All Blacks player ratings: ‘Effortless’ Beauden Barrett settles fly-half debate as Scott Robertson’s ‘find of the season’ stars once again
All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett and back-rower Wallace Sititi in action against the Wallabies.
Following a 33-13 victory over the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship clash at Sky Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the All Blacks.
15 Will Jordan: Has very much found his best form after a lengthy time out of the game through injury. Was absolutely brilliant and scored another stunning individual try. 9
14 Sevu Reece: Finished his try well and had a few surges down the right wing, but not necessarily as explosive as he can be. 6
13 Rieko Ioane: Some mistakes here and there. Was generally defensively solid but didn’t have a hugely influential game in attack despite some nice touches. 6
Playmaking brilliance
12 Anton Lienert-Brown: A superb display from the centre, who was standing in for Jordie Barrett. On this evidence, Lienert-Brown could get an extended run in the All Blacks 12 jersey. Displayed his wonderful skill set, while his timing of the pass was exceptional. 8
11 Caleb Clarke: Continues to justify his selection on the wing. Clarke has always offered plenty with ball in hand, but he’s become an effective Test player after improving the basics. 7
10 Beauden Barrett: Unfortunately for Damian McKenzie, Barrett was excellent. His control on the game was effortless at times and he will surely stay there for the big northern hemisphere games. 8
9 TJ Perenara: A mixed performance in his final game on New Zealand soil. Service was good for the most part, keeping the Wallabies defence honest, but Perenara made a few poor decisions. 6
8 Ardie Savea: Grew into the game. Struggled to be hugely effective in the first half but was much better after the break as the All Blacks dominated. 8
7 Sam Cane: An All Blacks great who put in a solid shift in his final game in New Zealand. Quite rightly got a wonderful reception after being replaced in the second period. 6
Sam Cane feels ‘really lucky’ after All Blacks milestone and hails ‘special’ next-gen
Impressive once again
6 Wallace Sititi: The find of the season for Scott Robertson, Sititi has well and truly put the Hoskins Sotutu argument to bed. In every facet, the youngster was absolutely elite. 9
5 Tupou Vaa’i: Has done well as Scott Barrett’s locking partner. A bit quieter in Wellington but still a positive Rugby Championship for the 24-year-old. 6
4 Scott Barrett (c): A mammoth shift in defence, Barrett was effective in the tighter exchanges as he did a lot of the unseen work. 7
3 Tyrel Lomax: Didn’t have it all his own way in the set-piece as the New Zealand scrum was challenged by the Australians in the first half. 6
Wallabies player ratings: ‘Exceptional’ back-row once again lead the way in ‘brave defeat’
2 Codie Taylor: After a poor July series, the experienced hooker rolled back the years in the Rugby Championship. Taylor was excellent in South Africa and followed that up well against the Wallabies. 7
1 Ethan de Groot: Taniela Tupou got the better of De Groot in the scrum, despite playing on one knee, and the loosehead was replaced early in the second period. 5
Replacements: Much better from the bench as Robertson’s men finally scored some points in the last quarter. McKenzie looked much more comfortable in this role while Pasilio Tosi was a standout. There were also impressive displays from Tamaiti Williams and Cortez Ratima. 8
