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What written judgement said about Alex Mann's role in gouging saga
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Australia player ratings vs England | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
By Josh Raisey at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Australia player ratings: Australia snatched a try at the death to beat England 37-42 at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium in a match for the ages on Saturday.
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The Wallabies played with positivity throughout, to the point where the match descended into chaos at times.
While that may not be the level of structure that a meticulous coach like Joe Schmidt desires, it was nevertheless entertaining and brought home the win with some sensational scores.
It was a performance that was not lacking in world-class performances across the Wallabies’ squad.
Here’s how they rated:
1 Angus Bell – 8.5
Huge shift. Showed footwork in the tight that plenty of backs don’t possess as he skipped past and ran through English tacklers for fun. Led the charge up front with the ball in hand and proved very hard to put down. Didn’t all go his way at the scrum, but that was not too problematic.
2 Matt Faessler – 7
Had the Wallabies’ line-out functioning very smoothly, although was somewhat quiet elsewhere.
3 Taniela Tupou – 5
Would not have enjoyed being left exposed in the outside channels, and Marcus Smith took advantage of seeing a 148kg prop in front of him on the way to the home side’s second try. Penalised at a scrum just minutes later and began to creak in that department as the match progressed. His second half didn’t last long before coming off.
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4 Nick Frost – 8
Did some heavy hitting in the middle of the field and some carries around the tight caused England’s defence some problems. On a day where there were moments of brilliance around the field, teams need a Nick Frost doing the hard yards. Bravo.
5 Jeremy Williams – 7
Scored a try in the corner that any winger would be proud of, which all began with a nice link-up with his hooker Faessler at a line-out.
6 Rob Valetini – 9
Really caused England’s defence some trouble – nothing necessarily flashy about his carrying, just grit and power. With that said, his carrying was peppered with moments of the sublime as well, including a delicate offload to Fraser McReight. His tackling wasn’t too bad either, and he welcomed Luke Cowan-Dickie back to Test rugby with a brutal hit.
7 Fraser McReight – 8
Prime openside material with a tackle, counter-ruck and break within the space of 15 seconds in the first half. That was effectively a microcosm of his performance. He may be a little disappointed by the breakdown penalty that let England gain some field position, and score, when the Wallabies had a 10-point lead. Doesn’t deter from his all-action display.
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8 Harry Wilson – 8
Teamed up with Tupou on the outer flanks, the skipper bought Smith’s dummy as the England No 10 carved through the Wallabies defence. But that doesn’t tarnish a industrious performance, capped with a try. Had made 15 carries and 14 tackles when he left the field on 65 minutes, with his side in the lead.
9 Jake Gordon – 7
A lively display from the start, ensuring the Wallabies played with a good tempo. Perhaps didn’t pose as much of an individual threat as his replacement Tate McDermott, but provided plenty of control with his boot.
10 Noah Lolesio – 7
Showed plenty of endeavour in the face of an aggressive defence and had some luck shifting the ball out wide and exposing the chinks in England’s defensive set-up. Linked up with team-mates on his shoulder as well to exploit some gaps in the blitz defence. Solid display from the tee to add.
11 Dylan Pietsch – 6.5
The former sevens flyer linked nicely with his full-back Tom Wright in some flashy attacking passages. We’ll never know if he would have outpaced Ben Earl in a chase for the line after tripping. Grew quieter as the game progressed and left the field after 50 minutes.
12 Len Ikitau – 8
Paid the price for some sloppy rucking, allowing England to extend their lead in the first half. Had some explosive carries, but maybe not the eye-catching moments some of his fellow backs had. A world-class offload at the end gave the Wallabies an epic win.
13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – 9.5
The hype is real. In his first game of professional rugby union, the league convert was immense. Put his 1.96m frame to good use chasing kickoffs, but was only a fraction of what he offered. Very positive with almost every carry, looking to keep the ball alive and did on plenty of occasions with slick hands. Glided around Ollie Slieghtholme with frightening ease for Tom Wright’s try. Not just the best Wallaby on the pitch, the best player. Dare we say it this early, but there were hints of Sonny Bill Williams with his offloading.
14 Andrew Kellaway – 7.5
Came to life in the final five minutes with a breakaway try for what initially looked to be the winner after a display that was not particularly noteworthy in attack. Caught holding on in the first half, but also showed he’s a dab hand at the breakdown himself.
15 Tom Wright – 9
Left enough space in the backfield for Marcus Smith to exploit early on with a grubber, which led to the opening try of the match. A minor blip in an epic display. Looked electric when given a glimmer of space, and split England’s defence in two on a couple of occasions in the second half, making defenders look silly. Got his hands on the ball a lot and took his try well.
Substitutes
16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa – 6
Ensured the Wallabies remained comfortable in the set-piece after coming on.
17 James Slipper – 6
Not the impact Bell makes, but dependable from the bench.
18 Allan Alaalatoa – 6
Made 10 tackles in his 35-minute display which was a decent return.
19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 5
A daft penalty moments after coming on with an escort line.
20 Langi Gleeson – 6
Made some strong carries at the end as the Wallabies brought home the win.
21 Tate McDermott – 6
Made an immediate impact as soon as he came on after 30 minutes as a blood replacement. Sniped around the ruck a couple of times before finding success to put his captain in for a try. An appalling clearance when he came on for the second time luckily for him wasn’t punished by England, but failed to control the match as well as Gordon.
22 Ben Donaldson – 7
A lovely kick at the end, although the match was already won.
23 Max Jorgensen – 8
Scored the match-winner, can’t ask for any more. Bundled Sleightholme into touch earlier in the half when England were threatening.
