Ireland suffered arguably their worst defeat in Rugby World Cup history as they were outdone by a fast and frenetic Japanese performance in Shizuoka.
Below are all the player ratings for a day that both players and fans alike will hope to forget.
15. Rob Kearney: 5
Not a terrible performance from the veteran fullback, bagging himself a try and looking good in attack for much of the game. However, like the rest of the team, he wilted in the heat and couldn’t deal with the pace of the game.
14. Keith Earls: 6
Ireland’s best player of the day. Looked dangerous in attack and showed astonishing pace in the 78th minute to stop Kenki Fukoaka scoring from an intercept. Salvaged a losing bonus-point for his side.
13. Garry Ringrose: 5
So good in the opening exchanges and took his try very well. However, he had limited impact as soon as Japan took control and couldn’t change Ireland’s fortunes.
12. Chris Farrell: 5
Another player who was really impressive early on in the match but was nowhere to be seen after the 30-minute mark. Disappointing after showing so much promise last week.
11. Jacob Stockdale: 5
Didn’t get a huge amount of chances against a Japan team who were incredibly quick off the line but looked ponderous in attack when he did. Looked like he was lacking pace against such a quick side.
10. Jack Carty: 4
Was the best player on the pitch for the first 25 minutes but looked like a deer caught in headlights after Japan seized control. Kicked far too often when Ireland desperately needed to put phases together.
9. Conor Murray: 4
Looked to be pack on form after helping Ireland cruise to a win over the Scots but wasn’t up to the pace today. Was too slow in attack and kicked poorly.
8. CJ Stander: 4
Yet another man who looked to be regaining his best form but couldn’t make an impact today. Should have made more ground against the supposedly smaller Japanese pack.
7. Josh van der Flier: 5
Tackled well and stopped a Japanese try after beating Kotaro Matsushima to the ball to dot down behind his own try-line. Didn’t do enough overall and offered very little in attack.
6. Peter O'Mahony: 4
Looked exhausted from early on. Jack Conan has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup but his starting place in the back-row is still in plenty of danger.
5. James Ryan: 5
Maybe the first under-par performance the young man has put in for his country. Also looked out on his feet from early on in the humid conditions.
4. Iain Henderson: 5
Looked to be another vintage explosive performance from the Ulsterman early on but went quiet with the rest of the pack after Ireland’s second try.
3. Tadhg Furlong: 4
Just couldn’t get to grips with the game. Didn’t look himself at all and was also looking to be struggling with the heat from very early on in the game.
2. Rory Best: 4
Looked tired from early on as well, which is unsurprising as the 37-year-old put in an 80-minute shift against Scotland last week. Ireland were in desperate need of leadership and Best didn’t deliver.
1. Cian Healy: 4
The Leinster prop got plenty of media attention during the week and maybe it got to him in the end. The scrum was mediocre in what should have been a key area of Ireland’s dominance.
Replacements: 3
Did nothing to turn around a game that was going against Ireland so much. They were expected to give the side a much-needed boost but it just never materialised as team looked lost for ideas in attack late on.
Everyone’s in the Team Of Us.
Vodafone. The Official Sponsor of the Irish Rugby Team.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
