Player Ratings: Australia

OPINION: The Wallabies have won two matches in as many starts under new coach Joe Schmidt after beating Wales 36-28 in Melbourne. That result backs up their heroics from last weekend, with the men in gold beating the Welsh in Sydney on July 6.

Filipo Daugunu stole the show with two tries but it was the work in the forwards from Rob Valetini and the playmaking of Jake Gordon which was especially important. This is a Wallabies team already playing with a lot of confidence.

Here’s how they rated.

1 James Slipper (captain) – 6.5
It was a true captain’s knock from James Slipper. Without doing anything flashy or headline-grabbing, not that that’s what the prop focuses on anyway, ‘Slips’ was a workhorse by constantly doing whatever he could to make an impact. Slipper put in 56 minutes of hard work, which saw the loosehead prop rack up an impressive stat line that included nine runs and 100 percent tackle accuracy from eight attempts. The Welsh set-piece was competitive if not superior at times, though.

2 Matt Faessler – 6.5
Rain started to pour down from the heavens about an hour before kick-off. While conditions cleared up soon after, the slippery conditions still seemed to play a factor early on. Australia’s set-piece was brilliant one week ago but it was a different story at times in Melbourne, and it’s hard not to consider the rain as a potential reason.

Matt Faessler couldn’t quite connect with lineout jumpers as at least a couple of throws finding the deck. Other than that, Faessler was one of the only Australian forwards to get into double digits for tackles completed when he was replaced in the second half. While it wasn’t perfect, it was another steady performance from the Queenslander.

3 Taniela Tupou – 5.5
Taniela Tupou was a force to be reckoned with during last Saturday’s win in Sydney but it was a bit of a different story, at least to the same degree, this time around. The man known as ‘The Tongan Thor’ looked fairly tired within the opening five minutes and failed to have a meaningful impact on the match. Tupou did carry the ball about three times within 45 seconds just before half-time but that was an anomaly out of an otherwise quiet night.

4 Jeremy Williams – 8
Western Force captain Jeremy Williams was one of the Wallabies’ best on Saturday evening. Right from the get-go, the lock got stuck in with two telling carries inside the opening 90 seconds. That set the tone for what was another strong performance from the two-Test Wallaby. Williams was a bit quiet after the break but that doesn’t take away from the second-rower’s sensational work earlier in the match. The 23-year-old was the first Australian to get into double digits for tackles made, carried the ball eight times and was a general at the lineout.

With Lukhan Salakaia-Loto sitting down for 10 minutes after being shown a yellow card, Williams had to step up and certainly did. The Wallabies’ coaching staff has certainly found a gem in Jeremy Williams.

5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 6
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto does a lot well but it was night marred by ill-discipline for the lock. The Wallaby ran the ball six times and was among the leaders out of Australians for the number of tackles completed, but Salakaia-Loto was sent to the sin bin at one stage for a high shot.

6 Rob Valetini – 8.5
Rob Valetini may have lined up in a different position and wore the No. 6 jersey to match that change but it was business as usual for the backrower who had another masterful performance in Wallaby gold. Out of the Australians, there might not have been anyone better.

Backing up from last weekend when Valetini led the way in carries and tackles for the Wallabies, ‘Bobby V’ once again led by example with an especially impressive work rate on the offensive side of the ball. The flank ran for 49 metres on the night which is incredible.

One moment that came and went quite quickly, and fans would be forgiven for forgetting about it, was a decisive penalty at the breakdown when the Wallabies were parked up on their own line.

7 Fraser McReight – 8
Queenslander Fraser McReight rarely has an off night at international level. As one of the hardest workers in the team, McReight doesn’t always stand out with highlight plays but what the flanker does is absolutely essential to this team.

Early on, McReight sprinter after Andrew Kellaway and nearly ended up scoring but unfortunately, the Queenslander didn’t quite have the speed to beat covering Welsh defenders. But the backrower was able to pass the ball on to winger Filipo Daugunu for a try assist.

McReight finished with 42 running metres, 14 tackles, and some trademarking work at the breakdown. It was another impressive knock from the Wallabies’ No. 7.

8 Charlie Cale – 6.5
With last week’s captain, Liam Wright ruled out with an injury, the selection of Charlie Clae in the backrow was the big talking point this week. The Brumbies bruiser debuted off the pine last weekend but was promoted to the starting side for the first time before the Melbourne Test.

With all the pressure and expectation that seemed to rest on young Cale’s shoulders this week, the 23-year-old didn’t look out of place. As the Wallabies developed some momentum during various stages, Cale was in the thick of the action, especially at the breakdown but that tends to be an area that sometimes goes unnoticed or unrecognised.

Cale’s first standout involvement was a strong carry-off of a scrum about three minutes into the contest, and there was another ‘highlight’ later on as he stole a Welsh lineout. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as Cale struggled at times to make an impact in attack and defence, but the Wallaby can still take plenty of positives out of Saturday from an individual point of view.

