Ireland
Hugo Keenan
Exceptional covering tackle on Tommy Freeman in the first half, and joined in the attack with intelligent support lines as usual. 8
Mack Hansen
Big hit on Cadan Murley in the opening seconds was impressive and he bounced back well from an early injury. 7
Garry Ringrose
Kept a little quiet overall by the dynamism of England’s defence but as always a key cog in the champions’ machine. 7
Bundee Aki
Quiet by his standards until a fantastic second-half finish after being fed by Prendergast, crashing past three defenders. 8
James Lowe
Rock solid under an early high ball. Muscled through Mitchell to create hosts’ first try and also created key score for Beirne. 9 (man of the match)
Sam Prendergast
A mixed bag. Endured a difficult first quarter but grew into the game. Missed conversions looked like they might be costly. 7
Jamison Gibson-Park
A model of consistency - popped up on Lowe’s shoulder to get Ireland off the mark and typically effective elsewhere. 8
Andrew Porter
Scrummaged well and is always an intimidating physical presence in the loose. Played his part in the second-half surge. 8
Rónan Kelleher
Lineout functioned smoothly despite some recent concerns about the Irish set piece. Snuck over for a disallowed try. 8
Finlay Bealham
Competed well in the scrum, winning a penalty from Ellis Genge, and contributed to the attack with his usual quality. 7
James Ryan
The lineout went well and like the rest of the pack it was largely a different, better story for the lock after half-time. 7
Tadhg Beirne
Cynical holding of Maro Itoje at a ruck led to a disallowed score. Always a massive presence and took his late try with aplomb. 8
Ryan Baird
One strong carry in the first half that led to Marcus Smith’s yellow card. Grew into the match after the break like the others. 7
Josh van der Flier
Slick hands, strong carrying and crushing defence. The back row is one of Ireland’s most consistent performers. 8
Caelan Doris
Perhaps upstaged by the Curry twins in the early part of the game but grew into it along with the rest of his teammates. 7
Replacements Dan Sheehan (for Kelleher, 49) 7, Jack Conan (for Baird, 49) 7, Robbie Henshaw (for Aki, 57) 8, Thomas Clarkson (for Bealham, 58) 6, Jack Crowley (for Prendergast, 58) 7, Iain Henderson (for Ryan, 61) 7, Cian Healy (for Porter, 73) n/a, Conor Murray (for Gibson-Park, 74) n/a
England
Freddie Steward
Solid but unthreatening. He won some important aerial battles, but England’s lack of attacking spark was notable. 6
Tommy Freeman
Crossed for a late try to earn a losing bonus point. Did his best with little service: England’s attack never consistently fired. 6
Ollie Lawrence
Muscular carry led to the opening score and always looked a threat – extremely strong on both sides of the ball. 8
Henry Slade
Classy touches all over the place in first half. Exquisite grubber to create early try for Murley a reminder of his enduring ability. 7
Cadan Murley
Quickly snaffled a try on debut, but later invited pressure on teammates twice with a serious lack of composure in defence. 5
Marcus Smith
Bright and breezy as usual, but not always as effective as he needs to be. Does he maximise the talents of his backline? 6
Alex Mitchell
Decent kicking from hand, but fell off a tackle against James Lowe after England had worked so hard to keep the hosts out. 6
Ellis Genge
Played a part in a big forward effort. Carried with purpose and added weight in defence but gave away key scrum penalty. 6
Luke Cowan-Dickie
Another England forward who performed admirably in the first half, but the pack collectively ran out of steam after the break. 6
Will Stuart
Unspectacular around the field but did his bit defensively and performed his scrummaging duties competently. 6
Maro Itoje
Communicated well with the referee, at least early on, and brought his usual physicality but his influence waned. 6
George Martin
Mostly invisible but only because he was mostly doing the dirty work where it counted. Another quality day’s graft. 7
Tom Curry
Sensational turnovers seemed to justify Steve Borthwick’s back-row plans. Rarely gave his opponents time to settle. 8
Ben Curry
Just like his brother, did not deserve to end up on the losing side. Hurried Ireland up at the breakdown but limited in attack. 7
Ben Earl
A quality display overall. Punishing in attack and defence, ran a perfect line to capitalise on a fizzing pass from Smith. 7
Replacements Tom Willis (for Earl, 56) 6, Theo Dan (for Cowan-Dickie, 56) 6, Chandler Cunningham-South (for Ben Curry, 60) 6, Ollie Chessum (for Martin, 60), 6, Harry Randall (for Mitchell, 65) 5, Fin Smith (for Steward, 65) 6, Fin Baxter (for Genge, 71) N/A
