Wallabies player ratings vs Ireland | Nations Championship 2026

The Wallabies have fallen agonisingly short of a Nations Championship win against Ireland, with replacement Ben Donaldson missing a last-gasp shot at goal in a 31-33 defeat at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Dylan Pietsch, Jock Campbell and Ryan Lonergan all crossed for tries during a solid first half from the men in gold, but Ireland fought their way back. The visitors took the lead through a Sam Prendergast conversion with three minutes remaining and were able to hang on.

The Wallabies gave it everything in the dying stages, giving themselves a chance of snatching the win at the death, but it wasn’t to be. Here’s how the Wallabies rated.

1. Angus Bell – 8

Bell was replaced 14 minutes into the second half, having put in an almighty shift against one of the world’s top-ranked sides. The front-rower was in the top three at the time for tackles completed by Wallabies and was third overall for total carries, behind only Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight.

The loosehead prop made an immediate impact on this contest, getting over the ball and winning a pilfer penalty in the seventh minute. Bell contributed to a solid Wallabies scrum and can’t really be faulted for efforts around the park.

2. Josh Nasser – 7

The Wallabies’ lineout hasn’t looked this good in quite some time. Second-rowers Josh Canham and Jeremy Williams deserve praise for that, but the same must be said about hookers Nasser and Brandon Paenga-Amosa. Nasser did what was asked of him at the set-piece, routinely finding targets in high-pressure moments. The hooker had some decent carries but wasn’t able to make the same impact as some of his teammates.

3. Allan Alaalatoa – 7

Alaalatoa put in a huge effort at both the set-piece and in defence, finishing with the second-most tackles completed of any Wallabies player with 13. The tighthead prop scrummed well in the two times the packs came together, but was a little bit quiet in attack.

4. Jeremy Williams – 7

Western Force captain Williams won a penalty at the breakdown midway through the first half with a pilfer attempt, which was probably the highlight of the lock’s night. Williams otherwise went about his business in tight, finishing as one of the top ball-carriers with seven hit-ups, and contributed to a vastly improved Wallabies set-piece.

5. Josh Canham – 8.5

Canham may have been the best Wallabies player against Ireland. There’s certainly a case to be heard, with the second-rower standing out in all areas of the park; whether it was attack, defence, the breakdown, or certainly at the set-piece.

The Queensland Reds enforcer had only made two international appearances before Saturday but looked more than comfortable at this level. Canham burrowed over for the team’s third try, stole a lineout just before half-time and was one of the game’s top tacklers.

Josh Nasser and Brandon Paenga-Amosa both appeared quite confident throwing into a lineout that was firing on all cylinders. Canham was a big reason for that. Another standout moment was Canham charging down a Jamison Gibson-Park box kick to start the second half.

6. Rob Valetini – 8.5

Valetini set the tone off the opening kick-off, powering forward at least another five metres after the initial hit from Irish defenders. The backrower was immense all season for the ACT Brumbies and had again carried that dominance into the Test arena.

Irish defenders fought all night to bring Valetini to ground, but the two-time John Eeles Medallist was a force to be reckoned with for the full 80. Valetini had a game-high 13 carries during the first half and continued to make an impact during the second 40.

The 27-year-old was generally solid on both sides of the ball, constantly in the thick of the action and even making some line breaks. It was another classy before from Valetini, who was certainly right up there with the best Wallabies performers in this Test.

7. Fraser McReight – 8

You can almost write a player ratings summary of McReight before a match has started, with the openside flanker always right up there with the standouts for both club and country. McReight finished in double digits for tackles completed, had the second-most hit-ups of any Wallabies player, and was constantly looking to make something happen at the breakdown.

8. Harry Wilson (c) – 7

Wilson topped the tackle charts on the night with 21, having put in a mammoth shift across the full 80-odd minutes. The No. 8 finished in double digits for total carries as well, which led to one or two ambitious offloads that didn’t quite go to hand. But the Wallabies skipper did miss some tackles on the team’s own line, which led to some Irish tries.

