Six Nations 2015: England player ratings

15 Alex Goode

He carried more ball (18) than anyone else and made more metres (136) but struggled a bit in the air. Mike Brown’s absence was noticeable. Rating: 7

14 Anthony Watson

He came into the game a little bit more after the interval, particularly with one slaloming run but gave away a crucial penalty: a largely peripheral figure. Rating: 6

13 Jonathan Joseph

England kicked a great deal of possession into the Dublin skyline so he had to operate on a meagre diet in terms of ball-in-hand. He didn’t get many chances. Rating: 6

12 Luther Burrell

He was strong and direct and manufactured a handful of good gain-lines for his side but when England needed to go wider he lacked the hands and vision on the day. Rating: 6

11 Jack Nowell

For a former fullback he’ll be disappointed that he got caught stationary under the high ball on occasion. Wriggled free a couple of times but didn’t get much decent ball - he still made 73 metres. Rating: 7

10 George Ford

There were several cameos of the player he’s likely to become within the next year or two but at the moment he’s still learning: a few errors but huge ability. Rating: 7

9 Ben Youngs

He never really featured at all in the match in terms of having a positive influence. He should have taken a little heat from his playing partner - disappointing by his standards. Rating: 6

1 Joe Marler

He has normally got plenty to say for himself on a pitch but given that he was well shackled in the tight his effectiveness was considerably reduced. Rating 6

2 Dylan Hartley

He overthrew to the tail when England elected to go to the corner with a kickable penalty and lost another ball on his throw. A quiet afternoon. Rating: 6

3 Dan Cole

He didn’t have the dominant afternoon that many English supporters hoped for in the scrum but he was very effective in every other aspect of the game. Good display. Rating: 8

4 George Kruis

It was a tidy and efficient effort but he won't hang onto his place when Courtney Lawes, Geoff Parling and Joe Launchbury return. Rating: 6

5 Dave Attwood

He made more tackles (19) than any other player on the pitch and also was England’s leading lineout taker (three) in a hard working performance. Rating: 8

6 James Haskell

He gave away a couple of penalties at crucial times and although he got through his usual workload with 15 tackles was part of a backrow largely outplayed for most of the match. Rating 7

7 Chris Robshaw (capt)

He made his usual shed-load of tackles (17) and tried to get his team going forward. His decision to go to the corner at 6-3 down rather than kick at goal will always be skewed by hindsight. Rating: 7

8 Billy Vunipola

He was his team’s second highest carrier (14) and was also in that slot in terms of metres made (79) in a high calibre display. Always took several tacklers to corral him. Rating: 8

Bench: Mako Vunipola made a significant impact on his arrival, while Tom Croft and Tom Youngs gave the team more athleticism, even if the latter did concede a throw and a penalty. Rating: 7.

Stuart Lancaster: He spoke to his players about discipline beforehand and they proved to be hard of hearing so to speak, coughing up 13 penalties. Ultimately it killed their chances. Rating: 6.