Player Ratings: Australia
OPINION: The Wallabies have fallen painfully short of what would’ve been an incredible comeback win over the All Blacks in Sydney. New Zealand appeared to be on their way to a cricket score early but the men in gold fought their way back, going down 28-31.
Fraser McReight was sensational in his return from injury, scoring the team’s opening try of the contest. Matt Faesleer, Hunter Paisami, and Tom Wright also scored a try each as the Aussies put themselves in with a chance of a shock upset win.
Here’s how the Wallabies rated.
1 Angus Bell – 6/10
There’s absolutely no doubt that Angus Bell has world-class potential - and that’s if you don’t consider the loosehead to already be at that level – which made his performance on Saturday so unusual. Bell was largely ineffective against an All Blacks side that ran riot.
It took 46 minutes for Bell to carry the ball for the first time, but he was penalised shortly after, undoing the good work from what was a solid run. But defensively, to be fair, the 23-year-old was one of the team’s top tacklers. Bell was replaced after 50 minutes.
2 Matt Faessler – 7.5
Matt Faessler only carried the ball once, but it was an effective run, with the hooker crossing for Australia’s second try of the Test. Faessler ran through a tackle attempt by former All Blacks captain Sam Cane to score, which gave Wallabies fans something to cheer about.
Defensively, Faessler was superb, with the front-rower making an incredible 17 stops which was the second-most out of any Wallaby when he was replaced. At the set-piece, the Wallaby only failed to hit the target twice. Overall, it was a solid performance.
3 Taniela Tupou – 4
It took a while for Taniela Tupou to make a meaningful impact on the Test. Tupou was absent for the first five minutes or so, and while the 148-kilogram prop was able to make some stops, it wasn’t until about the 30-minute mark that ‘The Tongan Thor’ began to step up.
Tupou was penalised at the scrum in the 28th minute but quickly made amends with some strong work at the breakdown, winning a crucial penalty as the Wallabies defended close to their own try line.
Still, it wasn’t a standout performance by any means. Tupou looked exhausted midway through the first half and, apart from that breakdown penalty and bumping off Jordie Barrett with one carry, the front-rower struggled to make an impact.
4 Nick Frost – 6
Let’s start with the positive side of things because defensively, Nick Frost was a workhorse on Saturday afternoon. The towering lock was one of the team’s top tacklers with 11 successful attempts, but he missed five as well - also a team-high. Of those missed tackles, one was particularly costly, with Rieko Ioane going on to score in the first half. Other than that, the 24-year-old was also penalised on one occasion.
5 Jeremy Williams – 7.5
Jeremy Williams might be the find of the year so far for Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies. The Force skipper was once again solid in the Wallabies’ middle row, finishing as one of the team’s top tacklers and also proving to be a reliable option at the set-piece.
6 Rob Valetini – 7.5
It’s very rare that Rob Valetini has a poor game, and that wasn’t the case on Saturday. Valetini didn’t set the game alight with many incredible runs or massive stops on the defensive side of the ball, but the blindside flanker was consistent as well.
Valetini finished in double digits for tackles completed and he was also one of the team leaders for carries. The loose forward ran the ball for more than 40 metre which deserves plenty of praise after what was a promising Wallabies performance.
7 Fraser McReight – 9
From a Wallabies point of view, Fraser McReight was easily the Player of the Match. All Blacks’ Cortez Ratima was officially given that honour after the Test, but there was definitely a case for McReight who was superb in his return from injury.
From the first minute, McReight set the tone by driving Jordie Barrett backward with a dominant tackle. The openside flanker went on to score the team’s first try of the afternoon – putting an end to the All Blacks’ passage of flawlessness – and continued to excel from there.
McReight led the way for the Wallabies in attack with the most carries out of any player in gold, and the backrower was also among the game leaders on the defensive side of the ball. Incredibly, the Queenslander also kicked a 50/22 - hoofing the ball from inside his own 22.