9. Ryan Lonergan – 7.5

Following an impressive Super Rugby Pacific campaign leading the ACT Brumbies, Lonergan was rewarded with a maiden Wallabies start. Lonergan produced a quick and impactful passing game, as the Wallabies played some highly entertaining attacking rugby during the first half.

Lonergan scored the team’s fourth try of the night, running in support of Max Jorgensen, who flew downfield after stripping the ball of Sam Prendergast. That was the highlight for the 28-year-old, who unfortunately left the contest before half-time.

Points Flow Chart

Ireland win +2

Time in lead

59

Mins in lead

18

72%

% Of Game In Lead

22%

48%

Possession Last 10 min

52%

0

Points Last 10 min

7

10. Carter Gordon – 7.5

Gordon hasn’t started a Wallabies Test on home soil in three years, last suiting up in the No. 10 jersey against the All Blacks before the 2023 Rugby World Cup. But the fly-half got a chance this week, and it didn’t take him long to have the Australian crowd cheering.

The playmaker produced a stunning kick for touch inside the first couple of minutes, which had the Irish setting up for a lineout about 30 metres out from their own line. Australia opened the scoring soon after and added to their score soon after through Jock Campbell.

Gordon had made a significant break downfield a few phases before Campbell crossed. The fly-half was cool, calm and collected in attack, steering the Wallabies around the park with a really exciting style of play. The only real downside was some missed shots at goal, but those attempts were from difficult positions.

11. Dylan Pietsch – 7

Pietsch helped the Wallabies’ season off to a dream start, with the winger diving over for the first points of the match inside the first few minutes. The Wallabies flyer got more ball throughout the match but was made to work for every metre, not really getting opportunities in space.

12. Len Ikitau – 7

The reigning John Eales Medallist (Wallabies Player of the Year) linked up well with centre partner Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, as the Wallabies played some confident attacking rugby. Ikitau didn’t overplay his hand, but instead set up some early point-scoring opportunities with clever short balls for quick outside backs to run onto.

Ikitau set up Jock Campbell inside the first 15 minutes by doing just that, giving Wallabies fans at the Sydney venue plenty to cheer about early on. The inside centre, who has returned to Australia after a season with Exeter Chiefs, was one of the team’s top ball-carriers on the night and stood tall in defence as well.

13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – 7.5

That was Suaalii’s best performance in a Wallabies jersey since last year’s Rugby Championship, having stood out in the two matches against Los Pumas. Suaalii got plenty of ball and was able to make the most of those opportunities, either making breaks or setting up others to do the same.

The outside centre’s best moment came just before half-time, having beaten a Garry Ringrose tackle attempt before pinning the ears back with the try line in sight. Hugo Keenan was able to come across in cover, dragging Suaalii down just shy of the line.

But one clear takeaway from this Test is that when the Wallabies get the ball to Suaalii, special things can happen. Suaalii finished with more than 40 running metres and a line break, and this is only the start of the Wallabies’ season.

14. Max Jorgensen – 7.5

Jorgensen stripped the ball off Ireland’s Sam Prendergast during the first half, stepping up with a moment of brilliance against the run of play. The No. 14 raced downfield but wasn’t able to find the try line, instead sending a pop ball pass over to try-scorer Ryan Lonergan. ‘Jorgo’ only ran the ball a handful of times but finished with a game-high 72 running metres.

15. Jock Campbell – 8

It’d been a long time between Tests for Campbell, who hadn’t represented the Wallabies in more than 1,300 days before Saturday night. The 31-year-old made an immediate impact against the Irish, sending Dylan Pietsch over for the opener inside the first few minutes.

Campbell backed that up with a try about 10 minutes later, having shown a clean pair of heels in a race to the try line from close range. Those were two highlights to speak of, but the fullback was generally quite good, having had the third-most running metres by the 60-minute mark.

Replacements

16. Brandon Paenga-Amosa – 7
17. James Slipper – 6
18. Taniela Tupou – 7
19. Lachlan Shaw – 5 – Following a strong season with the ACT Brumbies, Lachlan Shaw became Wallaby number 996 with a debut in this Test. But the second-rower was shown a yellow card.
20. Tom Hooper – 6.5
21. Tate McDermott – 8
22. Ben Donaldson – 6
23. Tom Wright – N/A