New Zealand player ratings vs Wales
The conjecture in the lead up to the bronze play-off match in Tokyo was that nobody wanted to play the game and nobody was too interested in the result.
It’s a good thing that the game did go ahead, however, as fans were treated to an array of easy-on-the-eye tries. It was also an important match to send off a number of the All Blacks‘ stalwarts who were playing their final Test match.
New Zealand led the game from start to finish after scoring in the first five minutes and were good value for their 40-17 win. Who were the All Blacks’ best performers in their final game under the control of Steve Hansen? RugbyPass rates the players:
1. Joe Moody – 7/10
Showed good gas to score a well-taken try, running 20-odd metres. Continued an excellent run of matches for the All Blacks, in both attack, defence and in the set-piece. Off in 56th minute.
2. Dane Coles – 5
Busy early on defence. Not really sighted on attack before he had to take his leave in the 25th minute.
(Continue reading below…)
3. Nepo Laulala – 6
Conceded one penalty at scrum time and then immediately helped his pack win one back. Looked more dynamic than he had been in previous weeks and often used as a dummy ball carrier. Had his busiest game of the tournament on defence. Off in 56th minute.
4. Brodie Retallick – 7
Nice offload to send Moody away for his early try. Won his side a penalty right before half-time which gave New Zealand the platform for Ben Smith to score his second try. Heavy workload for a man still returning to full match fitness. Off in 56th minute.
5. Scott Barrett – 7.5
Made a poor decision at the breakdown to tackle half-back Tomos Williams before the ball was out of the ruck. Minutes later, Wales had three more points. A huge day at the office on defence, with a couple of big shots and 18 tackles in total. Probably a better option than Sam Whitelock at this stage. Off in 61st minute.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1190268297784299522
6. Shannon Frizell – 6
Bad miss on Dillon Lewis gave Wales the territory they needed to score their second try. Was ever-present in the first half on attack and defence but fell away as the game went on. Off in 61st minute.
7. Sam Cane – 6.5
Massive early on. Made a huge tackle and secured a penalty for the All Blacks when Wales were hot on attack in the first play of the game. Fell off a few more tackles than we are used to seeing. Got stuck into plenty of breakdowns. Threw a couple of passes to no one.
8. Kieran Read – 7.5
Nice linebreak and offload to send Retallick away in the early stages of the match, leading to Moody’s try. Got his hands free on more than one occasion and was always looking for a supporting runner. Worked exceptionally hard on defence, too, with a game-high 21 tackles. A worthy final game for one of New Zealand’s best.
9. Aaron Smith – 8
Made a nice break down the left-hand side from a back-pedalling scrum but probably made a mess of the opportunity when he put in an average kick. Made amends from ensuing the attacking possession, throwing a lovely inside ball to Beauden Barrett to create the second try. Expert cut-out ball created Ben Smith’s second try. In general, controlled the game well. Off in 56th minute.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1190244964665442309
10. Richie Mo’unga – 7.5
A mixed game from the young ten. Seemed to know when to kick but couldn’t always execute well. Put one particularly nice flat chip through shortly after half-time that put pressure on Wales inside their own 22, which eventually resulted in some attacking possession and then a score for Ryan Crotty. A lovely dart and chip with ten minutes to go yielded his own try a few phases later. Bad penalty miss early on but then found his radar. Run over a few times in defence.
11. Rieko Ioane – 5
Had a game very typical of present-day Rieko Ioane. Popped up on the wing a few times and looked like he might scamper away, but was never able to break free from tackles. Ghosted on defence. Spent the final quarter at centre where he looked hungry. Often got his hands free but had no one on his shoulder – might have been better utilised one spot in at twelve?
12. Sonny Bill Williams – 7
Set up a try for his midfield partner immediately after the break and then sent another superb offload out to the wing moments later. The ensuing try was unluckily ruled out. Made the most tackles of any New Zealand back during the time that he was on the field. Off in 56th minute.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4SuuWMgZbF/
13. Ryan Crotty – 6.5
Ran a nice line off SBW’s shoulder to help himself to a relatively easy try. Added a bit more direct intent in the midfield which may have been useful against England. Off in 56th minute.
14. Ben Smith – 7
Made a slow start to the game but stamped his mark late in the first half with two well-taken tries, the first from a trademark jink and jive in Wales’ 22 and the second after the half-time buzzer from an excellent cut-out pass from his half-back. Almost had a hat-trick shortly after the second stanza began. Not quite as solid on defence. Wales’ first try came on the back of Smith rushing out of the line and leaving a gap in the All Blacks’ defence. However, chased every kick with intent and managed to reclaim the ball once.
15. Beauden Barrett – 7.5
Showed great explosive pace to break away from the congested ruck area and score his team’s second try. Looked safe at full-back and came into the first receiver role regularly and effectively. Didn’t have an exceptional game by any standards but still ran hard and chewed through some metres.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1189961676059230208
Reserves:
16. Liam Coltman – 7.5
On in 25th minute. New Zealand’s top metre-eater in the forwards. Nice breakaway from a lineout in the 32nd minute. Earned the All Blacks a breakdown penalty moments later. Lineout throwing was straight, but not always on target. His best game in the black jersey.
17. Atu Moli – 6
On in 56th minute. Called into action on defence as soon as he jumped on the park.
18. Angus Ta’avao – 6
On in 56th minute. Like Moli, made plenty of tackles.
19. Patrick Tuipulotu – 5.5
On in 61st minute. Made one big tackle and hit a few breakdowns.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4PsIqBlTTk/
20. Matt Todd – 5
On in 61st minute. Little more than a cameo role.
21. Brad Weber – 6
On in 56th minute. Continued where Smith left off, zipping around the field, but threw one average pass.
22. Anton Lienert-Brown – 6
On in 56th minute. Gave the crowd something to cheer about in the final minute but for all the wrong reasons.
23. Jordie Barrett – 6.5
On in 56th minute. Nice take from a kick-off and spread his wings a few times on attack.
WATCH: RugbyPass gets the post-match reaction outside the stadium in Tokyo
Comments on RugbyPass
Great role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
54 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
54 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
54 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
54 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
2 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
54 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
54 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
54 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
54 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
54 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
54 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to commentsSo Ireland will be tired, despite having the most rested test squad in the world. They only play tests, champions cup and urc play off games ffs! Case in point; Leinster sent a B squad to SA for their last two games while their first xv rested up and trained at their leisure for the sf vs Saints at the so called ‘neutral venue’ of Croke Park. So tired? Do me a favour… And as for “people’s champions”? Seriously??? Outside of Ireland they are respected for their ability to win 6N. And of course plenty of inconsequential test friendlies without any real pressure. WC ko games when the pressure is white hot? Not so much…
54 Go to comments