8 Harry Wilson (c) – 8
For the most part, it was a tough afternoon for the Wallabies. Following the team’s horror loss to Argentina in Santa Fe two weeks ago, there were certainly disappointing and frustrating periods of this Test for the men in gold. That said, if we’re searching for positives, look no further than Harry Wilson.
In his first Bledisloe Cup Test as Australia’s captain, the 24-year-old led by example, delivering a couple of monstrous hits on Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie in the first half. Wilson was one of the game’s top tacklers, and his tireless work rate also stood out.
9 Nic White – 6
When the Wallabies announced their team on Thursday, it was a real surprise to see Nic White selected at scrumhalf. The Test veteran hadn’t played since the team’s loss to South Africa in Perth last month. It was a risky selection, and in the end, it didn’t really pay off.
White did a steady job. Without doing anything spectacular, the halfback passed the ball well, and his presence as a leader was noticeable. However, some errors were present which contributed to the team’s struggles.
10 Noah Lolesio – 5
There’s a lot to like about Noah Lolesio at Super Rugby Pacific level. With the Brumbies, the playmaker is cool, calm and collected, and usually delivers as the men from the ACT prove themselves week after week as the top team in Australia.
But this isn’t Super Rugby. This is a Test with the Wallabies, and Lolesio still hasn’t quite been able to make that leap with consistent performances.
With no one around him, Lolesio dropped a routine catch attempt cold – Will Jordan scored less than a minute later for the visitors. That, unfortunately, set the tone. Lolesio was outplayed by Damian McKenzie and the All Blacks; the 24-year-old struggling to make a noticeable impact.
11 Marika Koroibete – 4
Marika Koroibete just didn’t give a good performance. The Wallabies wing’s first touch was a knock-on down the left edge, and he dropped the ball again later on in the Test. Koroibete had one solid carry but that was just about the extent of his impact.
12 Hunter Paisami – 7
Once the match settled down and the Wallabies began to claw their way back into the contest during the first term, Hunter Paisami was solid as a distributor. Paisami linked up well with Noah Lolesio for the most part, but there was one moment to forget.
In an attempt to move the ball on quickly, Paisami’s rushed pass fell well short of its target. All Blacks wing Sevu Reece pounced on the loose ball who ended up sending backrower Ardie Savea over for a score.
Other than that, Paisami ran the ball a handful of times and made some solid stops without missing many. Paisami’s crowning moment was diving over for a score with about 15 minutes left to play.
13 Len Ikitau – 5
Hunter Paisami was the pick of the Wallabies’ midfielders this week with Len Ikitau having a bit of a quiet night. Ikitau only carried the ball a few times and the Brisbane Boys’ College graduate was in the middle of the pack for tackles completed.
14 Andrew Kellaway – 4
Andrew Kellaway missed five tackles and he only had the opportunity to run the ball a few times. The life of a wing can either be thrilling, frustrating, or both, but it was simply a tough Test for the outside back on Saturday afternoon - but he’ll be back.
15 Tom Wright – 8
With the roar of 68,000 fans either cheering him on or crying out for an All Blacks defender to stop him, Tom Wright had one fantastic run in the 33rd minute. From inside his own 22, the fullback created something from nothing by backing his pace through a gap.
Wright was one of the Wallabies’ busiest in terms of the number of carries from each of the players, and the No. 15 didn’t miss a tackle either. The Wallaby ran for more than 130 metres and scored the team’s final try of the Test as well.
Replacements
16 Brandeon Paenga-Amosa – 7
17 James Slipper – N/A – Was off the field for a while for a HIA. In this Test, James Slipper became the most-capped Wallaby of all time.
18 Allan Alaalatoa – 6
19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 7 – Had one really impressive carry.
20 Langi Gleeson – 6
21 Tate McDermott – 7.5
22 Tom Lynagh – N/A
23 Dylan Pietsch – 6
By Finn Morton