Jordie Barrett was strong under the high ball. Photo / INPHO
Jordie Barrett was strong under the high ball. Photo / INPHO
How the players rated in the All Blacks 29-20 loss to Ireland.
Jordie Barrett - 6
Was reliable from the tee and made plenty of good, pressure relieving exits from the boot. Didn't get a lot of opportunities to attack, but still made his mark.
Will Jordan - 7
Lookeddangerous with limited opportunities with ball in band, but scored a great try late in the fixture. Finds a way to produce magic in some form every time he takes the field.
Held his ground in the midfield and looked comfortable back in the No12 jersey, but failed to see out the first half.
Sevu Reece - 5
Was caught coming infield a few times on the defensive end and had to scramble to cover. Tried hard to get himself involved in the game but with limited success.
Beauden Barrett - 5
Flashed his kicking game with some good exits and testing bombs, though his impact was limited after he failed an HIA early in the game.
TJ Perenara - 6
Made some important effort plays on the defensive end to force turnovers and help stifle the Irish attack, though his service lacked the speed to counter the Irish rush defence.
Did some good work on the defensive end and at the set pieces, but was guilty of trying to force things on attack which saw some errors creep into his game.
Dalton Papalii - 8
Bounced from tackle to tackle and never stopped working on the defensive end. Also showed his ability to play what is in front of him, cutting through the defence to set up a try.
Ethan Blackadder - 7
Plenty has been made of the engine Blackadder possesses and that was on full display with his work rate against Ireland.
Samuel Whitelock - 7
Did a lot of grunt work to try and limit the pressure on his side, was strong at the set pieces and wasn't hesitant to challenge at the breakdown.
Brodie Retallick takes a carry against Ireland. Photo / INPHO
Brodie Retallick - 7
Showed his engine by getting stuck into his work in the contact areas and was a big factor in the All Blacks strong goal line defence.
Nepo Laulala - 7
Was bested at the scrum a couple of times, but otherwise put on a solid performance in which he added plenty to some stoic All Blacks defence.
Codie Taylor - 5
Spent time in the sin bin for a relatively soft infringement and missed an important tackle, but also scored a try and worked hard at the breakdown. A bit of a mixed bag.
Joe Moody - 6
A big shift in the contact areas, particularly in making tackles and cleaning out the breakdown, although the Irish front row earned some scrum penalties.
Reserves:
Dane Coles - 7 Karl Tu'inukuafe - 6 Tyrel Lomax - 5 Tupou Vaa'i - NA Akira Ioane - 6 Finlay Christie - NA Richie Mo'unga - 6 David Havili - 6
