Player Ratings: The Midas touch

OPINION: An inexperienced All Blacks side have emerged unscathed after a 69-31 victory over Japan at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo.

Sam Warlow rated the New Zealand players

1. Ofa Tuungafasi – 7

Helped early scrum time domination, got through plenty of work on defence and showed off golden hands to collect some tough passes.

2. Dane Coles – 8

Bagged a try in his comeback appearance. Tidy at line-out time. Turnover and offload to spark an early Waisake Naholo break stood out.

3. Angus Ta’avao – 7

Solid work in the scrum and made his tackles.

4. Patrick Tuipulotu – 7

Shut down in the first half. Reliable at line-out time for the All Blacks and disruptive for the Japanese. Made five tackles without a miss.

5. Jackson Hemopo – 7

Strong both over the ball and with ball in hand. Made his tackles and won a pair of turnovers.

6. Vaea Fifita – 6

Easy to miss in the first half. Missed a pack-high four tackles but made eight and won a turnover.

7. Dalton Papalii – 7

Had a few early jitters in his first All Black start with a knock on and missed tackle to allow a Japanese try. Recovered well and wreaked havoc at the breakdown. Finished as the All Blacks’ top tackler with eight. A promising start to what should be a long international career.

8. Luke Whitelock – 6.5

Just like his brother, nothing spectacular but did all of the dirty work and everything that was asked of him in his second effort as captain.

9. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi – 6.5

Passes were far from crisp in the early going as he left his backline flat-footed often. Warmed into the game and made an impact, scoring an opportunists try in his first start and holding up the ball to put George Bridge away for his first in black.

10. Richie Mo’unga – 9

Mo’unga was a smooth operator in the No.10 jersey for the All Blacks. Despite an early misfire looking for touch, his tactical kicking was near perfect – as were his efforts off the tee. Excellent when putting his teammates into space and outstanding both in defence and under the high ball. Mo’unga more than made his case for involvement against stronger opponents.

11. Waisake Naholo – 7

Slipped off a tackle early, got turned over but recovered to charge down a kick. Great vision to identify space and put kick ahead to set up Laumape’s second try. Missed five tackles. Scored a try and set another up. Led the game with 74 metres.

12. Ngani Laumape – 8.5

The man in the No.12 jersey had his way with the Japanese defence. He made an impact early with a big cutout pass to put Dane Coles away. Valiant kick chasing and barn-storming runs saw the midfielder score three tries.

13. Matt Proctor – 7

Attacked the line early, made an early break after a Jordie Barrett cutout. Got through plenty of work and was rewarded for support running with a try on debut. Untested on defence. Very tidy debut.

14. Nehe Milner-Skudder – 5

Did well with early touches, though he appears to have lost a step. Signature draw and pass to put Waisake Naholo into space early. Limited opportunities and subbed at halftime.

15. Jordie Barrett – 4.5

A real mixed bag from the youngest Barrett in Tokyo. Had a nightmare start with a kick charged down for an early Japanese try. Did well to scoop a loose ball before throwing a brainless offload. Had another kick charged down before finally showing some flashes in the last 20 when Japan were already deflated. Launched a beautiful kick pass to George Bridge and nailed a sideline conversion in the final stanza.

Reserves:

16. Liam Coltman

Made five tackles without a miss.

17. Tim Perry

Made five tackles without a miss.

18. Tyrel Lomax

Won a penalty at the breakdown.

19. Dillon Hunt

Won a pair of turnovers almost instantly, a typical pest at the breakdown. Big turnover to set up George Bridge’s second try.

20. Gareth Evans

Set up Waisake Naholo’s try with his first touch after a strong run. Had the vision and backed himself to take a quick tap to find Laumape on the wing to complete his hat-trick.

21. Mitchell Drummond

Got the ball out faster than Tahuriorangi. Did a fine job in marshaling the side.

22. Brett Cameron

Has officially played more test rugby than Super Rugby.

23. George Bridge

George Bridge had the Midas touch on debut. He scored two tries against the All Blacks last year while with the Barbarians and scored with his first touch in the black jersey. His second touch and a perfect grubber helped set up Matt Proctor’s try and a kick chase saw Bridge grab a double on debut.

@RugbyPass