Wallabies player ratings vs Springboks | The Rugby Championship
The Wallabies’ new era under coach Eddie Jones has begun with a disappointing 43-12 loss to defending world champions South Africa at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Australian winger Marika Koroibete opened the scoring with a try in the sixth minute, but it was all the Springboks from there.
Replacement Carter Gordon did score a try on debut, but with time up on the clock, the length-of-the-field effort was never going to trouble the hosts. Here’s how the Wallabies rated in their Rugby Championship opener.
- Tom Wright – 7/10
Fullback Tom Wright set up winger Marika Koroibete for an early try, and for Wallabies fans who woke up early on Sunday morning, they would’ve hoped that this was a sign of things to come. While Wright continued to work hard, eventually finishing with almost 70 running metres, the Springboks ran away it shortly after.
But Wright was solid out the back, and could very well make that No. 15 jersey his own throughout TRC.
- Suliasi Vunivalu – 2
If you read my prediction piece earlier this week in the leadup to the Wallabies’ Rugby Championship opener, you’ll know that I had high hopes for Suliasi Vunivalu. The former NRL star failed to fire under Dave Rennie, and at Super Rugby level under former All Black Brad Thorn, but Eddie Jones was supposed to be different.
At least so far, after one start in Wallaby gold, Vunivalu looked anything but settled in Test rugby. Vunivalu was penalised at least three times against the Springboks, and was caught out of position each time Kurt-Lee Arendse crossed for one of his three tries. Later on, with just over 10 minutes to go, Vunivalu was shown a yellow card and gave away a penalty try for an intentional knockdown.
Time is running out before the Rugby World Cup, so the Wallabies may have no choice but to recall Mark Nawaqanitawase for next weekend’s clash with Los Pumas in Sydney.
- Len Ikitau – 7
Len Ikitau is a defensive centre – that’s how he makes his mark on Test matches. Even when the going got tough for the Wallabies, Ikitau stood out with 13 tackles.
- Reece Hodge – 4
Thrust into the starting side at inside centre this week, with Samu Kerevi named on the bench, Australia’s ‘Mr Fix It’ had quite a frustrating night. Hodge failed to fire alongside his teammates as the valiant Springboks began to develop some momentum. By the time he was replaced, the Bayonne-bound Hodge hadn’t run the ball.
Hodge also struggled off the kicking tee. With time up on the clock, the No. 12 attempted an ambitious 66-metre attempt from well inside his own half. The Australian struck it well, as he often does, but the attempt fell short – leaving Hodge with an 0-3 kicking record going into half-time. That somewhat summed up his night, and Hodge was eventually replaced early in the second term.
- Marika Koroibete – 7.5
It was a game of two halves from world-class winger Marika Koroibete. Koroibete started the match with a monstrous tackle on Canan Moodie – sending the Springboks winger into next week with a perfectly timed tackle. Shortly after, Koroibete showed a clean pair of heels as he beat the covering defence to the try line – scoring the opening try of the match.
But in the second half, Koroibete barely got the ball. The winger finished with a team-high 72 running metres though, and will continue to play a crucial role in the Wallabies’ attack throughout the rest of TRC.
- Quade Cooper – 5.5
Back in Wallaby gold, flyhalf Quade Cooper was far from his best. Cooper was far too ineffective for the chief playmaker of a national team as he went missing for periods of the contest. While the No. 10 did kick well at times, it ultimately just handed possession back to the Springboks.
- Nic White – 7
The Wallabies would’ve had an even tougher night if veteran Nic White didn’t take the field at Loftus Versfeld. White looked cool, calm and collected in the No. 9 jersey once again – and was especially impressive as a result of his kicking game.
But when the team is struggling to stay in the game, the halfback is going to have a tough night as well. Yes, Wallabies fans have every right to be disappointed after that performance, but White did what was asked of him and deserves some recognition for his efforts.
- James Slipper – 6.5
The Wallabies co-captain didn’t go down without a fight. To use another boxing analogy, the front rower refused to throw in the towel, even when the going got tough against an increasingly confident Springboks outfit.
