Ireland's tour of New Zealand has flipped on its head, and with two wins and two defeats from their four games, it will all come down to Saturday's Test decider in Wellington.
This morning, the second string side continued the growing Irish momentum with an impressive performance seeing them get revenge on the Maori All Blacks in a 30-24 victory.
Here's how we rated the Irish players at the Cake Tin...
Michael Lowry - 7
It's become a cliche to reference his size, but his ability to neutralise the physical disadvantage he has is extremely impressive. Was solid in the Irish backfield, but produced a superb tackle on big second row Isaia Walker-Leawere when he was the last line of defence
Jordan Larmour - 7
Would have had a higher rating had it not been for his yellow card and penalty try, when he timed his tackle on Connor Garden-Bachop wrong. Good thinking along with Earls for the first try, while he led the way for Ireland with 61 metres gained on the ground.
Keith Earls - 6
While he showed quick thinking to take that quick lineout for Ireland's opening try, the captain for the night never really got going. A knock-on from the kick-off led to the territory and pressure for the first try, while later in the half he got badly caught on the outside by Shaun Stevenson, before the hosts butchered the try-scoring opportunity. Not his night, but he looks a far different player when he's on the wing.
Stuart McCloskey - 8
Quiet enough in the early stages, but became much more of a presence as the game wore on with some good second-half carrying. Was involved in two choke-tackle turnovers, and his bullet pass to Jordan Larmour put the Leinster man away for Ireland's final try of the night.
Jimmy O'Brien - 7
A much-improved performance from the Leinster wing, whose left-foot kicking option was used well at times. Put in a great tackle early on to cut out an attack, and produced a highlight reel catch of a high ball in the second half.
Ciaran Frawley - 7
Having struggled at times in the opening Maori game, Frawley looked a lot sharper this week. Without doing anything spectacular, he ran Ireland's game well and kicked well out of hand. Could have scored a second-half try when he almost latched onto a Craig Casey grubber.
Craig Casey - 7
Sharp service throughout from the Munster man, whose constant energy gave great tempo to the attack. As mentioned above, his second-half grubber to Frawley was judged about as well as he could have, and nearly resulted in a beautiful try. Has had two solid outings on this tour.
Jeremy Loughman - 8
After the disappointment of his first outing in an Ireland jersey ending with an early concussion, it was great to see Loughman getting a chance to impress. Made some strong carries and tackles, particularly in the opening half, but his comfort catching and passing was the most impressive, and a reason we may see more of him in the months ahead under Andy Farrell's game plan.
Niall Scannell - 8
Completely out in the cold until a few weeks ago, Scannell has been a big winner of this tour. Lineout was poor, but that looked to be an issue around the collective group rather than throwing. The Munster hooker was solid in the first Maori game, and even better this week. He forced multiple turnovers at the breakdown, and was a constant thorn in the Maori side.
Tom O'Toole - 7
Conceded a penalty at the scrum, but emptied himself on the pitch. Finlay Bealham's injury meant he had to play 75 minutes, and looked to be running on fumes by the time he as called ashore. If Bealham misses out on Saturday's Test, it will be a been a busy few weeks for the Ulster prop.
Joe McCarthy - 6
Active in defence as usual, but got on the wrong side of the referee in the opening half, conceding two penalties. Will have learned an enormous amount on this tour, and will come back stronger for it.
Kieran Treadwell - 9
Was called ashore before the hour mark, leaving it almost certain he'll be in the 23 for Saturday's final Test, and it will be a well deserved inclusion. The lock was outstanding in almost everything he did for his 57 minutes. Combined aggressive tackling and carrying in the opening half with soft handling. One highlight in the opening half saw him flick a delicate offload to Gavin Coombes before looping around to make a ferocious clearout. An all-action performance.
Cian Prendergast - 7
Hard to criticise him too much for his yellow card, with the Connacht man left with no choice but to prevent the quick New Zealand tap. A more restrained and patient performance from the 22-year-old, who picked off a brilliant jackal penalty in the first half.
Nick Timoney - 8
The balance between Timoney and Coombes in the back row was beautiful to watch at times, and the pair complimented each other perfectly. Did well to wrestle his way over for his first half try, and won two excellent second-half penalties. Led Ireland's tackle count with 18.
Gavin Coombes - 9
It's hard to know how much more he has to do to get a shot in the Test squad, but after playing 80 minutes tonight, it would probably be a surprise to see him named in this weekend's squad. Ireland's best player over the two Maori games, and bullied the hosts this evening. Almost scored a first-half try, but there was no stopping him from close range later in the game.
Selected replacements:
Ed Byrne - 6
Got involved as much as he could in his 18 minutes but will be frustrated to have been caught in possession near the Maori tryline
Ryan Baird - 7
Seems to have fallen out of favour with Andy Farrell, but impressed off the bench this evening, winning a big turnover in the Maori 22, before a strong latch on Coombes helped the Munster man over for his try.
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