Wales v Ireland - Player Rankings

As Wales bounced back at Principality Stadium with a 22-9 victory over Ireland, we take a look at how the players have fared on both sides.

LEIGH HALFPENNY: Passed 600 points for Wales as he produced his best performance of this season's tournament. 7/10

GEORGE NORTH: Scored two tries and silenced his critics. Now has 30 Wales touchdowns during a 68-cap career. 9

JONATHAN DAVIES: Back to his best as time and time again he tested Ireland's defence. 8

SCOTT WILLIAMS: Proved a perfect midfield partner for Davies as he mixed and matched his game excellently. 7

LIAM WILLIAMS: Never stopped working on the left wing and Ireland's defenders could not relax throughout a gripping contest. 7

DAN BIGGAR: Twice had passes intercepted, but also had some good moments. 6

RHYS WEBB: Pushed North all the way for man-of-the-match honours. Outplayed his British and Irish Lions rival Conor Murray. 8

ROB EVANS: Stood up to the much-vaunted Irish front row and never took a backward step. 7

KEN OWENS: Has been a model of consistency in this season's Six Nations, and he did little to dampen his Lions prospects. 7

TOMAS FRANCIS: A strong performance by the Exeter tighthead prop. Growing into Test rugby. 7

JAKE BALL: Another tireless stint by the Scarlets lock. Has become a solid, reliable performer. 7

ALUN WYN JONES: Wales' captain led from the front as his team delivered a fine display. 7

SAM WARBURTON: Got through a staggering amount of work and relished the battle with Ireland's powerful CJ Stander. 8

JUSTIN TIPURIC: Marked his 50th cap with a high-class performance. Never stopped working. 8

ROSS MORIARTY: Another strong effort by the Gloucester player. Getting better and better at the top level. 7

Replacements

All of the substitutes used by interim head coach Rob Howley played their part, highlighted by replacement centre Jamie Roberts sealing Wales' victory with a try two minutes from time. 7

IRELAND

ROB KEARNEY: Another average night from a stalwart struggling to rediscover his past heights. 4

KEITH EARLS: Largely anonymous as Ireland were simply unable to grind into any kind of control in Cardiff. 4

GARRY RINGROSE: One early big hit on Alun Wyn Jones aside, the Leinster starlet failed to shine as Ireland so hoped. 4

ROBBIE HENSHAW: A solid but uninspiring effort was spoiled by his late illegal joining of a maul that cost Ireland a try. 4

SIMON ZEBO: Worked hard but was unable to conjure any kind of magic to unlock Wales' teak-tough defensive effort. 4

JOHNNY SEXTON: Yet more injury worries for Ireland's in-the-wars fly-half, Sexton shook off a head knock but had no control. 5

CONOR MURRAY: The Munster star's night was cut short by an arm injury, but Ireland forced him to play through the problem for too long. Defeat not his fault. 5

JACK MCGRATH: Ireland's recent scrum dominance disappeared against the robust Welsh, and McGrath was quiet in the loose. 4

RORY BEST: Ireland's lineout faltered just when it mattered most, with Wales picking the set-piece apart just as Scotland had on the opening weekend. 4

TADHG FURLONG: Not a night to remember for the Wexford man who had risen so fast so quickly, only to find the going extremely tough here. 4

DONNACHA RYAN: Ground hard but could not inspire anything from Ireland when it came to the tight exchanges. 4

DEVIN TONER: Bested at the lineout and hit hard frequently in the loose, a tough night for the Leinster star. 4

CJ STANDER: The Munster bulldozer was simply unable to punch any of his usual holes as Wales rebuffed his driving efforts. 5

SEAN O'BRIEN: An unusually quiet showing from the Leinster back-rower, who was bested around the fringes and kept quiet by a fine effort from Wales. 4

JAMIE HEASLIP: The vice-captain was unable to inspire his troops to any kind of gritty showing here, as Wales kept Ireland's back-row under lock and key. 4

Replacements: Ireland's men came and went with little impact or positive effect on the night, Paddy Jackson kicking one penalty in a short cameo and Kieran Marmion looking just about tidy after replacing the injured Murray. 4

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