1
The scoreboard doesn’t do justice to this Australia performance, with two England tries against the run of play doing a disservice to the Wallabies on-field performance.
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Cheika made five changes to the team that beat Uruguay 45-10 in their last pool stage match: Allan Ala’alatoa, Michael Hooper, Will Genia, Christian Lealiifano and Reece Hodge return to the starting XV to take on England.
Jordan Petaia moved from the right-wing to the 13 shirt, to start at outside-centre.
Here’s our Australia player ratings vs England:
1. SCOTT SIO
Started against Fiji, Wales and Georgia but got a break last weekend. Traded penalties with Sinckler early doors, though the Englishman increasingly had the whip hand as the match wore on. Saved by a few ‘whatever-you’re-having-yourself’ Garces scrum calls.
5.5
(Continue reading below…)
2. TOLU LATU
Defensively excellent, making two telling tackles on Slade and then Billy Vunipola, although there was whiff of a ‘daisy cutter’ about the latter. Will be the Wallabies hooker for years we expect.
7.5
3. ALLAN ALAALATOA
Has kept Tongan Thor out of the starting XV for most of the tournament. All the action appeared to be on Sio’s side of the scrum. Started to creak in the secondhalf before being taken off.
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5.5
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1185477450349850624
4. IZACK RODDA
For a lock he sure knows how to pick an angle. The athletic Red carries for days, belying his 6’7.5, 119kg frame. Was one of the Wallabies’ primary battering rams at first receiver.
6.5
5. RORY ARNOLD
At 208cm, he is the tallest player at Rugby World Cup 2019. Doesn’t have the utility in the loose that elite modern second rows have these days. Didn’t get into England faces in the way neautrals might have expected or the Wallabies will have wanted.
5
6. DAVID POCOCK
Clutch turnover in the 16th minute with England camped in their 22. Minutes later forced a pass that led to Jonny May’s second try. It hasn’t been a tournament for poachers.
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5.5
7. MICHAEL HOOPER (CAPT.)
A thorn in England’s side all evening. Spent most of evening tackling and talking to Jerome Garces.
5
8. ISI NAISARANI
A willing and effective carrier, he made a crucial turnover hit on Slade that led a Kurtley Beale’s 30-metre break up-field. A solid if not game changing shift.
7
Massive numbers. #RWC2019 #ENGvAUS https://t.co/rUbGRIhqTs
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 19, 2019
9. WILL GENIA
A tad over-ambitious in the first quarter, over a throwing a pass to give away possession in the 9th minute. His usual, world-class service, but can’t help but feel slightly short-changed from a player we may have seen for the last time at a RWC.
6
10. CHRISTIAN LEALIIFANO
Kicked well and kept England defence honest with ball in hand. Sinckler’s try will have hurt.
6
11. MARIKA KOROIBETE
He struggled to contain Anthony Watson in the first half. Cheika must have had a word at halftime because he came out like a scalded cat, destroying Elliot Daly (I know) for pace with one of the individual tries of the Rugby World Cup. Four for his first half performance, nine for the second half: equals 6.5.
6.5
12. SAMU KEREVI
The ‘battle bus’ made significant yards early, beating Slade twice within the first two minutes alone. Made metres all night, and outshone Manu Tuilagi.
8
13. JORDAN PETAIA
Hard to believe he’s 19. Came immediately into the game with his first touch of the ball, beating Tom Curry with his inaugural quarter-final carry. Fell away in the secondhalf with the men in green and gold starved of ball.
6
14. REECE HODGE
Shared kick off duty with Lealifano. The victim of a Curry-Underhill turnover hit and steal in the 32nd minute. Struggled to play his way into the game after a three-match layoff.
4
15. KURTLEY BEALE
Buzzing. The Waratah showed his ambition with a 30-metre break upfield that lead to Australia’s opening points. Threw a late intercept but it was an act of desperation and he had little choice but to try and make something happen.
7.5
16. JORDAN UELESE
The game was over when he came on.
NA
17. JAMES SLIPPER
Scrums didn’t get any more solid with his arrival.
5
18. TANIELA TUPOU
The AUD$2.5 million investment (over four year) into Tongan Thor shows the regard the 23-year-old is held in by Rugby Australia. Assisted in a trysaving seconds within minutes of coming on.
6.5
19. ADAM COLEMAN
The first post-World War II Tasmanian-born Wallaby came on too late to really make an impact.
6
20. LUKHAN SALAKAIA-LOTO
Came on in the 68th minute. Not on long enough to rate.
NA
21. NICHOLAS WHITE
Made a crucial try-saver on Ben Youngs that saved the match for Australia.
7
22. MATT TO’OMUA
Has enjoyed a great tournament, albeit from the bench. Looked lively when he came on for Lealiafano but Wallabies already had a foot out the door at that stage.
7
23. JAMES O’CONNOR
Should he have started? The pre-tournament hype around him never really materialised.
NA
Comments on RugbyPass
A long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
2 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
2 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to comments