Wallaby player ratings vs Argentina
The Wallabies got their first win of 2019 with a scrappy 16-10 win over visitors Argentina. Neither side was convincing in a match plagued by errors. Here’s how the home side rated:
1 Scott Sio – 5
Scrummaged well against Juan Figallo, with Argentina’s prop under pressure often. The whole front row had Argentina going backwards. Was physical in defence.
Combined nicely at times with his fellow tight five but made a couple of poor decisions, pushing a pass to Rodda that turned the ball over a good run and missed a half-chance pushing a bad pass without looking.
Subbed for Slipper after 47 minutes.
2 Folau Fainga’a – 7
Couple of bad throws at the lineout lead to turnovers, but was part of a dominant front row at scrum time. Physical in defence making some great tackles in combination with his other forwards and one-on-one. Probably the most dominant defender in contact on the night.
Went off after 57 minutes after his 11th tackle.
3 Sekope Kepu – 5
A standard performance by Kepu who provided physicality in defence and was influential at scrum time. He pushed a bad pass and was penalised moments later for playing on the ground for Argentina’s first points.
Subbed after 47 minutes for Taniela Tupou.
4 Izack Rodda – 4
Poor cleanout work generally, flopping on rucks and arriving late at times. Weak tackling lead to four missed tackles. Ran a nice line off Genia for a big line break then two phases later dropped the ball cold on a carry. Caused an obstruction when his side was hot on attack inside the opposition 22 by running into his own player, causing a turnover.
Was almost the third option in the lineout after Arnold and Naisairani. Almost came up with a lineout steal but knocked it on. Fumbled a take on his own 5-metres line only to be bailed out by an Argentinian knocking it on when trying to pick it up.
Best play of the night was a lineout steal in the 58th minute but other than that was a below average performance.
5 Rory Arnold – 8
Was the Wallabies go-to man in the lineout, with four clean takes and two further lineout pressures against the throw that created problems. He also came up with one further lineout steal against the throw.
Had a good workrate, good carrying, and tackling. He stripped Ramiro Moyano in the open field from behind after the winger broke the line from a scrum play, forcing a turnover. He forced a dropped ball in a two-man tackle with Argentina deep on attack awhile later for a total of three turnovers won.
Gave away a short-arm penalty for jumping early on a halfway lineout and threw a forward pass early in the second half killing off a Wallabies attack to damper what was a solid performance. Subbed after 60 minutes.
6 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 2.5
So bad that the Wallabies would have been better without him on the field. Had a hand in five turnovers, four of which he was directly responsible for.
He took an isolated run off Genia with no support deep on attack and was penalised for holding on. Ineffective at preventing Naisarani from being held up for a turnover. Pushed an offload into touch on his own 22 after picking up a loose ball. Coughed up possession taking a pick and go only 5-metres out from Argentina’s line with four minutes to go in the first half, and dropped the ball cold again in the 61st minute.
In addition, he showed poor cleanout work, had limited impact with ball in hand and couldn’t hold his weight over the ball. Hard to see how he can retain his position in this side.
7 Michael Hooper – 6
A mixed bag from the captain who was energetic all night and came up with some big plays but also made some poor errors.
He dropped an inside ball from Lealiifano direct from a lineout outside own 22 that Argentina recovered. He threw a pass out to touch to Hodge under pressure and dropped a pass cold on the edge that bounced up for an Argentinian for his third turnover.
On the flip side, he had some dominant tackles, forcing a drop ball and turnover with a big hit on number 8 Facundo Isa midway through the first half. He won a clean steal at the breakdown with Argentina knocking on the door of the 22 a little while later. Had a couple of big spot tackles on the halfback to cause loss of yards.
8 Isi Naisarani – 6.5
Was the Wallabies number one ball-carrying option on the night. Offered power carries with strong leg drive. Forced a crucial turnover at the ruck with Argentina deep on attack with 30 seconds remaining in the first half. Won another less than 15-minutes in the second half. Won two turnovers in an overall stable performance.
9 Will Genia – 8.5
Cleared the lines well and offered a high tempo when on attack. Created multiple breaks and often took the right option. Kicked extremely well off turnover ball stinging Argentina with quick net territorial losses. He was the Wallabies main driving force and best on field.
Subbed after 60 minutes for Nic White and received a standing ovation for his last performance at Suncorp Stadium.
10 Christian Lealiifano – 6.5
A few turnovers but an overall solid performance from Lealiifano. Kicked well off the tee and out of hand. Showed greater ball-handling and playmaking skills than Foley has in recent times, with quick hands, direct ball playing and nice touch.
He sparked the Wallabies first try with set-piece play taking it to the line and playing a perfectly timed ball to winger Koroibete. It wasn’t a perfect performance though as the 10 had a few unforced errors himself including throwing a forward pass that ended the half.
Subbed after 51 minutes for Toomua after kicking the last of Wallabies’ points.
11 Marika Koroibete – 6
Ran hard as usual whenever he got an opportunity. Assisted on a crucial try-saving cover tackle by Kerevi in the first half. Made the key line break off the scrum that lead to Hodge’s try by running a perfect line off Lealiifano. Brought the ball back in-field where required to avoid going into touch. Had a bad turnover with two minutes remaining to give Argentina another opportunity but overall a steady game.
12 Samu Kerevi – 7
Strong carries once again providing Wallabies plenty of front-foot ball. Offered another kicking option which nearly led to a try with a nice re-gather and pop ball for Kuridrani. Saved a certain try with covering tackle two metres out from own tryline after a long Argentina break. A poor drop ball late in the game was a small blemish.
13 Tevita Kuridrani – 5.5
Good defence in the wider channels playing passive slide D, starting to form a good connection with Kerevi in defence. Bombed a certain try after good lead-up work from Kerevi. Penalised for obstruction removing a tackler giving Argentina a good attacking opportunity late in the first half.
14 Reece Hodge – 6.5
Offered more on the right-wing this week. Reliable performance with strong carries off first phase and often beat the first up defender on kick returns. Intercepted a pass of a dangerous Argentina counter-attack and forced another bad pass and turnover on Pablo Matera late in the second half. Safe under the high ball.
15 Kurtley Beale – 5
Great copybook tackle early on to force Moyano into touch. Wasn’t great under the high ball as he lost a couple of aerial contests. Cleared well from the back at times. Didn’t overplay his hand but had limited opportunities.
16 Tolu Latu N/A
Threw well and offered energy in defence.
17 James Slipper – N/A
Continued Australian scrum dominance and carried strongly.
18 Taniela Tupou – 6
Continued Australian scrum dominance as the penalties starting mounting up. Offered explosive power running and line speed in defence.
19 Rob Simmons N/A
20 Luke Jones N/A
21 Nic White – 6
Tidy performance offering tempo and nice shape to the side on attack. Sparked a Kerevi break down a short side catching Argentina napping.
22 Matt To’omua – 4
Poor first up exit kick. Threw a horrendous pass behind Kurtley Beale for a huge territorial loss that led to a turnover as Wallabies tried to scramble. Tackled hard and ran hard on the few carries he had. Pounced on a loose ball but dropped it, giving it straight back. Missed a penalty kick from just to the left of the posts to seal the match. A forgettable cameo.
23 James O’Connor – N/A
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper 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?
10 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.
10 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 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 comments