Player Ratings: Australia

OPINION: Australia made far too many errors and too many of their stars had quiet afternoons as England punished their mistakes in a 25-7 win.

There were flashes of individual class, but Joe Schmidt’s side never really looked like breaking the shackles.

Here is how the Australia players rated: 

15. Andrew Kellaway – 6
Looked a little shaky under the high ball but survived. One early spill set the tone for a nervy first half, though his positioning was generally sound. Not much joy on counter-attack, and England’s kicking game kept him pinned deep.

14. Max Jorgensen – 5
Beat a few defenders on the rare occasions he saw the ball, but his tackling let him down on occasion. Far too quiet overall. A few flashes of footwork hinted at what’s to come, but this wasn’t the showcase outing he’d have hoped for.

13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – 6
Proved a threat in the air once again, even putting pressure on Freddie Steward, but twice coughed up possession in the first half. Did beat a man or two with ball in hand and was part of a brick-wall midfield with Paisami, yet he was beaten in the air by Roebuck for Ben Earl’s try. A mixed bag.

12. Hunter Paisami – 5.5
Contained well in the first half and guilty of a late blunder in the 69th minute that handed England another go at their line. Tackled hard as always and combined well with Suaalii defensively, but little cut in attack.

11. Harry Potter – 8.5
The standout. Ran a near coast-to-coast intercept to score in the first half and came within a hair of doing it again later. Showed he can break the line when called on and pulled off a magical evasion of a would-be clothesline from Earl. One of the few bright spots.

10. Tane Edmed – 6
A mixed bag. The rookie standoff showed he’s no mug despite still learning his trade. Grew into the game after the break and kicked well at times, though a fluffed brain-rot dropout attempt before half-time almost cost Australia dearly.

9. Jake Gordon – 6
Solid rather than spectacular. Distributed cleanly and worked hard defensively, but the tempo never quite clicked around him. Tried to inject energy but found little front-foot ball to play with.

8. Harry Wilson – 7.5
Very nearly nailed a stunning 50:22 but was adjudged just outside his 22. Carried with purpose and led by example, even if a few mishandling moments crept in. His effort couldn’t be faulted.

7. Fraser McReight – 8
Game of two halves. Tried to be a nuisance at the breakdown in the first forty and walked that thin line between legality and chaos. The second half was much better. Won a brilliant turnover on 45 minutes to relieve pressure and grew into the contest.

6. Rob Valetini – 7
Carried hard early doors, especially during Australia’s best attacking passage soon after the restart. Led a break that almost freed Pollard down the left before Roebuck’s cover tackle snuffed it out. The usual powerhouse effort.

5. Jeremy Williams – 5
Put pressure on England’s lineout early and covered back well in defence when required, but faded as the match wore on. Overshadowed by Itoje and Cheesum in the tight exchanges.

4. Nick Frost – 5
Outstanding again at lineout time – as ever – but quiet around the park. Needed to impose himself more in contact. Another whose impact dwindled after the opening quarter.

3. Taniela Tupou – 7.5
Brought trademark physicality and held up well in the scrum. Enjoyed a big first half before being replaced by Alaalatoa early in the second. A solid shift from the 148-kilogram enforcer.

2. Billy Pollard – 6
Industrious enough with ball in hand in the first half, but fell off a couple of tackles. Nearly finished off Valetini’s break after half-time, only for Roebuck’s excellent challenge to deny him.

1. Angus Bell – 6
Carried frequently and eked out the hard yards, though he struggled to make serious inroads into England’s defence. Replaced after 58 minutes having emptied the tank.

Replacements – 4
Josh Nasser, Tom Robertson, and Allan Alaalatoa maintained scrum parity but offered little else. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto’s brain-fart gifted England their pen-ultimate try, undoing some of the pack’s earlier graft. Nicholas Champion de Crespigny had limited minutes to make an impression, while Ryan Lonergan, Hamish Stewart, and Filipo Daugunu entered too late to influence proceedings.