Australia player ratings v New Zealand
The Wallabies had one hand on the Bledisloe Cup heading into tonight’s match, but they quickly learned that the All Blacks weren’t just going to roll over and submit as they did a week prior.
It was a wet night in Auckland and it was the home team that controlled the ball better in the less than desirable conditions, ultimately winning 36-0.
How did the Wallabies perform in the loss?
1. Scott Sio – 3
Was absolutely done by Laulala at scrum time – but also earned one penalty back in return. Made just 3 tackles. Off after 46 minutes.
2. Tolu Latu – 3
Put in a great attacking kick early on. Sad to say that was probably the highlight. Didn’t make an impact on either attack or defence and was decidedly unbusy. Probably had plenty of energy. Off after 65 minutes.
3. Alan Alaalatoa – 4
No luck at scrum time, dominated by Joe Moody. Was used as one of the main carriers in the tight five until he was taken off after 44 minutes due to a head knock.
4. Izack Rodda – 6
Hands let him down in the lineout. Wallabies’ top tackler. 15 tackles is a great return. Struggled to assert himself in the tight battle – had a much harder task against a full forward pack, compared to last week.
5. Adam Coleman – 4
10 tackles, which was near best figures given he was on the field for only two-thirds of the game. Snared a lineout steal. Didn’t do anything to indicated he’d be preferred against the injured Rory Arnold. Off after 55 minutes.
6. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 3
Managed to tackle Sevu Reece around the neck and on the ground at the same time. Reliable lineout option and hit rucks. Gassed on the outside by George Bridge – but few flankers wouldn’t be. Busy on defence, making 11 tackles during his time on the field. Dropped the ball cold on one occasion. Off after 59 minutes.
7. Michael Hooper – 6.5
Needed to do more after Isi Naisarani’s break. Made try-saving tackle assist on Sevu Reece just before halftime.
8. Isi Naisarani – 7
Called upon to make a number of runs in the midfield. Always needed a couple of All Blacks to take him down. Made a great break from within the Wallabies 22 but had no support. Coughed up the ball inside the Wallabies’ 22 right before the break – probably due to Sam Cane not releasing Naisarani once he was tackled.
9. Nic White – 4
Man-handled by Coles. Had nowhere near as much an impact as a week earlier. Wallabies had less ball to play with (and less space around the breakdown). Off after 50 minutes.
10. Christian Lealiifano – 3.5
Dodgy first drop-off set the tone for the night, Missed two penalties from very kickable positions. Aimless kick gifted Beauden Barrett the space to create George Bridge’s break and, ultimately, Aaron Smith’s try. Off after 46 minutes.
11. Marika Koroibete – 4
Barely featured. Lost the ball when the Wallabies were on a rare excursion into the All Blacks 22.
12. Samu Kerevi – 5
Nowhere near as dominant as last week – struggled without the momentum of the Wallabies’ pack. Caught on the outside by Anton Lienert-Brown at one point, which capped off a poor defensive effort.
13. James O’Connor – 7
Excellent as a link man, showed to deft hands at times. One of the Wallabies’ best. Off after 68 minutes.
14. Reece Hodge – 5
Cleverly ducked under Bridge tackle to avoid a defensive scrum. Dropped Kurtley Beale’s pass – giving Richie Mo’unga a free run in. Failed to get involved, except in tiny doses.
15. Kurtley Beale – 6
Threw the bad pass that led to Richie Mo’unga’s try. Dropped an uncontested bomb that put the Wallabies under plenty of pressure just before halftime. Slippery customer at the back. Didn’t even try keep up with Reece after Jordie Barrett put through a grubber.
16. Folau Fainga’a – N/A
On in the 65th minute. Hit one tackle like a madman. Made little impact in his time on the field, probably could have come on sooner to get a feel for the game.
17. James Slipper – 5
On in 46th minute. Helped with an improve scrummaging performance in the latter stages, otherwise fairly unproductive.
18. Taniela Tupou – 7.5
On in 44th minute. Seemed to sure up the scrum. Earned his side a penalty through good work at the breakdown, granting the Wallabies a 5-metre attacking lineout. A couple of strong hits on defence. Cleared out rucks well.
19. Rob Simmons – 4
On in 55th minute. Maintained Coleman’s standard at lock – which wasn’t exactly incredible.
20. Liam Wright – 5
On in 59th minute for his debut. Got stuck into the breakdowns but penalised for leaving feet. No glaring errors from the debutant, but Wallabies were searching for spark and Wright was the wrong man for that job.
21. Will Genia – 6.5
On in 50th minute. Attack kicked up a gear once he joined the fray. The Wallabies never looked like winning, but mounting a fightback was possible with Genia marshalling the troops. Hard to know who Michael Cheika sees as his top halfback now.
22. Matt To’omua – 6.5
On in 46th minute. Made a great break with first touch of the ball but couldn’t find his supporting runner. Kept busy on defence.
23. Adam Ashley Cooper – N/A
On in 69th minute.
Comments on RugbyPass
Pot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
19 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
4 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
19 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
19 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
19 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
19 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
19 Go to commentsCouldnt agree more. SA sides need to show more committment and really have a go at the Champions Cup. Its quite possibly the most prestigious title in Europe and SA sides need to respect that prestige and serve up their best. EPCR needs to do more to ensure that sides from South Africa and sides travelling to and from SA have a better chance in this competition. The Bulls were put in a really difficult position of having to travel there and back in one week. One could argue that this is what the SA sides signed up for and that La Rochelle didnt complain or send out weakened sides despite having to travel to SA and back and play on successive weekends but surely the situation is also unfair on La Rochelle as well and so EPCR needs to think about successive gameweeks and the travel effect of the competition
19 Go to comments