Waratahs player ratings vs Rebels | Super Rugby Pacific
The Waratahs have been beaten in a thriller against Australian rivals the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park, losing 34-27.
Backrower Richard Hardwick had another sublime first half for the hosts, and played a key role in their lead at the main break.
While the Waratahs fought their way back, and even managed to take the lead, the Rebels emerged victorious. Led by flyhalf Carter Gordon, the Rebels ran away with an important.
As for the Waratahs, they won’t leave Melbourne empty handed. A sideline conversion from Tane Edmed after the full-time siren gave the visitors a losing bonus point.
Here’s how the Waratahs rated.
- Ben Donaldson – 6.5/10
The playmaking duo of Donaldson and Tane Edmed has the potential to become something quite special for the Tahs. The pair both showed glimpses of this throughout the opening 40, before the game got away from them after the break.
Donaldson popped up at first five quite regularly for the Tahs, where he showed his playmaking potential and strong kicking game. But he also served the Tahs jersey well with his performance out the back – Donaldson was safe under the high ball and made some strong tackles.
In a losing side, Mark Nawaqanitawase was still exceptional. After making his Wallabies debut during last year’s end-of-season tour, the winger has continued his incredible rise throughout Super Rugby Pacific this year.
Let’s start with the try: when the Waratahs needed someone to stand up, the winger stood up and did what his team needed him to. The right winger found himself on the left edge, and reaped the rewards of some tidy phase play from the Tahs.
Other than that, Nawaqanitawase was lethal in both attack in defence. Not only did he have the equal-most carries out of any Tahs player, but 22-year-old also made the most tackles out of back on his team with 10.
- Izaia Perese – 6
With his first carry of the game, Perese looked dangerous – if only for a moment. After beating a defender, the centre was knocked into next week after being caught on the wrong end of a big hit.
Overall, it was a quiet performance from the Wallaby. Perese ran the ball five times and made four tackles, but it wasn’t anything that necessarily stood out.
- Lalakai Foketi – 6.5
The Wallaby got busy on both sides of the ball. While the Rebels took control of the contest, Foketi never threw in the towel – he worked tirelessly in an effort to turn the tide. The inside centre ended up running the ball six times, making seven tackles, and winning one penalty at the breakdown.
- Nemani Nadolo – 6
Nemani Nadolo was a late inclusion in the Waratahs’ starting side after Max Jorgensen was ruled out of the round three match. The Fijian international came agonisingly close to a try in the 18th minute, but the TMO ruled against it. Still, the sheer athleticism, pace and power that he showed in that passage of play can’t go unnoticed.
Nadolo finished with the second-most running metres out of any Waratahs player with 41 from five carries.
- Tane Edmed – 6.5
Tane Edmed is a player to watch, but the flyhalf didn’t quite stand out like he did during Super Round against the Fijian Drua. Rugby fans saw glimpses of playmaking gifts, with a brilliant rugby IQ that will serve the Tahs well for years to come. But as the Rebels took control, the star pivot struggled to make a noticeable impact on the match.
But his performance was far from doom and gloom. The goalkicking ace kept his side in the match for a majority of the clash, having scored 12 points off the tee. Also, call him Mr Clutch because the first five knocked over a conversion from the sideline with the final play of the game to give his side a losing bonus point.
- Jake Gordon (c) – 6.5
The Waratahs captain did what he needed to do without really standing out against the Rebels. As Australian rugby fans have come to expect from Jake Gordon, his passing game was accurate and quick – and he ordered his team around the park like the leader he is.
But it just wasn’t the Waratahs’ night.
- Tom Lambert – 7
Lambert featured in the round two RugbyPass team of the week, and has backed up that performance with another strong outing. The prop had the second-most carries out of any Waratahs forward (8) and also got busy in defence with 11 tackles.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Lambert was penalised in the 11th minute for an infringement at the scrum.
- Mahe Vailanu – 6.5
Mahe Vailanu is an exciting prospect within Australian rugby – and rugby fans saw glimpses of why on Friday night. The hooker has previously starred in Major League Rugby with the LA Giltinis – having impressed alongside Wallabies greats Matt Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper.
Starting in the No. 2 jersey for the Tahs in round three, Vailanu did his core job quite well. The 26-year-old hit most of his targets at the lineout, and was also hungry around the field – he seemed desperate to get involved, and did just that.
- Archer Holz – 5.5
Waratahs prop Archer Holz made a statement early in the match, having won a penalty at the scrum inside the opening 10 minutes. But, in review, that was the highlight of an otherwise quiet outing. While Holz didn’t miss any tackles from six attempts, he only ran the ball once – for the most, the prop didn’t make an impact around the field.
- Jed Holloway – 7
The Waratahs’ forward pack struggled to match it with the Rebels, except for Jed Holloway. The Wallaby was a shining light at times for the visitors, as he got stuck in in both attack and defence. Holloway was also one of the go-to options at the set-piece for Mahe Vailanu.
- Hugh Sinclair – 5.5
Following a mixed performance in the opening 38 minutes, lock Hugh Sinclair was replaced just before the half-time break. Sinclair had made his mark at the lineout – proving to be one of the Tahs’ go-to players, and also piling plenty of pressure on the Rebels’ throw.
However, for the most part, Sinclair struggled to make an impact during his time out in the middle The Rebels controlled a lot of the first half which didn’t make his job any easier.
- Lachlan Swinton – 5
It was an uncharacteristically quiet performance from flanker Lachlan Swinton on Friday night, as he struggled to make his mark around the field. While rugby fans saw glimpses of his trademark aggression, Swinton just wasn’t able to execute as he usually would. The flanker only made three tackles, and ran the ball three times.
- Michael Hooper – 6.5
As the game clock ticked ever closer to full time, commentators Andrew Mehrtens and Drew Mitchell commented on the unusually quiet performance from Michael Hooper. As they discussed, the Rebels managed to minimise his impact by targeting the Super Rugby veteran at the breakdown.
While it wasn’t his best performance, it’s impossible to fault his work rate. Hooper has been one of the best flankers in world rugby for quite some time, and there’s a reason why. Even though the Rebels managed to shut him down, Hooper still finished with the equal-most tackles (11) out of any Waratahs player.
- Langi Gleeson – 7.5
Following his standout performance last week, loose forward Langi Gleeson backed it up with another strong outing. Whether it was in attack or defence, Gleeson certainly made a statement ahead of this year’s World Cup in France.
In attack, Gleeson made an exceptional burst in the 20th minute, having run a brilliant line off Jake Gordon. But the No. 8 wasn’t rewarded for his efforts, having been stopped short of the line and later pined for a double movement. The loose forward also registered a try assist.
Defensively, Gleeson finished with 100 per cent tackle accuracy from his eight attempts.
Replacements:
- Tolu Latu – 6
- Tetera Faulkner – 5.5
- Harry Johnston-Holmes – 6
- Taleni Seu – 7
- Will Harris – 5.5
- Charlie Gamble – 7 – Gamble had an immediate impact after coming on off the bench. Not only did he win a penalty at the breakdown, but the flanker also crossed for a try shortly after in the 55th minute.
- Teddy Wilson – N/A
- Ben Dowling – N/A
Comments on RugbyPass
Did 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?
1 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.
4 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.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
16 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to comments