Packing down against a heavier front row, Slipper and the Wallabies struggled to maintain some consistency. They certainly weren’t dominant, that’s for sure. Slipper worked hard to make amends in defence though, as he finished with 13 tackles.
- David Porecki – 6.5
It was a tough night for every Wallaby in Pretoria, there’s no hiding from that. While David Porecki showed glimpses of promise, it was, in reflection, a tough night for the No. 2 as well. But starting with the positive, Porecki was quite accurate at the set-piece. The Waratahs hooker only missed one of his nine attempts at the lineout, and also made his mark in defence with 10 tackles.
But poor discipline cost Porecki, and it cost the Wallabies as a collective. The front rower was sent to the sin bin early in the second half, and was replaced later on.
- Allan Alaalatoa – 5.5
Running off the field in the 64th minute, veteran Allan Alaalatoa looked tired – gassed after a tough shift against the reigning world champions. For a player who has a history of high performance in the international arena, Saturday’s Test was quite a disappointing outing in comparison.
Alaalatoa was outmuscled at the scrum, but did work hard around the field of play. In the end, the loosehead finished with eight stops on the defensive side of the ball. Alaalatoa is better than that, and will likely bounce back next weekend in Sydney.
- Nick Frost – 6
Like many of his teammates, lock Nick Frost worked hard around the field of play – but his efforts were somewhat in vain. The Wallabies couldn’t get anything going, and nor could Frost and the rest of the Australian tight five.
- Will Skelton – 7.5
On a disappointing night at Loftus Versfeld, La Rochelle lock Will Skelton was, at times, a shining light for the Wallabies. Skelton was impossible to miss – both due to his impact and noticeable size – as he worked tirelessly around the park.
Skelton ran with purpose and intent every time he touched the ball, and also made an impact on the defensive side of the ball and around the breakdown. The lock won a turnover in the 29th minute, and had made the equal-most tackles out of any player at HT. The Wallaby was replaced for debutant Richie Arnold about 15 minutes into the second term.
- Tom Hooper – 2
With only 24 games of Super Rugby experience to his name, Tom Hooper was quite a surprising selection in Eddie Jones’ side to open their Rugby Championship campaign in South Africa. Coming up against the defending World Cup champions on their home deck, the 22-year-old was named to start at blindside flanker. This was a gamble from coach Jones – and it’s one that didn’t pay off, unfortunately.
After entering the fray of international rugby for the first time, Hooper couldn’t match the intensity and rapid pace of the game. Hooper missed a couple of key tackles – one each in consecutive phases – in the leadup to Kurt-Lee Arendse’s first try of the night. The flanker was beaten a couple of minutes later as well, with Boks flyhalf Manie Libbok running past the backrower with ease.
Hooper, who only made three tackles on debut, was replaced by experienced loose forward Pete Samu after about 30 minutes.
- Michael Hooper – 6.5
For practically the entirety of Michael Hooper’s career, at both Super Rugby and Test level, fans and pundits have weighed the impact of the flanker’s work rate and his lack of size. It’s a factor, especially in the increasingly physical international game.
Hooper was found out a bit against the Springboks, but never gave up. The Wallabies co-captain finished in double-digits for tackles made, and also did what he could to contribute on the other side of the ball. Hooper is better than this though, and will be eager to bounce back against Argentina.
- Rob Valetini – 7.5
Rob Valetini is a world-class backrower, and the No. 8 will continue to play a key role for the Wallabies throughout the rest of The Rugby Championship and beyond. During a tough night in Pretoria, Valetini showed glimpses of promise. The loose forward ran for more than 20 metres – the most of any Australian forward – and was also among the leaders for tackles made.
Replacements:
- Jordan Uelese – 5.5
- Matt Gibbon – 4.5
- Zane Nonggorr – 5
- Richie Arold – 6.5
- Pete Samu – 5.5
- Tate McDermott – 5
- Samu Kerevi – 6
- Carter Gordon – 7 – Scored a try on his international debut and generally looked solid.
Comments on RugbyPass
Think it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
5 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
5 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
5 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
5 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
237 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
90 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
20 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to comments