't for better performances from others, Doris was all over the park for much of the match. In just six carries he broke through two tackles and gained 33 metres, while not shirking his defensive responsibilities either.

Will Connors 9/10

Connors was given the official man-of-the-match award on the afternoon, and it is difficult to argue against it. He was superb on defence, with his famous chop tackle causing the Italian attack endless headaches.

He scored one of Ireland's seven tries, and was instrumental in the lead up play to two others. On top of his 14 tackles, Connors also stole the ball back for the hosts twice as well.

CJ Stander 8/10

Stander was not going to let his younger back-row partners  take all the glory, as he was the go-to ball carrier off the breakdown as usual. He got the hosts on the board with just 14 men on the pitch, and made 74 metres in the tight areas of the game.

The one area in which he did not live up to his reputation was at the breakdown, where he left Porter and others to make the turnovers.

Conor Murray 6.5/10

Not the best performance from the Munster scrum half in recent months, but definitely not the worst either. Murray was brilliant for much of the match, getting quick ball out from the ruck.

His yellow card in the first five minutes did not cost his side too much, although there were a few errant box kicks and pointless up-and-unders did not do much for his side either.

Jonathan Sexton 7/10

A missed conversion and an intercept pass which led directly to a try. These were the only errors in an otherwise solid performance for the experienced Irish captain.

Sexton was not as involved in the best phases that Ireland strung together as he would like to have been, but he still managed to add his name to the list of try scorers.

Hugo Keenan of Ireland dives over to score his side's third try, which was subsequently disallowed, during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin Hugo Keenan of Ireland dives over to score his side's third try, which was subsequently disallowed, during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Hugo Keenan 9/10

With a brace of tries on his debut, which might have been a hat-trick if it weren't for TMO intervention, Keenan proved why he was the obvious choice to replace the injured Jordan Larmour.

Coming off his wing on a number of occasions and always looking for work, the Leinster winger will cause a major positive headache for Andy Farrell when James Lowe is available if he keeps up his performance from Saturday.

Bundee Aki 8/10

Powerful as always, with a number of clean breaks, Aki bossed the middle of the park. Not known for his ability at the breakdown, Aki was strong over the ball and enjoyed a 92% success rate in the tackle, only missing one.

Garry Ringrose 5/10

Pulled off just short of the half-hour mark, Ringrose was not able to get a firm hold in the game before a head injury assessment ended his afternoon. He passed the HIA, however a secondary injury kept him from coming back on the pitch.

Ringrose managed field position well, with a smart kick into space behind the Italian defence, however his 50 percent tackle success rate and his inability to improve after the early substitution gives him a middle of the road rating.

Andrew Conway 6/10

Outshone by his teammate on the opposite wing, Conway had a quiet game by his standards. Conway let slip the only tackle he was asked to make, and was not asked too much on attack either.

Jacob Stockdale 7/10

Stockdale showed glimmers of that 2018 form that made him one of the biggest names in the back three for Ireland heading into the Rugby World Cup.

He was lethal on the counter-attack, and had a few lucky moments with the boot. However, missing two out of his four tackles and conceding three turnovers, he still has some work to do to get back to his 2018 form.

Notable replacement: Robbie Henshaw 7/10

Henshaw was brought on at around the half-hour mark for the injured Ringrose and looked to prove why he should have started. He assisted in Keenan's first try, and was otherwise dependable in the tackle and on attack.

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Read more about

2020 Six Nations Andrew Conway Andrew Porter Bundee Aki CJ Stander Caelan Doris Cian Healy Conor Murray Garry Ringrose Hugo Keenan Ireland Italy Jacob Stockdale James Ryan Jonathan Sexton Rob Herring Robbie Henshaw Tadhg Beirne Will Connors