Player Ratings: Australia
OPINION: The Wallabies have been beaten by the All Blacks in Wellington 33-13. Following last weekend’s heroics in Sydney, the men in gold seemed the more confident of the two sides early on but they couldn’t maintain any dominance throughout the entire Test.
Fraser McReight was once again the pick of the Wallabies as they fought valiantly against an All Blacks outfit that got better as the match went on. Australia finished this year’s Rugby Championship in last place after only winning one of six Tests.
1 Angus Bell – 6/10
It was a solid 60-minute shift from Angus Bell. The world-class loosehead prop finished with 14 tackles and an impressive number of carries as well, but the New South Welshman did seem to go missing for periods of this Test too.
2 Matt Faessler – 5
If we start with the essentials here, Matt Faessler was quite accurate at the set-piece for the Wallabies. Faessler only had one lineout tipped off by the All Blacks, so the Wallabies actually seemed quite confident with their lineout.
Away from the set-piece, Faessler was absent around the park. The hooker only made a handful of stops in defence and finished with five carries as well on what was a bit of an off night for the 25-year-old who is usually quite threatening around the park.
3 Taniela Tupou – 5
The party was almost over for Taniela Tupou before it’d really begun. Tupou went down after 60 seconds with what appeared to be a knee injury, but after some intervention from the medical team, the world-renowned tighthead prop powered on in Wallaby gold.
Tupou was fairly poor in Sydney and there’s no hiding from that. But this time, the man known as ‘The Tongan Thor’ was much better in the No. 3 jumper. The 28-year-old scrummed well and was impactful in general play, but he did give away one penalty as a notable negative
4 Nick Frost – 7
Nick Frost embodies the meaning of a ‘workhorse’ on the rugby field. The towering lock was a general at the set-piece as the Wallabies’ top lineout option, but his impact went far beyond that. Frost was a man on a mission in both attack and defence.
Frost was right up there for a while with the top All Blacks for tackles completed, and the Wallaby also added an impressive number of carries. The second-rower was also a menace at lineout time for the All Blacks; stealing one and tipping another throw from Codie Taylor.
5 Jeremy Williams – 7
Jeremy Williams was once again a reliable option for the Wallabies in their middle row. Without breaking the game open with eye-catching carries or monstrous shots on defence, Williams was able to put in a solid shift alongside Nick Frost.
While Frost was used more frequently at the set piece, Williams was able to make an impact with a handful of carries and more than a dozen stops in defence. Then there’s the stuff that can’t be tallied like the lock’s support play at the breakdown.
6 Rob Valetini – 7
Rob Valetini is a world-class backrower so the expectations that follow him after going to be high. All year, Wallabies fans have been treated to a series of outstanding performances from ‘Bobby V’ but this was a bit of a step backward.
Valetini is usually one of the best on the ground for the men in gold, and while the blindside flanker wasn’t exactly poor, others were clearly better. Seven Wallabies had made more tackles than him, and Valetini was 12th for carries by the time he was replaced in the 59th minute.
7 Fraser McReight – 9
Fraser McReight is the Wallabies’ best player at the moment. The openside flank returned from injury for last weekend’s Test in Sydney – scored a try and was in the Player of the Match discussion – and that high-level form carried through to ‘Windy Wellington’.
For the second Test in a row, McReight scored the Wallabies’ first try. The Queenslander came close to scoring another later in the first half but was held up over the chalk. But, aside from that, the Queenslander was also really impressive in defence and at the breakdown.
8 Harry Wilson (c) – 8
This was Harry Wilson’s fourth Test as captain of the Wallabies and it seems that leadership role is really starting to suit the backrower. Wilson led by example once again by throwing his body at All Blacks rivals in attack, defence and at the breakdown.
Wilson’s first carry was a run off the back fence – returning a goal-line dropout in the fourth minute – and the skipper continued to make an impact from there. The No. 8 finished as one of Australia’s top tacklers on the night.
9 Jake Gordon – 8
It’s not hard to understand why coach Joe Schmidt has regularly selected Jake Gordon in the Wallabies’ starting side. Nic White was solid in the No. 9 jersey in Sydney, but Jordon brings a more expansive skillset to the table – including a lethal running game.
Gordon helped control the pace of the Wallabies’ attack really well with a passing game that was both smooth and accurate. The 31-year-old’s kicking game was also solid. While Gordon bombed a golden chance to score early on, he made amends with his performance.
10 Noah Lolesio – 6
There were moments to like about Noah Lolesio’s performance but it wasn’t enough to put the flyhalf selection debate to rest just yet. Lolesio seemed to go missing for extended periods while those outside him – mainly Len Ikitau – were able to make an impact. Lolesio, to be fair, did kick well with one conversion and two successful penalty goals.
11 Dylan Pietsch – 6
It was a game of two halves for Dylan Pietsch, and sometimes that’s just the way it goes for those wearing numbers either 11 or 14. The ball came Pietsch’s way four times during the opening 40-minute period but only twice in the second half
When Pietsch did get an opportunity to play with possession, the left wing actually looked fairly threatening. In the 26-year-old’s first start on the Wallabies’ wing, there was enough for Joe Schmidt to like ahead of the Spring Tour.
12 Hunter Paisami – 5
Hunter Paisami only carried the ball a couple of times and was instead called upon to make his mark on the defensive side of the ball. The inside centre finished in double digits for tackles completed, but there’s still plenty to work on ahead of the end-of-year tour.
13 Len Ikitau – 6
About 10 minutes into the contest, the Wallabies played with all of the match’s momentum. The men in gold were running it from everywhere and that included a significant carry from Len Ikitau which saw the centre beat Sam Cane with sheer pace and determination.
That set the tone for a good performance from Ikitau who got stuck in on both attack and defence. Ikitau is a leader in the Wallabies’ backline and it’ll be interesting to see how his combination with Paisami continues to develop over the next four Tests.
14 Andrew Kellaway – 5
Andrew Kellaway was kept unusually quiet last weekend in Sydney but it wasn’t the same story this time around across the ditch. Kellaway’s first carry was a good one as the right-wing linked up with Jake Gordon with a perfectly executed set-play move off a scrum.
Kellaway ended up causing problems by breaking down the right edge, putting a chip kick in, and so nearly reaping the rewards by scoring himself. Other than that, the NSW Waratahs recruit went on to have a steady night with some other noticeable involvements.
15 Tom Wright – 4
It was an uncharacteristically quiet performance from Tom Wright who was unable to make some noise in any part of the match. The fullback finished the Test with the least number of tackles made for any player (1) and also only a couple of carries in attack.
Replacements
Brandon Paenga-Amosa – 6
Isaac Kailea – 6.5
Allan Alaalatoa – 5
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 6.5
Langi Gleeson – 6
Tate McDermott – 5
Ben Donaldson – N/A
Josh Flook – 4
By Finn Morton @RugbyPass
