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England player ratings vs Australia | 1st Test July 2022
England were unable to capitalise on a numerical advantage as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the series with a 30-21 win.
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After the Wallabies saw lock Darcy Swain red carded for a first half headbutt, England were in control when Ellis Genge went over early in the second half.
However, the hosts mounted a stunning riposte to record their first win over England in nine attempts. The only consolation for the tourists were late scores from Jack van Poortlviet and Henry Arundell, albeit with the game gone.
Questions will be asked of Eddie Jones after another sub-par performance against 14-men, but here’s our verdict on his players’ performances.
15. Freddie Steward – 6.5
Imperious in the air to give England such security. Cut a few clever lines into the midfield. Stepped in early on Kellaway as he freed Petaia for the Wallabies’ try.
14. Jack Nowell – 6
One good dance through the Wallabies forwards in the first half, but always a willing chaser and did well to get on the end of a Farrell grubber just after half-time. Much busier second half, constantly off his wing looking for work.
13. Joe Marchant – 6.5
Always a threat when England get go-forward ball and might’ve scored if Koroibete hadn’t been on hand to scythe him down. Some good defensive plays to shut down Australian space out wide.
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12. Owen Farrell – 5
Some good early touches but like so many others, faded out the game as the Wallabies stormed back. Missed a couple of kicks that might have applied further scoreboard pressure.
11. Joe Cokanasiga – 5
The Bath man on his Test return made a huge charge on Hooper with his first involvement, and was constantly looking for work off his wing.
10. Marcus Smith – 5
Targeted physically by Kerevi and had little answer. Needed help from his mates in the pack. Showed some deft touches in the first half.
9. Danny Care – 6
Looked to run when he sniffed a chance in his irst cap in almost four years. His kicking game was also on the money to allow England to challenge in the air. Unable to stop Petaia as he crossed.
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1. Ellis Genge – 6.5
Part of the successful 2016 tour as a rookie, now an established first choice, and a try scorer this time. An indifferent first half put behind him as the Premiership-winning captain drove over early in the second period. Always wins metres after contact.
2. Jamie George – 5
Made a brilliant steal on Koroibete but unable to have the same impact either in the tight or with ball in hand as he might have liked.
3. Will Stuart – 6
A rare start for England in the absence of Kyle Sinckler. Not the scrum dominance he might have wanted, and his impact dropped as the game wore on. Not many tightheads can go the distance at Test level.
The entire Wallabies pack when Maro Itoje made that screaming sound ? #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/Ac2Ulo1n3a
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 2, 2022
4. Maro Itoje – 6
Not at his best, but battled hard. A couple of great defensive interventions, but still concedes too many avoidable penalties.
5. Jonny Hill – 5
Charged over the gainline with a dominant carry early. There was a slap for which he was lucky not to be carded before he eventually saw yellow for the hair-pull. He was hooked just as the game turned in the hosts’ favour.
Darcy Swain given red for a head butt #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/QHjHkl5erY
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 2, 2022
6. Courtney Lawes – 6
His bulk and lineout expertise helps England’s set-piece, while hw showed some excellent handling. His decisions to go to the corner will be scrutinised closely.
7. Tom Curry – 6.5
Picked a wonderful line off Farrell and nearly put Marchant away. Always a threat at the breakdown, but fell foul of the referee as Lolesio levelled on half-time. The Sale man regularly found space in the 15m channel.
8. Billy Vunipola – 6
Used to carry England over the gainline in midfield and regularly punched big holes in the Wallabies defence. Less impactful after the break, except when he clattered Hooper’s jaw and saw yellow to cancel out the numerical advantage.
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie – 5
Replaced George for the final quarter of an hour. Looks short of his best form.
17. Mako Vunipola – 5
Made his return shortly before the hour, replacing Genge. One decent half-break, but otherwise little impact.
18. Joe Heyes – N/A
Unused.
19. Ollie Chessum – 5
Replaced Hill just as the Wallabies took control. Carried in the shadows of the posts but hit hard and turned over. Atoned immediately with a maul turnover.
20. Lewis Ludlam – 6
On at half-time for Curry, the Northampton man caused chaos at the breakdown and helped drive Genge over for his try. Couldn’t get close to Samu as he sealed the win.
21. Jack van Poortvliet – 7.5
On for Care very late on but marked his cameo with a debut Test try.
22. Guy Porter – N/A
Unused.
23. Henry Arundell – 8.5
The teenager thrown on as England chased the game. Beat three defenders to score with his first touch; made a great break and nearly scored with his second.
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Comments on RugbyPass
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
24 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
6 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments