Australia player ratings: Michael Hooper and Nick Frost shine in win over Scotland
Following their 16-15 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday, here’s our player ratings for Australia.
15 Tom Banks: Made his return to international action after a lengthy injury lay-off and gave a good account of himself. Solid under the high ball and made some crucial tackles. 6
14 Andrew Kellaway: Was lively on attack and constantly looked for work. Kept Scotland‘s defence busy with some strong attacking runs. 7
13 Len Ikitau: Looked dangerous on attack, especially during the early stages of the opening half, and made his presence felt on defence with some solid hits. 7
12 Hunter Paisami: Another one who caught the eye with some fine attacking runs and did well in the build-up to James Slipper’s try by straightening the line. 7
11 Tom Wright: Like Kellaway, Wright was in the thick of the action but did not make a real impact in this fixture. 5
10 Bernard Foley: Knocked the ball on when Australia were on the attack and Blair Kinghorn pounced to score a try. Despite that error, his general play was still solid and his goalkicking excellent before being replaced by Noah Lolesio late on. 7
9 Tate McDermott: Was lively during the opening exchanges when he tested Scotland’s defence with some sniping breaks but less prominent during the rest of the match. Replaced after 57 minutes by Nic White. 6
8 Rob Valetini: Continued where he left off in the Rugby Championship with some strong carries which kept the home side’s defence busy and also put his body on the line on defence. 7
Fine return for veteran tearaway
7 Michael Hooper: Made his international return after a lengthy lay-off and continued where he left off with a fine all-round effort. His defensive and breakdown work were particularly impressive and he was solid with ball in hand. 8
6 Jed Holloway: Another one who made a bright start with some strong carries in the first half but became less involved as the match progressed. 6
5 Cadeyrn Neville: Did well in the execution of his core duties and caught the eye with a deft offload to Slipper, who crossed for a try. Replaced by Ned Hanigan after 62 minutes. 7
4 Nick Frost: Was one of the Wallabies‘ best players as he put in a huge shift at the coalface of their forward effort, especially in the lineouts where he won several balls and made some crucial steals on Scotland’s throw-ins. 8
3 Allan Alaalatoa: Replaced by Taniela Tupou at half-time after an uneventful first half. Was solid in the scrums, although he was penalised at the set-piece on one occasion. 5
2 David Porecki: Like Alaalatoa, little interesting to report. Missed his jumpers in the lineouts on a few occasions but impressed on defence. 6
1 James Slipper (c): Australia’s skipper put in a huge shift and was rewarded with his side’s only try in the second half. Stood up well in the scrums and led from the front. 7
Replacements: The Wallabies bench played a crucial role in securing victory with scrum-half White, tighthead prop Tupou and hooker Folau Fainga’a all catching the eye with strong performances. 8
