Following Ireland’s narrow 17-13 victory over Samoa in Bayonne, here is how we rated the players in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up match.

Ireland player ratings

15 Jimmy O’Brien: He ran an excellent and needed support line to open the scoring. However, that was about as good as it got for the 26-year-old who regularly spilt the high ball and couldn’t hold onto passes. 4

14 Mack Hansen: A busy and energetic performance from the winger who continually went looking for work. He assisted Ireland’s opening try with a solid draw and pass under pressure. He did isolate himself in the latter stages of the match, giving Samoa a route for the comeback. 6

13 Robbie Henshaw: A mixed bag from the number 13, who spilt the slippery ball in harsh conditions like many of his teammates. He did have some success with ball in hand but also had his challenges with marking UJ Seuteni. He looked to be carrying a niggle in the latter stages, which didn’t help. 5

12 Stuart McCloskey: The Samoa defence marked him well and was guilty of forcing a pass that wasn’t on that would ricochet off of Duncan Paia’au’s face as he raced away to score. It was not the best outing from the usually excellent centre. 4

Stockdale-Murray combine for crucial score

11 Jacob Stockdale: Thrown into the starting line-up before the game, the winger was possibly playing for his place at the World Cup and made a good fist of it. His chip kick that set up Conor Murray was fantastic, but he did also have a few handling errors, as many did, and some lapses on defence. 6

10 Jack Crowley: A tidy cross-field kick set up the opening try of the game, and the young fly-half continued to impress, making good decisions with the ball in hand. In challenging conditions, he struggled off the tee and was even charged down once. 6

9 Conor Murray: Selected as man of the match and the 34-year-old was a worthy candidate. He kicked well and scored a crucial try that swung momentum comfortably back in his side’s favour. The experienced number nine was also busy defensively and claimed two turnovers. 7

Loose forwards

8 Caelan Doris: Came inches away from scoring in the first half after his charge down. Doris was one of the few forwards who regularly gained metres from his carries, picking up more than any other Ireland player. He was solid defensively too. 6

7 Josh van der Flier: The current World Player of the Year was Ireland’s busiest defender, making 12 tackles and winning a turnover. However, it was hardly a starring performance from the flanker, who struggled to get over the advantage line and was not quite as impactful at the breakdown as he usually is. 5

6 Ryan Baird: One of the stand-outs in a poor first half and continued in that vein in the second half with a busy and physical performance. Made the most of his opportunity in the starting XV. 6

Tight five and replacements

5 Tadhg Beirne: The Munsterman always gives it his all, and today was no different. He was busy defensively and piled into breakdowns throughout the game. Beirne tracked back to make a thumping hit on Theo McFarland and was a sharp link man in tough conditions. 6

4 Iain Henderson: Some of the blame for the lineout troubles fall on his shoulders, and he put his hand up for that. The skipper on the night had a rather forgettable game. He is the kind of player who does much of the hard graft but still largely anonymous, and there was a notable improvement in the position when James Ryan replaced him on the hour mark. 4

3 Finlay Bealham: Taken to the cleaners by James Lay in the scrums with his defensive and breakdown work rate the highlights of his game. 4

2 Tom Stewart: Had a torrid time in the set-pieces, failing to find his jumper on five occasions in the first half alone, with Samoa also getting the upper hand in the scrums. A challenging first start for the young hooker. 3

1 Cian Healy: Forced off the pitch after 21 minutes with an injury that looks set to rule him out of what was set to be his final Rugby World Cup, a crushing blow for him personally and the team. 5

Replacements: Andy Farrell needed his eight replacements to step up to the mark and save the day, and they did. There was a notable scrummaging performance from Tom O’Toole while Rob Herring and Ryan fixed the lineout struggles, with the latter winning a crucial lineout steal and the former scoring the winning try. Peter O’Mahony was superb, as was Ross Byrne. Stunning performance from the bench, who saved Ireland’s blushes. 8

READ MORE: Samoa give Ireland fright of their lives in Rugby World Cup warm-up clash

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