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Player Ratings | Ireland youngsters off to flying start to their international careers

Ireland laid down a marker against the USA on Saturday, earning a major victory over the side tha...



Player Ratings | Ireland young...
Rugby

Player Ratings | Ireland youngsters off to flying start to their international careers

Ireland laid down a marker against the USA on Saturday, earning a major victory over the side that took England to within 14 points last weekend.

Andy Farrell named a youthful side for Ireland's final match before the November series, their first against America after their 39-31 victory over Japan a week earlier.

The home side got off to a flier in the first half, and did not take their foot off the accelerator throughout the match, eventually earning a 71-10 victory.

Ireland USA Kilcoyne

Ireland Player Ratings

Dave Kilcoyne 7.5/10

Dave Kilcoyne was one of the more experienced players in the starting lineup, and showed his experience with a number of strong carries and a number of solid scrums.

Ronan Kelleher 9/10

Four tries for a hooker is impressive; only Dane Coles did it better by doing it off the bench. Kelleher knew exactly what he needed to do agains the USA and did just that, making a strong claim to keep that number two on his jersey for the foreseeable future.

Tom O’Toole 7.5/10

Playing 73 minutes in your international debut, particularly in the front row, is a marker of a quality performance. What also stood out form the 22-year-old's debut was his tackle count and overall work rate. O'Toole managed to make a decent number of meters with limited carries, and will likely see a future in green if he keeps it up.

Ryan Baird 7/10

In a somewhat modest outing compared to the rest of the side, Baird made his biggest impact doing the unseen work at the breakdown. In eight carries he made just over 10 meters, and would be looking to make more of the physical engagements if he is to nail down a starting place for Ireland.

Ryan Ireland USA

James Ryan 7.25/10

James Ryan might not have had his best performance against the USA either, but it was by no means a bad one. Making all of his tackles, strong in the breakdown area and carrying well, it was an average performance by the Irish captain at worst.

Caelan Doris 8/10

Caelan Doris was all over the park for Ireland, and his 54 meters off of just six carries is just one example of his impact. While Doris was denied at least two tries after having the ball ripped from him, his overall performance would please Farrell.

Doris Ireland USA

Nick Timoney 7.75/10

With a try on debut, and some strong carries to boot, Timoney had a great start to his international career. With young loose forwards like Timoney, Doris and Gavin Coombes all performing so well, the future of Irish rugby has potential at the very least.

Gavin Coombes 8/10

The Munster man had the performance that many expected, racking up the meters with ball in hand, while also putting on a tackling clinic on defence. Gavin Coombes will be giving Farrell something to think about by the time the end of year internationals come around.

Craig Casey 8/10

As Fiona Hayes on Friday's OTB AM expected, Craig Casey was a live wire at the base of the ruck, putting out quick ball and looking to distribute out to his exciting backline. One thing that he could have had more of was sniping runs around the corner, as he has that ability, but defensively he more than pulled his wieght.

Joey Carbery 8/10

The incumbent behind Johnny Sexton made the jersey his own against the USA, with a mature performance that showed he can control a game. He stood up on defence, and his kicking both out of hand and off the tee was near perfect. Carbery will be hoping to hold onto that Ireland number 10 jersey for a long time to come.

Conway offload

Andrew Conway 7/10

While he was definitely overshadowed by the debutant on the other wing, Andrew Conway still made the most of his 40 minutes on the park, making just under 100 meters and supporting the others on attack as well.

Stuart McCloskey 7.5/10

Stuart McCloskey was another on that was all over the park against the weaker opposition, scoring a good try and making over 60 meters while still distributing into the wider channels.

James Hume 7.25/10

Perhaps the most muted of Ireland's debutants, James Hume focused on support rather than going in search of glory himself. He was a defensive wall in the midfield and will be chomping at the bit to get back out there and make a greater impact with ball in hand.

Baloucoune

Robert Baloucoune 8/10

Robert Baloucoune has pace, agility and a keen eye for the gap. This is what can be taken away from a brilliant debut for the Ulster winger. Perhaps unlucky not to score more than the one try, the former sevens flyer is an exciting prospect for the future.

Hugo Keenan 7.75/10

Hugo Keenan is slowly but surely building a Rob Kearney-esque aura of consistency about him, particularly in his security at the back. Keenan has added some distribution skills to his game, and is becoming more involved in phase play he gets more and more game time in the Ireland number 15 jersey, and looks set to take some beating if he is to lose his position.

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