Ireland battled their way to a tough victory over Italy in their penultimate match of the Six Nations on Saturday evening in Donnybrook.
Both sides struggled to get a foothold in the match, as positive play from each side seemed to always be followed by an error or turnover in a hard-fought, stop-start encounter.
Lindsay Peat 7.5/10
Despite the poor performance from both starting props in the scrums, Peat was unstoppable in open play. She was vital in the scoring of Ireland's second try, after bashing her way over the line for the first.
Cliodhna Moloney 6/10
The lineout struggled massively throughout the match, with around a 60 percent success rate by the time that Moloney was subbed off.
While her general play was on par with the rest of her teammates, and she almost managed a charge-down try, Moloney will be hoping to improve on her put in to the lineout and strength at scrum time.
Linda Djougang 7/10
Similar to peat, Djougang should be worried about Ireland's scrum, particularly in the first half. Unlike most props, though, she did not let scrum woes tie her down for the rest of the match.
Djougang was powerful on both defence and attack, earning a couple of turnovers and making some excellent metres.
Ciara Griffin of Ireland makes a break during the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Italy at Energia Park in Dublin. Due to current restrictions laid down by the Irish government to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to adhere to social distancing regulations, all sports events in Ireland are currently held behind closed doors. Photo by Brendan Moran/SportsfileNichola Friday 6/10
Not all of the blame for the lineout struggles can go to the hooker, as Friday and Cooney struggled to hang onto the ball when it came their way. Friday was solid on defence, though, and gave her side a good platform to work with after her limited carries.
Ciara Cooney 6/10
Cooney, like Friday and Moloney, will be worried about the set piece troubles that Ireland had, particularly at lineout time. She put up a solid performance for her side, putting in the effort in the unseen areas of the pitch.
Dorothy Wall 7/10
A first start for Wall and a good performance from the young flanker. Wall was all over the park from the opening whistle, making big hits and getting in the Italians' faces.
Claire Molloy 8/10
Claire Molloy looked like she never missed a day of rugby, despite coming off the back of a year-long sabbatical in 2019. Molloy was unstoppable with ball in hand, and made life increasingly difficult for Italy on defence.
Her try was the epitome of her performance on the night: frenetic, fast paced, and determined to get over the line.
Claire Molloy of Ireland makes a break during the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Italy at Energia Park in Dublin. Due to current restrictions laid down by the Irish government to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to adhere to social distancing regulations, all sports events in Ireland are currently held behind closed doors. Photo by Brendan Moran/SportsfileCiara Griffin 7.5/10
The ever-present Irish captain could always be spotted around the ball, looking for work. She helped save a near-certain try from being scored, and was a few minor errors away from being one of the best on the pitch.
Kathryn Dane 7/10
Saved by a dominant scrum that gifted Ireland a penalty try, Dane almost cost Ireland their winning try. This one error, however, did not overshadow her overall strong performance throughout the match.
Dane was quick to the breakdown and was instrumental in creating the quick ball that led to the two first half tries. She punched above her weight on defence as usual.
Hannah Tyrrell 7/10
Tyrrell staked a real claim to the first choice number 10 jersey with a solid performance in the playmaker role. She dropped a few of the more difficult passes from Dane, but her kicking from the tee and her overall vision for space managed to keep Ireland ahead after Molloy's try.
Beibhinn Parsons 7.5/10
The best player on the park to barely get the ball, whenever Parsons got ball in hand she caused problems for Italy. She was defensively solid, and beat four defenders with both pace and power.
Béibhinn Parsons of Ireland in action against Aura Muzzo of Italy during the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Italy at Energia Park in Dublin. Due to current restrictions laid down by the Irish government to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to adhere to social distancing regulations, all sports events in Ireland are currently held behind closed doors. Photo by Brendan Moran/SportsfileSene Naoupu 7/10
Naoupu was not her normal, bulldozing self on Saturday, in her first game back since her health scare earlier this year. Linking well with the rest of her backline, Naoupu will be looking to build on her performance for France next week.
She was unlucky to be on the receiving end of an ankle tap which stopped her from breaking through a half gap late in the match, which could have put Parsons away for the match-winner.
Enya Breen 6.5/10
Breen struggled to get a foothold in the stop-start nature of the match, particularly in the second half. When she got ball in hand, she looked dangerous, however, and she managed to force Italy into a couple of errors while on defence.
Laura Sheehan 6.5/10
Sheehan had a much quieter game than her fellow winger, Parsons, and Parsons was not in the game as much as she would have liked to have been either.
Sheehan kept to her wing and waited for the ball to get to her instead of going looking for it, which meant she rarely managed to get her hands on it. Defensively though, she forced Italy inside and kept her nerve against the powerful Italian wingers.
Lauren Delaney 7/10
Delaney had a few nervous moments at the back, including a knock-on or two which allowed the dominant French scrum a crack inside the Irish half. However, with ball in hand she was dangerous on the counter-attack.
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