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New Zealand player ratings vs England
It was the match many were billing as the ‘true final’ and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The All Blacks were bullied and bruised across the park in Yokohama – they simply had no answer for a fired-up England team that out-thought and out-played them en route to their deserved 19-7 victory.
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It wasn’t all bad from New Zealand, however – there were a few shining lights among the rubble of defeat. Here are the RugbyPass player ratings:
1. Joe Moody – 7.5/10
Incredibly busy on defence, making 13 tackles. Assured in the scrums and didn’t take a backwards step. Can’t ask for much more from a prop, except maybe a bit of dynamism. Lasted 63 minutes.
2. Codie Taylor – 6.5
Spent plenty of time camped out on the wing. Hit the English carriers hard early and made a nuisance of himself in the breakdown. Lineouts functioned reasonably well. Off in 50th minute.
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3. Nepo Laulala – 4
Loose carry early coughed up possession. Penalised once in the scrum. Would Owen Franks have been a better bet? Off in 55th minute.
4. Brodie Retallick – 6
Big workload on the attack early on. Good break down the middle in the 27th minute but then tossed the ball away. Unfortunately, still well away from his best but didn’t shy away from contact.
5. Sam Whitelock – 5
Hit a few rucks but wasn’t called upon on attack and didn’t make his presence known on defence. The All Blacks needed their leaders to stand up and Whitelock didn’t. Off in 65th minute.
6. Scott Barrett – 6
Didn’t have the impact that Steve Hansen might have hoped for. Lineout didn’t benefit from his presence but slogged away on both attack and defence. The highlight was his impeccable effort to chase down Jonny May with great commitment and great pace. Off at half-time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4C8PuSAwSZ/
7. Ardie Savea – 9
Excellent work over the ruck in the danger zone in the 54th minute earned his side an attacking lineout – minutes later he dotted down for a try on the back of an England error. The All Blacks’ busiest defender, he helped his side to gain ascendancy at times in the collisions. Did everything he could in a losing effort.
8. Kieran Read – 7
Some deft hands down the sideline late in the second half. Bullied by the English tacklers but put in a hard day’s work at the office, making 14 tackles.
9. Aaron Smith – 6
Excellent defensive box kicks got his side out of trouble. Made one superb steal on defence in the 22. Put under pressure by England’s forwards and was eventually subbed for the more combative TJ Perenara in the 55th minute.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1188039118812528640?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
10. Richie Mo’unga – 5
Looked hesitant at times – England’s outside-in rush threw him off his game. Bad miss on Elliot Daly supplied England with the territory they needed to score their first try. Mixed up the All Blacks attack nicely, putting in some delicate grubbers. Didn’t thrive in open-field play like some of his team-mates.
11. George Bridge – 5.5
Dud clearance kick gifted England an attacking lineout early on. Threw himself into the England line with intent but couldn’t make much of a dent. Safe under the high ball. Off in 50th minute.
12. Anton Lienert-Brown – 8
Huge workload in the first quarter, making tackle after tackle – including two on dangerman Manu Tuilagi. Maintained his work on defence throughout the match, notching up 15 tackles. Took Ben Youngs’ dummy early in the second half but was given a lifeline when it was revealed that the English pack had bobbled the ball. One of New Zealand’s most dangerous runners.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1187997164875800576
13. Jack Goodhue – 8
One of New Zealand’s best. Clutch defensive play in the first five minutes – dipping and diving around three tacklers inside his own five metres – gave the All Blacks some breathing space. Reliable on defence and busy on the attack too but threw one wobbly pass. Off in 55th minute.
14. Sevu Reece – 7
Dancing feet but needed to get move involved. Nabbed an important intercept then offloaded the ball straight into England’s hands. Great dart on the back of a Sonny Bill Williams offload forced a defensive England lineout which Ardie Savea scored from. Tested with up-and-unders and only came up short once.
15. Beauden Barrett – 6.5
Threw an intercept to Tuilagi which could have been disastrous if Jordie Barrett hadn’t stepped in. Showed his trademark speed to keep an early All Blacks breakaway alive. Tried to spark something from the All Blacks in the dying minutes of the game but ultimately couldn’t do anything to resurrect his side from the loss.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1187932659298652160
Replacements
16. Dane Coles – 6.5
On in 50th minute. Busy around the fringes and stood out with ball in hand.
17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi – 4
On in 63rd minute. Made zero impact.
18. Angus Ta’avao – 5
On in 55th minute. Put his hand up for a few carries but was shut out by the swarming English defence.
19. Patrick Tuipulotu – 4
On in 65th minute. See Tu’ungafasi.
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20. Sam Cane – 7
On at half-time. Nice loop with Williams created a great chance for the All Blacks. The defensive line stepped up with Cane on the field – he himself contributed a dozen tackles despite being on for just a half.
21. TJ Perenara – 6
On in 55th minute. Hustled and bustled and showed great hands on one break from Reece.
22. Sonny Bill Williams – 6.5
On in 55th minute. Threw a trademark offload as soon as entered the game – New Zealand scored from the gained territory moments later. Williams took plenty of motivation from that success and kept them coming throughout.
23. Jordie Barrett – 5
On in 50th minute. Silly offload attempt inside the All Blacks’ 22 cost his team three points and it could very well have been a try.
WATCH: Jim Hamilton previews the weekend’s second semi-final between South Africa and Wales in the latest episode of Don’t Mess With Jim
Comments on RugbyPass
He never stops whinging. No wonder he is always chasing the next big dream.
