All Blacks player ratings vs Wallabies | Rugby Championship
Following a controversial finish in Melbourne, the All Blacks and Wallabies both entered their Eden Park rematch with a point to prove.
For the home team, the result last week may have ended in their favour, with the 39-37 win securing them the Bledisloe Cup for another year, but they also played poorly for significant spells in the match and ceded a 17-point lead at one stage of the contest.
On the hallowed turf of Eden Park, the All Blacks were looking to prove they’ve stepped up their game in recent times despite last week’s shakey victory and extend their 22-game winning streak over the Wallabies in Auckland – and that’s exactly what they did.
Will Jordan was the first to score for NZ, before Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor and Samisoni Taukei’aho all added five-pointers of their own (to go with one team effort penalty try), and while the Wallabies score two in the final quarter, it was too little, too late.
Come the final whistle, the All Blacks had earned themselves a confident 40-14 victory in what was one of their best performances of the season.
How did the players rate in the win?
1. Ethan de Groot – 7
Strong at the set-piece and did some good work on defence, making nine tackles. Missed his first attempt of the game on Jed Holloway, giving the Wallabies some significant territory to work with. Helped earn his pack penalties at the first two scrums (although the Wallabies were down to seven forwards at the time) but then gave up one of his own for illegal entry at the breakdown. Was free-kicked at the lineout shortly before halftime and was probably lucky not to be punished for a late tackle just before he left the field. Off in 57th minute.
2. Codie Taylor – 6
A better showing from the veteran hooker. Had a couple of issues at the lineout but was generally reliable. Copped one penalty for not rolling away at the breakdown. Sparked a nice attack with a good run down the left-hand flank off some disrupted ball and was rewarded with a try off the back of a rolling maul. Off in 57th minute.
3. Tyrel Lomax – 7.5
Showed good hands inside the All Blacks 22 to offload the ball to the dangermen outside him and generally got himself more involved on attack with his carrying game. Earned one penalty in the second half and was solid at the set-piece. Off in 57th minute.
4. Brodie Retallick – 8
A key metre-eater, particularly in the formative stages of the fixture. Snagged a maul turnover when the Wallabies were looking to launch an attack and threw himself into every ruck, maul and lineout. Pinged for shepherding.
5. Sam Whitelock – 6
One of his ‘off’ games, but finished much stronger than he started. Offered next to nothing with ball in hand until he managed to fight his way over the line and somehow – almost impossibly – ground it for the All Blacks’ first try of the second half. Forced one breakdown turnover when the Wallabies were looking likely.
6. Akira Ioane – 6
Was rather anonymous in the first half, making a good number of tackles but struggling to get his running game going. Earned a breakdown penalty in the second half, with the All Blacks scoring from the ensuing maul. Off in 70th minute.
7. Dalton Papali’i – 7
Made a monstrous number of tackles, as is typical of a man wearing the No 7 jersey for the All Blacks, but didn’t stamp his mark on the position in the way he would have wanted.
8. Ardie Savea – 7.5
It was an unusually quiet night for Savea compared to his usual lofty standards, especially with the ball in hand. Stole the ball from an offside position and was rightly penalised.
9. Aaron Smith – 5
Generally did his job but didn’t stand out. Pinged once for not rolling away at the breakdown. Ran a nice support line off Will Jordan to keep a scoring chance alive. Off in 57th minute.
10. Richie Mo’unga – 6
Kept the scoreboard ticking over and guided his team around the park well but didn’t offer much of a running game. Did well to prevent Bernard Foley from racing away for an intercept try.
11. Caleb Clarke – 5
Collected a couple of high balls in traffic but otherwise struggled to get involved in the first half. Made one nice run in the second but it was generally a quiet outing.
12. Jordie Barrett – 8
Offered a big body in the All Blacks midfield and willingly carted up the ball. Shifted to fullback late in the piece but it was a confident first start in the No 12 jersey for the youngest Barrett and worth persisting with.
13. Rieko Ioane – 7
Sparked a couple of nice counter-attacks but probably cost his team a try when he failed to find his supporting runner.
14. Will Jordan – 8.5
Looked dangerous with his first couple of carries and then slipped around his defender to score a very well-taken try at the beginning of the second quarter. Made another dangerous run with a few minutes left in the first spell but the All Blacks couldn’t capitalise. Off in 68th minute.
15. Beauden Barrett – 7
Made a brilliant run in the outer channels early in the match which resulted in a five-metre attacking scrum and slotted into the line when the situation demanded it. Might have convinced the selectors that the dual playmaker experiment is worth revisiting. Saw less ball in the second half. Off in 70th minute.
Reserves:
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho – 6
On in 57th minute. 2/2 lineout. Grabbed what’s now becoming a customary try.
17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi – 5
On in 57th minute. Carted the ball up on a few occasions and kept the scrum steady.
18. Nepo Laulala – 5
On in 57th minute. Won a penalty at the first scrum and made a handful of tackles.
19. Tupou Vaa’i – N/A
On in 66th minute.
20. Hoskins Sotutu – N/A
On in 70th minute. Pinged for some illegal breakdown work.
21. Finlay Christie – 5
On in 57th minute. Was a bit circumspect at times, eventually conceding a penalty after getting trapped at the back of a scrum.
22. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – N/A
On in 70th minute.
23. Sevu Reece – 7
On in 68th minute. Added a nice spark off the bench. Luckily avoided any punishment for a head clash. Stole the ball from under the Wallabies’ noses when they were hot on attack.
Comments on RugbyPass
I do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
4 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
27 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
6 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
3 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
3 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
6 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
27 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
20 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
3 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
3 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
27 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
27 Go to comments