IRELAND BOOKED A World Cup quarter-final berth with a seven-try victory over Samoa in their final Pool A outing on Saturday, despite playing 51 minutes with 14 men after Bundee Aki was sent off.
Our match report from the Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium is here, while below we take a closer look at the individual performances.
9Our Rating Mounting a real case for inclusion in Ireland's back three for the quarter-final. Very assured performance at fullback and a superb assist for Sexton's first try, showing his pace and peerless footwork, before getting over for his first World Cup try in the second half. Named man of the match. Jordan Larmour
7Our Rating Plenty of silky touches and important contributions throughout, while Earls' aerial ability is second to none.Keith Earls
5Our Rating First appearance of the World Cup and his fitness is all the more significant now with Aki set to be unavailable. Looked rusty but will be all the better for his 62 minutes. Robbie Henshaw
3Our Rating Started with energy and intent but his tournament is now over after he became the first Irish player to receive a World Cup red. A sorry end to what promised to be a special occasion for the Connacht centre.Bundee Aki
6Our Rating His head felt the full force of Seilala Lam's shoulder early on and didn't see a whole lot of the ball on the left wing. A quiet evening for the Ulster man.Jacob Stockdale
8Our Rating Ireland are a different team with Sexton pulling the strings. Was in the groove from the outset, scoring two first-half tries and striking it sweetly off the tee. Pulled ashore and wrapped in cotton wool once Larmour went over for Ireland's fifth. Johnny Sexton
7Our Rating As above, when Murray is buzzing around the pitch, it makes a huge difference to Ireland's tempo and energy. Box-kicking was on point again, perfectly exemplified by a high steepler for Earls to claim and then a longer, lower arrow into touch. Conor Murray
7Our Rating The tight five laid down a real marker from the first whistle and Healy was again to the fore, ensuring Ireland obliterated the Samoan scrum. Cian Healy
7Our Rating Handed Ireland the perfect start with his second try of the tournament off the back of a controlled rolling maul, with Keith Wood [5] the only Irish forward with more World Cup tries than the captain. Ireland won all 10 of their lineouts during Best's 50 minutes on the pitch. Rory Best
8Our Rating The New Ross Express. Bounced off four Samoans to score his third try in his last five Tests. At his rampaging and destructive best. Replaced by Porter in the 45th minute.Tadhg Furlong
7Our Rating The lineout and maul was a well-oiled machine and Henderson led from the front in this area. Really coming into his own at this World Cup. A dead-cert for next weekend's quarter-final. Iain Henderson
7Our Rating Unusual to see Ryan hauled off so early in a Test match but his importance for Ireland's do-or-die date next week cannot be understated. A ridiculous lineout steal and drive through the line with ball in hand was the highlight of the second row's evening.James Ryan
7Our Rating A big chance to put his hand up at six and Beirne seized his opportunity. Got through mountains of work and made 15 strong carries before being replaced by O'Mahony. Is he being kept fresh for a starting berth next week?Tadhg Beirne
7Our Rating Never stops working. The Leinster man's excellent World Cup continues as he topped the tackle charts again here and his speed to the breakdown consistently allowed Ireland to recycle quickly.Josh van der Flier
8Our Rating Another immense 80-minute shift from the Munster number eight. Showed superb timing of run, footwork and then an offload in the build-up to Sexton's first try, while also producing a trademark rip and steal later in the contest. Rewarded with his 10th Test try. CJ Stander
Replacements:
7Our Rating Has consistently made a big impact off the bench and that was the case again. Niall Scannell
6Our Rating A couple of big hits.Dave Kilcoyne
7Our Rating Ensured Ireland maintained their set-piece superiority through to the finish and although he hasn't started a game in Japan, has been one of the most consistent performers in green. Andrew Porter
6Our Rating Replaced Ryan for his fifth cap. Jean Kleyn
6Our Rating Brought on late in the game and reminded Schmidt of his impact with a brilliant turnover.Peter O'Mahony
6Our Rating Energy and endeavour off the bench.Luke McGrath
6Our Rating Got 30 valuable minutes of game-time under his belt after injury frustrations. Still trying to feel his way back into form but some encouraging signs, notably his grubber through for Conway's try. Joey Carbery
6Our Rating Slotted in at fullback for the final quarter and got his name on the scoresheet with Ireland's seventh and final try. Andrew Conway
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!