9 Jake Gordon – 8.5
When the Wallabies named their first team of the year about nine days ago, it was a bit surprising to see Jake Gordon named at scrumhalf. With Tate McDermott and Nic White also in the mix, any of those three could’ve rightly been given the nod at No. 9, but the decision to go with Gordon has since proven to be a stroke of genius.

Gordon picked up Player of the Match honours in Sydney and was once again in the conversation for that individual accolade in Melbourne. The scrumhalf was impressive as a leader of men and also stood tall with some solid work on both sides of the ball. The Wallabies really did reap the rewards of Gordon’s quick and accurate passing.

The Waratahs skipper showcased some clever ‘soccer’ skills to score midway through the first half. As seen on Stan Sport, Gordon was vocal within the team huddle at half-time which just goes to show how important the 31-year-old is to this team already.

10 Noah Lolesio – 7
The Wallabies coaching staff made the right decision by picking Noah Lolesio to wear the No. 10 jersey in both Tests against Wales. On the back of a strong season with the Brumbies, Lolesio has brought an impressive level of composure, skill, and execution into the position.

There were multiple times on Saturday when Lolesio took the line on, and it wasn’t completely clear to those outside of the Wallabies’ camp what was going to happen next. With the ball in two hands, Lolesio wasn’t afraid to take the line on himself or hand off intentionally late passes.

Lolesio, 24, was for the most part pretty accurate off the kicking tee, which is a major boost for the Aussies as they continue their journey under coach Joe Schmidt. The flyhalf did miss conversions in the 56th and 68th minutes but was otherwise accurate.

11 Filipo Daugunu – 8.5
Filipo Daugunu was easily one of the Wallabies’ best. Daugunu played all but one match at outside centre for the Melbourne Rebels this year but the utility has found a home on the left edge in Wallaby gold.

Daugunu crossed for one try last week and was back on the scoresheet. The 29-year-old worked hard to run in support of Andrew Kellaway and Fraser McReight early on and benefited by running in untouched for the opener.

‘Work rate’ was again the factor later on as Daugunu chased after an attempted penalty kick for the sidelines from Lolesio, and then after Wales’ Liam Williams attempted to bat the ball back into play, the Aussie winger picked up the pill before running away to the house.

12 Hunter Paisami – 7
Hunter Paisami has already proven himself an important part of the Wallabies in the Joe Schmidt era. After putting in a solid shift last weekend, Paisami was back among the top performers in the backs with 12 tackles and nine brave runs.

13 Josh Flook – 7
There were a lot of good things to take out of that performance from an individual perspective for two-Test Wallaby Josh Flook. The Aussie debuted last week, and while it was still a bit of a quiet night in Melbourne for the Queenslander, his work in defence was promising.

Flook made a solid tackle on Wales’ Ben Thomas inside the opening couple of minutes and that was his bread-and-butter for the rest of the night. Sporting blue headgear, Flook completed nine tackles from 10 attempts. But there’s still plenty to work on, as there is with all players.

14 Andrew Kellaway – 7
It hasn’t gone down as a try assist but Andrew Kellaway deserves almost all the credit for Filipo Daugunu’s try in the seventh minute. With the Wallabies parked up on their own try line, the wing created something special out of nothing by chipping the ball forward. Kellaway benefited from a kind bounce before getting the ball off to ultimately set up the opener.

That moment of magic set the tone for what was to come. The outside backs trio of Kellaway, Daugunu, and Tom Wright was superb last weekend and it was a similar story as all three had moments to be proud of. But for Kellaway specifically, it was probably better summarised as a quiet night with a highlight or two as opposed to an overall great performance.

15 Tom Wright – 7
Tom Wright was the hero the Wallabies needed last time out as the fullback raced away for a stunning try to all but seal the win over Wales in Sydney. Wright was again named in the No. 15 jersey ahead of the second Test and was pretty solid out the back.

While Filipo Daugunu stole the spotlight a bit with moments of magic on the wing, Wright’s work at fullback shouldn’t go unnoticed. Whether it was kicking, running the ball, playmaking or defending, the 26-year-old was reliable once again.

With The Rugby Championship just around the corner, there’s next to no doubt about who the coaching staff are likely to pick as their first-choice outside backs. Corey Toole could very well be available after the Olympics, but Wright and co. are the real deal.

Replacements:

Josh Nasser – 5.5
Isaac Kailea – 7
Allan Alaalatoa – 7.5 – Alaalatoa came on as a replacement at half-time for Taniela Tupou and made a significant impact quite quickly. The experienced tighthead prop scored a decisive try in the 55th minute to extend the Wallabies’ advantage.
Angus Blyth – 7
Langi Gleeson – 6.5
Nic White – 6.5
Ben Donaldson – 5.5
Dylan Pietsch – N/A

By Finn Morton