New Zealand player ratings: Star back-row, replacements lead the way in comeback win for All Blacks

David Skippers
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Ardie Savea of the All Blacks takes on the Wallabies defence in Dunedin.

After their 23-20 Bledisloe Cup victory against Australia in Dunedin, here’s how the New Zealand team performed on Saturday.

15 Will Jordan: Shifted to full-back from wing and he looked lively on attack during the game’s early stages but was less influential as the opening half progressed when Australia gained the upper-hand. Came back strongly as an attacker after the break and was also solid under the high ball. 8

14 Shaun Stevenson: The debutant was in the thick of the action from the outset and although he was restricted mostly to defensive duties in the opening half, he grew into the game and gave a good account of himself. After half-time he took the fight to the Wallabies with a strong attacking performance and was rewarded with a well-taken try. 7

13 Braydon Ennor: The Crusaders utility back got a rare start for the All Blacks and made one exciting line break but was forced off the field late in the first half with Dallas McLeod coming on to replace him. 6

12 Anton Lienert-Brown: Came into the run-on side but – like most of the All Blacks – he battled to get going as the Wallabies dominated the opening half. Showed some improvement in the second half but not his best day at the office. 6

11 Leicester Fainga’anuku: The burly speedster came to the fore with several outstanding attacking runs and kept his opponents on their toes throughout. Eventually gained 74 attacking metres from a whopping 15 carries. 8

10 Damian McKenzie: Could not get his backline firing and struggled on defence – especially in the build-up to Tom Hooper’s try. His kicking out of hand was also of a poor standard while his decision making also let him down. 5

9 Finlay Christie: Struggled for most of his stint on the field and there was a marked improvement when Aaron Smith came on to replace him in the 53rd minute. Christie made little impact on attack and struggled on defence. 5

Ardie Savea shows his class with superb performance

8 Ardie Savea: Showed once again why he is so highly rated and arguably the world’s best back-row with another excellent all-round display. Did well on attack, gaining 59 metres from nine carries but was also prominent on defence with 15 tackles and superb at the breakdowns. 9

7 Sam Cane: Battled to impose himself during the early stages of this game but led his troops well when they were under severe pressure early on. He also shone on defence with a joint match-high of 19 tackles made. 7

6 Samipeni Finau: The rookie back-row took a while to get into the swing of things but by the time he hit his straps he showed that he belonged in the Test arena. Did well as a ball carrier with 48 metres gained and shone on defence with 19 hits. 8

5 Sam Whitelock: The veteran second-row returned to the run-on side and delivered an outstanding all-round performance during a full 80 minutes. Whitelock was excellent in the lineouts and on defence as he finished with 17 tackles made without missing one. 8

4 Brodie Retallick: The 32-year-old was restricted mostly to defensive work before leaving the field with a knee injury in the 25th minute with Tupou Vaa’i coming on to replace him. 6

3 Nepo Laulala: Not his best performance for the men in black as he struggled to gain the upper-hand in the scrums and was penalised at the set-piece on one occasion. Did not make a big impact in other departments and replaced by Fletcher Newell early in the second half. 5

2 Samisoni Taukei’aho: Struggled to get going and was blown up for a crooked throw-in at a lineout in the opening half. Did some good work on defence and finished with 16 hits but not as effective on attack and replaced by Dane Coles in the 53rd minute. 6

1 Tamaiti Williams: The young loosehead prop conceded three penalties on defence in the first half and put in an average scrummaging display before being yanked off for Ofa Tu’ungafasi in the 49th minute. 5

Replacements: Most of New Zealand’s bench players made a big impact when they entered the fray with the likes of Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith having a huge influence in changing their team’s fortunes after an underwhelming opening half. Elsewhere, the front-row reserves Tu’ungafasi, Coles and Newell all performed much better than the players they replaced and overall the All Blacks’ replacements played a big part in their win. 9

READ MORE: Australia player ratings: Tom Hooper shines again in tough Bledisloe II loss

Australia Ardie Savea

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