15. Jamie Osborne: Started the game very brightly, secure under the high ball, one lovely sidestep and counterattack and his left foot made sizeable gains down the touchline. Rating: 7
14. Mack Hansen: Two tries put a nice gloss on a hardworking display for which he deserves credit especially in the manner in which he popped up all over the pitch. Might have had a hat-trick but for a dropped pass. Rating: 7
13. Robbie Henshaw: A super game. He gave Ireland positive targets based on his ability to beat multiple tacklers (seven in total). Formed a brilliant midfield axis providing the team with creativity and rigour in defence. Rating: 8
12. Bundee Aki: A try-scorer, he responded to being left out of the Argentina match with a stunning performance. The ability to win the collisions time and again was striking and it enabled his team to get into the Fijian backfield on a regular basis. Carried more (16) than anyone in a green shirt and tackled with a thumping ferocity. Rating: 9
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Joe Schmidt’s detail will be devilishly difficult to counter but Ireland can still win
Isaac Kailea ready for battle with Irish pack he calls ‘one of the best in the world’
Paul O’Connell rules himself out of the Munster running in the ‘short-term’
11. Jacob Stockdale: Typically superb in the manner in which he was able to beat the first tackle. Should have given a scoring pass to van der Flier but he invariably added value every time he touched the ball. Sad to see him suffer what looked like a hamstring injury in making another break. Rating: 7
10. Sam Prendergast: Showed his implacable temperament to put behind him a couple of kicking errors and a silly yellow card. Glorious cross-kick for the Mack Hansen try, placekicking was very good in the main, the timing of his passes and ability to pick the right recipient was outstanding. Rating: 8
[ Ireland make light work of ill-disciplined FijiOpens in new window ]
9. Craig Casey: Took a buffeting early on twice shoved on to his backside but didn’t miss a beat, continued to hustle and try to guarantee quick ball at the breakdown until injury slowed him a little. His honesty, tenacity and general quality was rewarded in the form of a smartly taken try. Rating: 7
1. Andrew Porter: Powerful in his carrying game to and beyond the gain-line, he understands the value of good footwork and that was very evident in his ability to occupy multiple tacklers and still get go-forward ball for his team. Rating: 7
2. Gus McCarthy: Aptitude, attitude and resilience are key components in any player’s armoury, and he showed plenty in producing an industrious and at times high quality contribution. A couple of crooked throws will sting, but overall a fine debut capped by a try, remarkable when considering his rapid progress. Looks like a Test player. Rating: 7
3. Finlay Bealham: The match passed him by a little in that he didn’t get much ball to carry or tackles to make although he did pull off an important one in midfield. The scrum was solid, and Fiji didn’t find much space on the fringes of the breakdown. Rating: 6
4. Joe McCarthy: His physical prowess was evident in defence and attack, and he managed one of four Ireland turnovers in the game. He took responsibility for restarts which he executed well for the most part. Rating: 7
5. Tadhg Beirne: Another player who put in a mammoth and selfless shift, he was a primary focus out of touch, worked really hard across the pitch to snuff out space for the Fijians and was effective on the gain-line as a carrier or distributor. Rating: 8
6. Cormac Izuchukwu: Some nice touches and carries demonstrating his athleticism and might have had a try on debut but for Mack Hansen’s pass that was judged forward. He made his fair share of tackles and disrupted the Fiji lineout a couple of times. Rating: 6
Are Ireland back to their best after thrashing Fiji?
7. Josh van der Flier: Indefatigable in his work-rate on both sides of the ball, made breaks and tackles with equal facility, he scored his 12th international try and might have turned provider for another but his pass to Bundee Aki didn’t quite have the zip to carry. Rating: 8
8. Caelan Doris (capt): He wasn’t far behind Bundee Aki in the man of the match stakes. It’s not just the number of carries (16) but the quality of that work and he was no less impressive on the other side of the ball with a team leading by 15. Rating: 9
Replacements: Ciarán Frawley was excellent after taking over from Jamie Osborne, making a series of good decisions about when to pass and when to use his feet to beat the tackle. Cian Prendergast, Thomas Clarkson and Tom O’Toole provided energy, Rónan Kelleher a try scoring impact, Conor Murray filled in admirably on the wing while Iain Henderson and Stuart McCloskey added physicality. Rating: 7
Coach: Andy Farrell freshened up the team, gave a couple of players their debuts and still managed to elicit a decent all-round performance against dangerous opponents. He challenged some players to be better and they were while he gave others a chance to make a case for next week. Rating: 8
