Ireland player ratings vs Argentina | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

2 hours ago
Sam Prendergast of Ireland, right, makes his way onto the pitch to replace team-mate Jack Crowley during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Ireland player ratings: Ireland were once again afflicted by unforced errors in a hard-fought 22-19 win at HQ but there were enough reserves of resolve to save the day from an Argentinian side that came within a whisker of nicking this one.

Ireland vs Argentina - Figure 1
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This altogether nervy performance from Ireland might not be enough to banish the ghosts of New Zealand, but it will do wonders for the confidence.

1. Andrew Porter – 7Had his hands full in the scrum against the 139kg Joel Sclavi. Was industrious in defence and was one of Ireland’s most frequent carriers too.

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2. Ronan Kelleher – 6A better effort than last weekend’s efforts, even if not blemish-free. Tried hard in open play and had his moments, even if accidentally running in front of Joe McCarthy –  handing Tomos Albornoz a well-taken 3-pointer – was not one of them.

3. Finlay Bealham – 6.5Held his own at scrum time for the most part and popped up to carry competently on occasion. Got binned for a soft-looking croc-roll in the 17th minute, which is a real hot button for officials at the moment.

Ireland

Argentina

4. Joe McCarthy – 8Put in a tireless shift, which was duly rewarded in the 32nd minute when he crashed his way over off a James Lowe charge. Constantly in amongst it, even if he went into mullet mode when sin-binned in the 50th minute.

5. James Ryan – 7Carried well and topped Ireland’s dominant tackle charts. Uncharacteristically lacked composure under pressure at times, most notably a 8th-minute fumble that gifted Argentina a scrum in Ireland’s 22.

Ireland vs Argentina - Figure 2
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6. Tadhg Beirne – 7.5The odd turnover aside he was one of Ireland’s standout forwards, making crucial turnovers and consistently disrupting Argentina.  A defensive bulwark who fought tooth and nail to keep Ireland in the game. Unlucky not to score after knocking on over the line.

7. Josh van der Flier – 6.5Spent most of his time on the field in the trenches, scrapping for spare change. Not his most effective game but it was by no means a bad outing.

8. Caelan Doris – 7Carried with intent and gained meters, even if Los Pumas’ tackling was particularly unyielding. No figurative trees pulled up but he never shirked the combat zone.

9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 6By no means was this his flashiest performance but his service was solid even his kick-to-contest game was a little off. Got caught napping by Julian Montoya on occasion.

10. Jack Crowley – 8This writer has been critical of Crowley in the past but this was first-class stuff for the most part. Shook off a huge head contact to moments later slice his way through the blue wall for Ireland’s first try. Kicked well for territory, at goal and showed his ability to play heads-up rugby when it was on.

11. James Lowe – 5Again a threat with ball in hand after a mixed game against the All Blacks last week, injecting energy into Ireland’s in both attack and defence; holding Guido Petti up to win Ireland a penalty in the 13th minute being a highlight. Againsst that, was just far, far too loose here and looked desperate at times.

12. Robbie Henshaw – 5.5Back on the starting sheet at the expense of Bundee Aki and he proved his value here – initially at least. Bullocking runs and a brick wall in defence were the order of the day in the first half, before he faded in the second, another Irish player infected with butter-fingeritis.

Ireland vs Argentina - Figure 3
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13. Garry Ringrose – 6Seemed to have been off to a horror start after throwing a telegraphed pass that was intercepted, but was saved when the subsequent Argentinian try not scrubbed off. There was no escaping his second-half missed tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia however, even if he was superb at times with ball in hand.

14. Mack Hansen – 6One of Ireland’s livelier players on what was a scrappy night at times. Made look silly by Mallia [he wasn’t the only one to be fair] and was guilty of forcing it at times in attack. Could be found on occasion geeing up the crowd, which Tony Ward must have hated.

15. Hugo Keenan – 6The usual safety net under the high ball and made a couple of semi-promising runs. That said, he’s not as influential in attack, where his blade has been slightly dulled of late.

Replacements:

16. Rob Herring – 5Got through plenty of work, even if a late missed tackle didn’t help Irish nerves.

17. Cian Healy – 6Brought experience off the bench to equal Ireland’s all-time Test cap appearances record held by Brian O’Driscoll.

18. Thomas Clarkson – 8Against a mediocre evening for Ireland, Clarkson shone. Wasn’t always rewarded for his dominance as both traded illegal blows at the set-piece, but he gave as good as he got.

19. Ryan Baird – 5Got stuck in but didn’t add a great deal other than hard graft.

20. Peter O’Mahony – 6A huge roar greeted the Munster veteran as if the baying Aviva crowd were willing him to singlehandedly save Ireland.

21. Craig Casey – NANot on long enough to rate.

22. Sam Prendergast – 6.5Showed heart in his 20-minute cameo in difficult circumstances, even if he tried to do it all himself at times.

23. Jamie Osborne – 7.5Looked sharp and hungry in his cameo, adding a bit of spark to Ireland’s haphazard attack.

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