Player ratings: Some good, some not so good as Ireland wilt late on

Brendan O'Brien rates the Irish performances in Chicago.

Sat, 01 Nov, 2025 - 22:37

Brendan O'Brien

A strange occasion in Chicago where Ireland looked so comfortable for so long despite Tadhg Beirne’s unfortunate early red card before ultimately wilting in the final quarter against a New Zealand side that transformed from clunky to silky smooth.

The individual stories reflected that: some good, mixed with some not so good.

Jamie Osborne (6.5):

Just a ninth cap but a fifth in the No.15 jersey. A quiet enough day for the Naas RFC man. Some very good stuff in the air and one class crosskick in the second-half that pinged New Zealand back.

Tommy O’Brien (5.5):

The first big opportunity in a green jersey for O’Brien after winning his first two caps against Georgia and Portugal last summer, this was a game that passed O’Brien by for long periods. Nearly collected a Crowley chip kick that would have earned a big second-half try.

Garry Ringrose (5.5):

One of those British and Irish Lions playing here with limited game time, Ringrose had just 40 minutes of rugby this season prior to Chicago, and it took him a long time to get going. Had a purple patch in the third quarter but missed some big tackles.

Stuart McCloskey (8.0):

Picked on form ahead of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw, McCloskey gave a superb account of himself on his 22nd cap. Twelve huge carries, always dangerous in looking for offloads, took a handful of restarts and did some recovery work at the back too. Brilliant.

James Lowe (8.0):

Now 33, and off a mixed Lions tour, Lowe was excellent here in everything he did. Got the Irish crowd going with his fist-pumping, covered the l brilliantly with his collecting and kicking and made some inroads with ball in hand.

New Zealand's Leroy Carter tackles Ireland's James Lowe. Pic: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

Jack Crowley (7):

Another picked on form, Crowley looked to stretch the Kiwis with his trademark crosskicks but they never quite came off. Marshalled well in a promising first-half and made a break or two before making way with 12 minutes to go.

Jamison Gibson-Park (7.5):

Absolutely sublime in the first-half, mostly with the boot. His exit kicks and box kicks in general were pitch perfect every time and he kept the team moving with his service off the base, but another whose influence waned.

Andrew Porter (6):

Started two of the three Lions Tests in Australia, Porter was part of a scrum that suffered at times on the All Black put-in but put in a solid if unspectacular shift in defence. Made way for Paddy McCarthy’s Test debut.

Dan Sheehan (5.5):

Handed the armband again, Sheehan was busy in defence early and made a great run down the left during Ireland’s first proper attack, but he was one link in a lineout chain that was much weaker than Ireland needed against this opposition.

Tadhg Furlong (6):

Back to his best with the Lions after an injury-scarred season up to that, Furlong’s try set Ireland up nicely in the first-half. Did a decent shift in defence, served as scrum-half at one stage, but the scrum had its issues.

James Ryan (7):

Started the third Lions Test in Australia and started well here. His hard but fair tackle on Jordie Barrett led to his former Leinster teammate leaving the field and carried some ball too. Will rue the team’s lost lineouts.

Tadhg Beirne (N/A):

Sensationally good on his first seasonal turn for Munster against Leinster two weeks ago, any hopes of the Eadestown man doing the same here were ended by an astonishingly bad red card three minutes in after his coming-to with Beauden Barrett. A huge loss.

Ryan Baird (8):

With Peter O’Mahony drinking cans on the train to Soldier Field with Conor Murray and Shane Lowry, this was a big chance for Baird at blindside. Had to do a shift at second row after Beirne’s exit but made big plays in the air and with ball in hand.

Josh van der Flier (7.5):

Unused in the three Lions Tests, this was his chance to make a point to Andy Farrell and he played like a man possessed from the first whistle. Ten tackles by half-time, he too had less of a say as New Zealand dominated later on.

Jack Conan (6):

Started three Lions Tests, for the second tour in a row, in Australia. Had a solid enough game here, but more of a sidecar role. Good shove of support for Furlong’s try, same again in keeping Baird in touch later on.

Replacements (4):

Ireland looked in a brilliant position to win this on the hour but it was the All Blacks bench that contributed two tries despite Caelan Doris making an instant initial impact on his return from injury. In fairness, the tide was turning before the bench was emptying.