Ireland v Fiji: Winners and losers as the 'luck of the Irish' saves Sam ...

Following Ireland’s 52-17 victory over Fiji at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, here are our winners and losers from the Autumn Nations Series clash.

Winners

Sam Prendergast

The luck of the Irish was well and truly with Sam Prendergast in the first six minutes of his Dublin debut and first start for his country as he recklessly flew into the face of Kitione Salawa. It was frankly stupid. He was sent for a 10-minute break in the naughty chair as he held his breath and awaited the verdict of the Foul Play Review Officer who remarkably decided that his actions warranted just sin-binning. Frankly, he was lucky that referee Hollie Davison didn’t pull out the red card in the first place. Even Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll felt that the playmaker was fortunate while looking on through his shamrock-tinted glasses.

The 21-year-old promptly returned in the 16th minute and quickly went about righting the wrongs of his cameo on the sidelines. He produced a wonderful cross kick to set up Mack Hansen and luck was on his side again as his conversion attempt clipped the post before going over.

There is much talk around the Leinster fly-half and it’s easy to see why as he looked the re-gen of Johnny Sexton at times, particularly in the manner that he ran the iconic loop on occasion. It was a tidy performance outside of that dog shot and one that will certainly get Ireland fans’ tongues wagging.

Gus McCarthy

Surprisingly handed a Test debut after not making the initial squad for the Autumn Nations Series but the Leinsterman rose to the challenge and produced a strong shift. The hooker botched his first throw but recovered from that well and quickly put it behind him.

He picked up three try assists – a mind-blowing stat for any player never mind a hooker! A really fine outing and a strong start to what looks like a promising international career. He even finished the game off with his first Test try for his fourth try involvement. His lineout throws were far from perfect but that is to be expected with a young hooker.

Craig Casey

Grabbed his first international try as he dived over in the corner as Craig Casey really took his opportunity with both hands. He looked sharp and accurate in July against South Africa but hasn’t got a sniff at the jersey before today. He produced another strong performance with excellent service and put in the kind of shift that should earn him more minutes going forward, even if that is only when Jamison Gibson-Park is away with the British and Irish Lions next year.

Cormac Izuchukwu

It’s always a special occasion for a player who makes their Test debut and it was no different for Ulster star Cormac Izuchukwu. The 24-year-old played just under an hour before his number was called. It wasn’t a box-office shift from the forward but one that should lead to more caps down the line.

Ciaran Frawley

After a shambolic showing off the bench against the All Blacks, Ciaran Frawley was dropped from the matchday 23 but returned today and went about righting the wrongs of his last cap when his number was called early for Jamie Osborne. He linked up wonderfully with Prendergast and looked more like the confident player that sunk the Springboks in July than the one that produced a mare earlier this month.

Setareki Turagacoke

Remarkable how quickly he went from hero to zero as the mammoth forward galloped away for a sterling try only to be sent to the sin bin about a minute later. Still, his try was a brilliant introduction of himself to the international game. At 19 years old, he earned his second Test cap today and crossed for his first try for his country but also his first card.

Bundee Aki

In and out of the starting team so far this November after his underwhelming performance against the All Blacks but today he was at his blockbuster best. He crossed for a try and was brutal with the ball in hand. Much of Ireland’s success with ball in hand was down to his excellence in generating front foot ball and he managed to keep the sensational Josua Tuisova in check.

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Losers

Eroni Mawi

A yellow card and struggles in the set-piece, it was not the finest outing for the Fijian prop who struggled to get going throughout the game and his team paid the price.

Jack Crowley

The newspaper columns will be filled with praise for Prendergast ahead of the final Ireland game next week against Australia. The Leinster youngster was superb for much of the match. Jack Crowley hasn’t had the greatest November but he has produced some standout performances for Ireland this year and deserves to close out the year in the number 10 jumper next week.

Jamie Osborne

Handed his first start at the Aviva after brilliant cameos off the bench in the last two weeks, Jamie Osborne’s game was cut cruelly short through injury which was a real shame. The Leinster back has featured at centre and at full-back and was thoroughly deserving of his start. Hopefully for him and Ireland it is nothing too serious.

Caleb Muntz

Caleb Muntz was sensational against Wales earlier this month but today he just could not get going as Ireland dominated just about every facet of the game. Even for the most talented number 10s, playing behind a backtracking forward pack and an error-strewn effort overall, it’s insanely difficult.

Fiji

The Fijians were just not at the races today as they leaked penalties throughout the match and at a criminal rate. They started November sublimely and would have loved another historic victory in Dublin this week but it was not to be. Today they were simply beaten by a better team.

Australia

Joe Schmidt would have hoped that Ireland got a bit more of a challenge from the Fijians and softened up a few more bodies. While that may have been the case with a handful of injuries, Farrell’s men looked the sharpest they have all month.

It means that they will be well drilled and fired up to close the year on a high.

Foul Play Review Officer

The point of the TMO Bunker and Foul Play Review Officer is to remove the emotion of the on-field decision and provide time to get a fair decision made after countless replays. And while Planet Rugby as a general rule does not criticise officials, the decision not to red card Prendergast is frankly absurd. He was always reckless, always illegal and deserved a red card. We ask what the reaction from fans would be had Owen Farrell put in that tackle. The official got that call wrong and had everything in their favour to get it right.

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