Compiled by GAVIN CUMMISKEY
15 Rob Kearney 6
Carried hard over the gainline and was dependable as ever under the high ball, endeavouring to force the issue at the end to no avail.
14 Craig Gilroy 6
Did extremely well to twist over for Ireland’s try and and wasn’t exposed by a bigger opponent in Tim Visser.
13 Brian O’Driscoll 7
Behaved like the leader, especially when the need was most dire, but he has been stripped of the title. Not quite the levels of Cardiff but clearly intent on influencing proceedings in multiple areas.
12 Luke Marshall 6
Had a decent game, with two early line breaks thanks to O’Driscoll’s decoy runs, only to butcher a try by missing Gilroy with a pass, but he belongs at this level.
11 Keith Earls 5
Really should have passed inside to O’Driscoll after an early break instead of trying to gas Hogg on outside, only to be caught by Maitland.
10 Paddy Jackson 4
The first cap must go down as a disaster. Despite his ability to create right on the gainline, he registered just one from four place-kicks and missed touch with a crucial penalty at 8-0.
9 Conor Murray 5
Couldn’t influence the game and has performed well below his expected standards for the past two games. Eoin Reddan brought a greater urgency to proceedings.
1 Tom Court 4
Not destroyed on the scale of his previous Test match at Twickenham last March but struggled at scrum time all the same. Otherwise anonymous and ineffective.
2 Rory Best 4
Bad day by a key leader. There’s no hiding from his hugely damaging lineout inaccuracy, which denied Ireland an essential attacking platform.
3 Mike Ross 5
Fixed the scrum problems, as only he can, and was trucking it up right to the death but little else to report.
4 Donncha O’Callaghan 4
One lineout steal and grafted, getting through buckets of work as usual, but doesn’t appear to be the player of a season ago. Time is ticking on but Devin Toner is not a patch on him.
5 Donnacha Ryan 5
Wobbled by a blow to the head but the lineout woes happened long before that. Can’t be blamed for miscued throws but it is his department and should have avoided the Scottish lighthouses.
6 Peter O’Mahony 6
Not as effective as O’Brien but his aggression levels are a massive benefit to a team that seems to need a quickening from him on occasion. Solid, again.
7 Seán O’Brien 7
An astonishing 22 carries without making much yardage but broke the line leading up to Gilroy’s try and appears to be nearing 2011 form again.
8 Jamie Heaslip (capt) 6
Way more effective than the England game, carrying and clearing Scottish backrowers off tackled Irish men. Arguably at fault for not picking ball from collapsing scrums.
Replacements 4
Ronan O’Gara’s poorly struck cross-field kick on 72 minutes put Ireland under enormous pressure. The other subs were also unable to turn the tide.
The Coach 4
The gamble back-fired and Declan Kidney must shoulder the blame for selecting an inexperienced outhalf. Jackson does not kick for Ulster. Was he magically going to make the step up here?
