Six Nations 2015: England Player Ratings V Ireland in Dublin

England, who lost 19-9 in their Six Nations 2015 match with Ireland in Dublin, failed to respond to Ireland’s intensity. In particular, England had no way of getting through the hosts' tight defence.

No one in England white had a standout game, but two players enhanced their credentials, while Conor Murray ran the game for the men in green.

Here is Bleacher Report’s verdict on England’s players.

Front Row

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Dan Cole on the charge

Joe Marler: One of England’s best performers over the past year, Marler was unable to give England the edge they needed in the scrum to steer the course of the match. 5

Dylan Hartley: He missed two consecutive key throws in Ireland’s 22 after England turned down three points to level the match. What’s more, Hartley also underperformed at the scrum. 5

Dan Cole: Cole carried manfully but did not manage to provide England with dominance up front. 6

Second Row

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Dave Attwood: Discipline remains an issue, and he is not running as powerfully as he was with Bath at the start of the season. 5

George Kruis: He tackled well throughout, but off a quick ball out wide in the first half Kruis carried when he should have given it to the backs. 6

Back Row

James Haskell: He gave away an early penalty and didn’t have the impact of the previous two matches. 5

Chris Robshaw: For England’s Mr. Consistent, giving away two penalties and conceding a knock-on reflected a well-under-par performance. 5

Billy Vunipola: Three minutes in, he gave away a clear penalty for coming in at the side, handing Ireland an early lead. He was barely used as a runner in the first half but made a big impression in the second, when he gave England momentum.

A break from the scrum was followed by a kick that nearly ensured England gained 80 metres of territory. He also made a rare aerial claim against the aerially imperious Rob Kearney and followed it up with a smart offload. Vunipola is back to the form that gave him his England place just over a year ago. 8

Half-Backs

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Ford's drop-goal was a rare moment of quality from England

Ben Youngs: Youngs was outshone by opposite number Conor Murray, especially in the kicking game. 5

George Ford: Started with a crisp drop-goal, but inexperience showed with some of his decision-making. In particular, a miss pass in the second half could have led to another try for Ireland. 6

"

Ireland's half backs have the edge over England's at the moment. Not just the kicking game, but game management

— Will Carling (@willcarling) March 1, 2015"

Centres

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Luther Burrell: He limited impact going forward and was caught isolated, leading to a penalty and an Ireland six-point lead. 5

Jonathan Joseph: He struggled to make an impact, but it was strange that England failed to make use of their elusive runner despite the open game in Dublin. His high tackle gave Ireland a penalty advantage which Murray used to provide the kick for Robbie Henshaw’s try. 5

Back Three

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Jack Nowell: He came in for Johnny May and along with Vunipola was a positive for England. His kicking game proved very useful, and he took a good claim over his head against Rob Kearney.  7

"

@nowellsy15 having a very solid game back in the side.

— Lewis Moody (@LewisMoody7) March 1, 2015"

Anthony Watson: Watson made an early drop when unchallenged claiming a high ball. Elsewhere, he made one great break but did not need to offload, and the ball went forward. 6

Alex Goode: He kicked well but was uncomfortable under the high ball, though Goode did tidy up phenomenally on 43 minutes when Ireland looked poised to score. 6