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Australia player ratings vs Wales | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
By Neil Fissler
Australia player ratings: Australia delivered a clinical performance to dismantle Wales 52-20 in Cardiff, extending the hosts’ record-breaking losing streak to 11 Tests and plunging head coach Warren Gatland into deeper scrutiny.
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Despite playing with 14 men for 20 minutes following Samu Kerevi’s red card, the Wallabies showed their attacking abilities with Matt Faessler and Tom Wright both bagging hat-tricks.
Len Ikitau and Nick Frost also crossed the whitewash, while Noah Lolesio’s precision from the tee capped off a dominant display that consigned Wales to their worst-ever slump in 143 years of international rugby.
Here’s how the Australian players rated:
15. Tom Wright – 9
Sprinkled more than a liberal amount of stardust with his well-taken hat-trick and showed the kind of tricky footwork normally reserved for Strictly Come Dancing.
14. Andrew Kellaway – 5.5
Appeared to spend long periods of the game out of the spotlight. He carried the ball efficiently and also got stuck in when it came to tackling.
13. Len Ikitau – 6
He might have supplied a couple of hospital passes early on but generally worked hard and left Cam Winnett utterly bamboozled with his footwork when he scored his try.
12. Samu Kerevi – 4.5
He won’t remember his 50th test cap with any great fondness after his head-on-head clash with Jac Morgan saw his yellow card upgraded to a red.
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11. Max Jorgensen – 6
Created the Wallabies’ second try when he scooped up the ball, and then his quick thinking later denied Winnett a certain score as the last line of defence.
10. Noah Lolesio – 7.5
A brilliant reverse pass helped set up Frost’s try, and his place-kicking was almost faultless, landing six of his eight conversion attempts despite being left with some horrible angles.
9. Nic White – 5.5
A nice afternoon’s work until he was forced off early in the second half after taking one of Ellis Bevan’s shoulders to his jaw, which went unpunished.
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1. Angus Bell – 4.5
Showed why he is rated as one of the best running looseheads but was ruthlessly exposed by Archie Griffin in the scrum and was mercilessly hooked at half-time.
2. Matt Faessler – 7.5
Wrote his name into the history books after becoming the first ever Wallaby hooker to score a hat-trick with two of three tries coming from the back of a very dominant maul.
3. Allan Alaalatoa – 6
He was a man mountain in the scrum and at the breakdown while he wasn’t shy when he needed to get stuck in when the Welsh had the ball in their hands.
4. Nick Frost – 6.5
Showed incredible athleticism and speed to score Australia’s second try when he showed a clean pair of heels to the Wales defence. Tackled and carried well.
5. Will Skelton 6.5
Brought in for his maul work and pulled more strokes than Oxford and Cambridge combined. Won a turnover and generally did what was expected of him.
6. Seru Uru – 6
Tackled and carried when it was needed, most of it going under the radar, for the 59 minutes, he played and worked hard in the lineout.
7. Fraser McReight – 7
Made 22 tackles, which was twice as many as anybody else in a green and gold shirt, and only Jac Morgan got through more on the pitch. Will be happy with his shift.
8. Rob Valetini – 7
Nothing subtle about his direct running, and his second-half tackle on Christ Tshiunza was within millimetres of becoming the second red card of the game.
Replacements:
16. Brandon Paenga-Amosa – 5
For Faessler at 59 minutes. All he had to do was see the game after coming on for the hat trick hero.
17. James Slipper – 6
On for Ball after 41 minutes. Provided some steadying influence at scrum time after a worrying first half.
18. Zane Nonggorr – 5.5
Came on for Alaalatoa at 61 minutes. Will be happy with his late run out.
19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 6
On for Skelton at 55 minutes. A nuisance at the line out and is a great player to have come off the bench in the closing stages.
20 Langi Gleeson – 5.5
Came on for Uru at 59 minutes. Rolled up his sleeves despite his side being dominant.
21 Tate McDermott – 5.5
For White on 47 minutes. Tackled, carried and controlled the ball at the breakdown.
22 Ben Donaldson – NA
Replaced Jorgensen at 76 minutes.
23 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – 4
For Kerevi at 63 minutes. A second cap for the next Wallabies star, but he needs to learn how to tackle.