Ireland player ratings as New Zealand put a wasteful side to the sword

A lot of positives but more negatives...

Tom O'Toole - 6

Solid scrum, giving Ireland a good platform which they didn't take advantage of.

His best game of the tour so far.

Dan Sheehan - 7

Lineout was the best it has been in a good while, and he deserves a good amount of credit for that.

Chipped in with a great turnover, 29 metres, and 14 tackles.

Was penalised a couple of times for early engagement at the scrum, with the All Blacks taking full advantage of the resulting free-kicks.

Tadhg Furlong - 7

Similar game to O'Toole overall, but had a lot more impact in the loose and in defence.

Maybe he is still a starter....

Joe McCarthy - 8.5

Ireland's best player, and possibly his best showing in green.

Made the most metres of any Irish forward with 40, and the most tackles of any player on his team with 21.

Was strong at set-piece, and produced an immense finish for his try amid huge pressure.

James Ryan - 6.5

Had a few errors - most notably a costly knock-on in the opposition 22 - before being taken off on 56 minutes.

However, the score is deserved considering how well the lineout went, and for his first-half lineout steal.

Tadhg Beirne - 6.5

Battled incredibly well for 80 minutes, and would have been frustrated with how strictly Nic Berry refereed the breakdown.

Josh van der Flier - 6.5

Not known for his turnover prowess, but showed it with a superb first-half steal.

Will want to get back to peak form, with Nick Timoney breathing down his neck.

Jack Conan - 7.5

Huge performance in the absence of Caelan Doris.

Carries, turnovers and tries in a world-class showing.

Jamison Gibson-Park - 5.5

His poorest game in recent memory.

Didn't have his usual influence, particularly with his box-kicking, and threw an awful pass into touch when Ireland were in a decent attacking position.

Sam Prendergast - 6.5

Probably the hardest man on the pitch to rate.

Considering the occasion, it was arguably his best game in green, and it was certainly his best showing in defence.

His kicking - to the line, at goal and attacking kicks - were largely excellent, and he ran the backline well more often than not.

On the flip side, there were some dodgy passes and he could have attacked the line to a greater extent and put more doubts in the opposition defence, rather than allowing them to sit off at times.

Jimmy O'Brien - 6

Another good showing in the air and in defence, showing why he is in the side ahead of the likes of Jacob Stockdale.

Stuart McCloskey - 5.5

His misplaced pass was the biggest moment in the game, and with such fine margins, it was arguably the winning and losing of the Test match.

Again, he was Ireland's go-to man for go-forward ball.

Garry Ringrose - 6

Relentless in defence, and his footwork was invaluable while facing a tight and disciplined defence.

Failed to execute a 3-on-2 in the second half, and had a poor dropped ball in the first.

Robert Baloucoune - 6

Was not given the ball he deserved and could have had a try had Hugo Keenan given him a pass after a linebreak in the opening 40.

Took a great catch at one point, but was at fault for New Zealand's final try by needlessly biting in, and a stripped ball helped lead to a crucial try just before the break.

Hugo Keenan - 6.5

Still incredible in the back field and in the air, but marked down for the mistake mentioned above.

Replacements:

Rónan Kelleher - 5

Jeremy Loughman - 5.5

Thomas Clarkson - 5.5

Nick Timoney - 6.5

Sean Jansen - 6.5

Craig Casey -

Ciarán Frawley - 6

Bundee Aki - 5