Rating every Wallabies player from Wales series including back-row ‘great’ and Will Skelton-esque star shine
Split with Rob Valetini and Joe Schmidt.
Following the Wallabies series win over Wales we take a look at the beginning of the Joe Schmidt era and rate all the players he used out of 10.
For the most part, the players receive good ratings in what was a decent start to life with Schmidt at the helm but there is always room for improvement.
Outside backs
Tom Wright: The electric runner was just that against Wales as he patrolled the backfield looking to make something happen every time he touched the ball which culminated in a sensational solo try in the first Test. He does make a lot of errors which is a negative spin-off of how he approaches the game. If he can cut that out then Wright would be some player at the back. 7
Wrighty goes himself! 💨#Wallabies #AUSvWAL pic.twitter.com/0WGlJ3Waoc
— Wallabies (@wallabies) July 6, 2024
Andrew Kellaway: Adds experience and calmness to the back-three. Kellaway offers consistency and few errors in his game while also having that spark to make something happen as he did to expertly set a teammate in space in the second Test from an aerial contest resulting in a try. One could only expect him to continue in this way and become an important figure for Schmidt both on and off the pitch. 6
Filipo Daugunu: Fast, powerful and an extremely hard-worker all make for the Wallabies top scorer of the series. Whether it was from chasing lost causes or cutting through the line himself it was Daugunu’s work-rate and determination to make an impact that did exactly that. He was almost like a leaner Marika Koroibete in Wallabies gold and he is certainly one of the first names on the team sheet now. 8
Centres
Hunter Paisami: The Reds man was born for Test rugby and it showed in how he anchored the side in the midfield, particularly on defence where in both games he notched up double figures in his tackle counts. His influence on attack was evident but can still improve and that will come as the side develops. Paisami is certainly a must-select now. 7
Josh Flook: Perhaps he did not set the world alight but crucially did not look out of place in the Test arena with his first two caps coming in the series. Like his centre partner, he is a top defender but also has nous on attack whether it’s hitting a half gap or throwing an offload. Flook should be trusted again in the role after a solid start. 6
Half-backs
Jake Gordon: Not perfect but very encouraging from the preferred scrum-half, who for the most part picked good options from the base and kicked well enough. It is his boot that likely got him ahead of the other nines and he has done enough to retain his spot. However, this area feels like one of the more open spots in the team and he will need to double down if given the chance in the Rugby Championship. 6
Tate McDermott: Elevated the pace of the game when brought on in the first Test but was overlooked for the second. The Reds man is a very good player but that is only if Schmidt wants a livewire at the base, which may not be the case. 5
Nic White: Had limited opportunity but is a valuable head in the squad thanks to his experience and particularly his expertise around kicking from the base. Whether or not he gets brought into a more important role going forward remains to be seen. 5
Noah Lolesio: Back in Test rugby and a decent return from the playmaker who showed periods of what he could do and on the whole he ticked the boxes he needed to tick. Still, there is a feeling he could improve further by lowering his error-rate slightly but he will be happy enough. 7
Tom Lynagh: Handed his Test debut in the first game and did not have too much to do to be fair. Hard to really say much more until he gets a greater chance at Test level. 5
Ben Donaldson: Similar to Lynagh the World Cup star did not have much chance to show the new coach what he could do and will be ready to take any opportunity he can going forward. 5
Back-row
Rob Valetini: One of the best players in gold during the series. Valetini is always busy, especially on attack where he puts his hand up and continuously carries. On defence, he consistently gets high tackle numbers. The Wallabies rely heavily on him for go-forward ball as they have done for years. He was important then and still is now, Valetini is already a great Wallaby and Schmidt will have his name done before most on the team sheet. 9
Fraser McReight: Finally given a proper chance to push for the seven shirt and he did brilliantly. McReight is never short of hard work and finds himself in great positions as a result just as he did with his lengthy run down field to play Daugunu in during the second Test. The flank attacks the breakdown and defends like a warrior. He is key to the back-row. 8
Liam Wright: Injury robbed the 89th captain of a chance to play in the second Test after a fairly average performance in the first. Unfortunately for him, the back-row looked better without him and it will be interesting to see if Schmidt gives him another shot. 6
Charlie Cale: Looked really good for his cameo in the first and shone in his start in the second. He offered some good carries from the back of the scrum while ticking all the boxes otherwise. His influence will grow with time in the saddle but the balance between the back-row when he partnered with Valetini and McReight looked like the best selection. 7
Langi Gleeson: The talented back-row had limited chance to show off his abilities with a few minutes off the bench in the second Test. 5
Second-row
Lukhan Salakai-loto: The lock has quickly become a vital player in the tight five with his physical ball-carrying and hard work in the short plays. Looked a bit Will Skelton-ish and will certainly be able to build on that. The grunt work of the pack is shared between him and Valetini. 7
Jeremy Williams: Impressively never looked out of place during the series where he earned his debut. Never shied away from getting stuck into the opposition whether offering himself as a carry option or bashing opposing ball carriers. Looks like the man to stay in that role. 6
Angus Blyth: Would have loved to get more of a chance but managed to make the most of the minutes he did get with a whopping 10 tackles off the bench in the first. There was less time to be influential in the second Test but he too looked comfortable at Test level and Schmidt will be pleased with the development of his second-row stocks. 6
Props
James Slipper: By now the whole rugby world knows what Slipper offers; hard work on defence with a sneaky high tackle count, solid set-piece work and great leadership. Once again he brought exactly that, even stepping back into the captaincy role for the second Test. He certainly is an important figure in the dressing room and showed he still has what it takes to shine at the highest level. 6
Taniela Tupou: So often injured but for the first time we could see how the tighthead can flip a game on its head. He is powerful in every sense of the word as he showed throughout. If the Wallabies can keep him injury-free he could be massive for their prospects going forward. 8
Isaac Kaliea: Another rookie who did not look out of place for the Wallabies and did his best to influence the game as much as he could. Playing him behind Slipper and giving him a chance to develop could be a great option for a player who looks like he has the ability to stick around on the Test scene for a while yet. 6
Allan Alaalatoa: Bagged a try in the second Test as he looked to come on and make some impact. Things could certainly be worse at tighthead if you have the veteran coming on for powerhouse Tupou. Alaalatoa is a quality prop and perhaps the key to keeping Tupou’s fitness is sharing the load between the two. 6
Hookers
Matt Faessler: A player who makes very few errors and a hooker who ran the set-piece quite nicely during the series. He also got stuck in where possible and he clearly looks like the first choice hooker. 7
Billy Pollard and Josh Nasser: The duo split the replacement hooker duties between them for the two Tests and neither had a massive impact with the limited time they had on the park. 5