1 Go to commentsI always enjoy a good scrum based article. Thanks, Nick. The Hurricanes are looking more and more the team to beat down here in Australasia. They are a very well balanced team. And though there are far fewer scrums in the game these days, destructive power in that area is a serious weapon, especially an attacking scrum within in the red zone. Aumua looked very good as a young first year player, but then seemed to fade. He sure is back now right in the picture for the AB’s. And I would judge that Taukei’aho is in a bit of a slump currently. Watching him at Suncorp a few weeks ago, I thought he was not as dominant in the game as I would have expected. I am going to raise an issue in that scrum at around the 13 min mark. I see a high level of danger there for the TH lifted off the ground. He is trapped between the opposition LH and his own powerful SR. His neck is being put under potentially dangerous pressure. The LH has, in law , no right to use his superior scrummaging skill….getting his head right in on the breastbone of the TH…..to force him up and off the ground. Had the TH popped out of the scrum, head up and free, there is no danger, that is a clear penalty to the dominant scrum. The law is quite clear on this issue: Law 37 Dangerous play and restricted practices in a scrum. C:Intentionally lifting an opponent off their feet or forcing them upwards out of the scrum. Sanction: Penalty. Few ,if any, referees seem to be aware of this law, and/or the dangers of the situation. Matthew Carly, refereeing Clermont v Munster in 2021, penalised the Munster scrum, when LH Wycherly was lifted very high, and in my view very dangerously, by TH Slimani. Lifting was coached in the late ‘60’s/70’s. Both Lions props, Ray McLouglin, and “Mighty Mouse” McLauchlan, were expert and highly successful at this technique. I have seen a photo, which I can’t find online atm, of MM with a NZ TH(not an AB) on his head, MM standing upright as the scrum disintegrates.
3 Go to commentsHey. Stay home and play for Mooloo.
1 Go to commentsTighthead was always going to be our weakness this year with Ryan going home to Ireland and the Cashed Up Blues taking a third All Black prop from us - nobody else in SR does that. Numia is the exciting one. He used to be a lightweight but he's really improved. Do you have stats on the All Black hookers’ lineouts for the game? I seem to remember a few misses.
3 Go to commentsFergus Burke isn't tier 1 player quality…but guess what, he'll be playing amongst them for Saracens…. all going well and Steve Borthwick is still the head coach, England...Scott Robertson’s hint of amending NZRU’s offshore AB eligibility clause, would mean that players like Josh Moorby who show potential might get a call…
4 Go to commentsThe movement of quality players back to SA is remarkable.
2 Go to commentsInteresting article, Nic. Am enjoying seeing the Rebels doing well, partly just to spite those who are working to wipe them off the face of the Australian rugby planet. But it is also good to see a team with somany good players beginning fire. LSL has benefitted so much from his move up to Northampton for the one year. I wonder why he did not stay on for another year. Does he now looks north and see his teammates of last year now doing so well, and have some regrets.
49 Go to comments“Over 80% of the World Cup squad are over 30” No it isn’t lol
2 Go to commentsTyrel Lomax the best AB prop since Carl Hayman. Absolutely destroyed the Boks in RWC Final and is monstering allcomers in Super this season. Should be a monster battle vs touring Poms, always deliver a power pack.
3 Go to commentsEye gouging seems like such a strong term for what can only be described as a poke in the eye. When I think of eye gouging I think of someone trying to intentionally pop someone’s eyeball out. it’s like calling a high-tackle attempted decapitation.
3 Go to commentsGreat article. No insights to add, just wanted to say that. :)
1 Go to commentsLeinster are going to win the world cup.
13 Go to commentsSuper Rugby desperately needs to lose at least 2, but up to 4 teams. Rebels quietly going bankrupt would have made that a bit easier. Teams like the Rebels and Force serve only to weaken Australian Rugby and Super Rugby more widely. In 13 years in the comp the Rebels are yet to win more games than they lose in a season, have never finished in the top half of the competition, and have come dead last a number of times. The Western Force, barring a brief stint of mediocrity under John Mitchell from 2007-2009 have been even worse. Sadly it’s hard to see a future for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. Likewise I think the writing is on the wall for the Highlanders, it’s hard to see how NZ rugby can continue to support 5 SR teams, and population distribution suggests one team in the south island would make the most sense.
49 Go to commentsNice that Connor Evans is happy to stay on here, that JD Schikerling is returning and Steven Kitshoff. Dobbo is careful to bring back just anybody but having a new financial lease of life, it has made the Stormers a more attractive club. On top of being good quality, having the financial backing helps a lot
1 Go to commentsEngland-qualified too, I believe.
1 Go to commentsThis might turn out to be emblematic of a real issue in Irish rugby. Ireland have one of the best -if not the best - senior sides in the world, and one of the best under 20s sides as well, but don’t seem to be giving graduating under20s players many opportunities to break through into URC starting lineups. There is a risk that a lot of the junior talent they are developing will either be wasted, or lost to other nations.
1 Go to commentsYou ask good questions, Nick. The group who have put together the proposal to play out of Tarneit and participate in the growing of the ground’s capacity are not a bunch of white knights who have been dragged in post-crisis; they were around whilst the Rebels accummulated $23m in debt. Why do we come up with ideas that might make the franchise affordable after it’s broke and not when it might have prevented the trainwreck this offseason was? As for Gordon/Kellaway v Lolesio/Wright, they are both good options. I think the former are better rugby players but the goal kicking of Noah may be decisive when Schmiddy makes his choices. I know Harry Jones has the hots for Edmed but I think it’s one of his few poor choices and he and Jorgensen aren’t close to the other pairs. By coincidence, the wife and I went into town over the weekend to watch Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Beautifully acted but it was 3.5 hours in the chair and very hard work. Like the Rebels, there were only small bursts of joy to go with a lot of bad news and a depressing story line. In the end, I was hoping it would end and I could give my sore butt a break. Again, familiar.
49 Go to commentsGood decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
4 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
8 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
49 Go to comments