England player ratings vs Australia
England extended their winning streak over Australia to seven games on Saturday, as the age-old rivals met in Oita and England booked their place in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.
Two tries for Jonny May, one for Kyle Sinckler and a flawless kicking display from Owen Farrell was enough for Eddie Jones’ side to secure a 40-16 victory and keep alive their dreams of success.
We have run the rule over all 23 of England’s players below.
- Elliot Daly – 5.5
Unfortunately, Daly couldn’t quite back up the well-rounded performance he put in against Argentina. He knocked on when under no pressure and misread and was beaten by Marika Koroibete’s run to the try line.
- Anthony Watson – 7.5
Watson’s elusive footwork was difficult for Koroibete to track and read and the Bath man got England out of a couple of sticky spots with it. He generally didn’t see too much space on the right wing, but he didn’t put a foot wrong all game. He grabbed a deserved try with his late interception.
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- Henry Slade – 5.5
The outside centre had a highlight moment with his swooping interception and then excellent kick through for Jonny May’s first try, though he struggled in other areas. Twice he lost the ball in or prior to contact and a few of his missed tackles led to big gains for the Australian midfield, as well as the try minutes after half time.
- Manu Tuilagi – 7
A largely positive display from Tuilagi who was solid in defence, which included forcing a knock-on in the tackle, as well as repeatedly winning the collisions as a ball-carrier and kept England moving forward. He had plenty of joy as the primary option after England lineouts.
- Jonny May – 7.5
A clinical finishing performance from May who scored tries with his first two touches of the ball. He kept his depth and width well for the first, before getting the message across to Slade about where the kick needed to be for his second. Defended strongly, too.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1185485837858828288
- Owen Farrell – 8
Jones’ decision to rely solely on Farrell at the heart of his midfield was vindicated as the Saracen put in his best performance of the Rugby World Cup so far. He was solid defensively when run at by Australia, he made all eight of his kicks and his pass for Sinckler’s try was as incisive and pinpoint as you could hope to see.
- Ben Youngs – 6.5
Youngs was limited in terms of his impact from box-kicks and sniping runs, as England moved away from both of those strategies. He was able to distribute quickly and accurately, though, as England’s phase play looked as effective as it has so far in this Rugby World Cup.
- Mako Vunipola – 7.5
The loosehead came under some early pressure at the scrum before growing into the game as the first half went on. Vunipola was important defensively in the loose with his energy and defensive power, as Australia clocked up a significant possession advantage.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1182945624213348352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1182945624213348352&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rugbypass.com%2Fnews%2Fi-said-as-a-joke-if-we-dont-turn-up-were-going-home-but-it-shocked-a-few-of-the-boys-billy-vunipola%2F
- Jamie George – 7
The lineout was efficient with George at the helm, as he successfully hit Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes seven times. His one stolen throw came when targeting Tom Curry at the front, although, he more than made up for that with his influence in the loose as a ball-carrier and stymied Australia with a maul turnover.
- Kyle Sinckler – 7.5
The scrum battle went back and forth between Sinckler and Scott Sio, with each enjoying their moments of success. His influence in the loose came to the fore with an excellent line to latch onto Farrell’s pass and cruise over for England’s third try. He also pilfered a turnover with Australia camped on England’s try line.
- Maro Itoje – 6.5
A quiet outing by Itoje’s own high standards, although he called an effective lineout and was ever-present within the defensive line with his line speed and efficient tackling.
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- Courtney Lawes – 8
Lawes excelled on the defensive side of the ball for England. He put in several dominant tackles, all of which were low and legal, and repeatedly denied Australia momentum. He was the favoured target at the lineout, too, collecting four throws and laying a platform for Tuilagi to run at the Wallabies.
- Tom Curry – 8
A vital cog in England’s defence, Curry impressed with the physicality of his tackling and swooped for a pivotal turnover in the first half. He kept the ball in two hands and drew the last man as a ball-carrier, too, which allowed for the simple pass to send May away for the wing’s second try.
- Sam Underhill – 7.5
Underhill got through plenty of work in Australia’s possession-heavy first half and made a number of dominant low tackles that stopped the Wallabies in their tracks. He frequently led England’s kick chase and made first up tackles, too.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1185303477288919041
- Billy Vunipola – 6
An industrious display from Vunipola, though without his trademark effectiveness. He was pinged for a high tackle, was isolated and turned over on two occasions and couldn’t break the gain-line with his usual abandon.
Replacements
- Luke Cowan-Dickie – 6
He was successful with his lineout after coming on and looked as though he might continue his run of tries off the back of the maul, only for Australia to collapse it illegally.
- Joe Marler – 6
The loosehead held up to Taniela Tupou, although there was little opportunity for him to impact the game too significantly.
- Dan Cole – 6.5
Cole turned the screw at the scrum after coming on and helped England see out the win in Oita.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1185477450349850624?s=20
- George Kruis – 6
The lock had a couple of strong carries and tackles, although the game was largely won by the time he came on.
- Lewis Ludlam – 6
Like Kruis, Ludlam put himself about defensively as England marched on towards the semi-finals.
- Willi Heinz – n/a
Came on too late to have a real impact on the game.
- George Ford – 6.5
Ford added some control with his kicking game as England strangled the life out of Australia late on.
- Jonathan Joseph – n/a
Came on too late to have a real impact on the game.
Watch: Matt Giteau – Rugby World Cup memories
Comments on RugbyPass
Super 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?
7 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.
9 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.
7 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 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.
22 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
4 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.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
7 Go to comments