Wallabies player ratings: ‘Exceptional’ back-row once again lead the way in ‘brave defeat’
Fraser McReight was once again a standout for his side against the All Blacks
Following their 33-13 defeat to the All Blacks, here is how we rated the Wallabies players after an entertaining encounter in Wellington.
Wallabies player ratings v All Blacks
15 Tom Wright: Created plenty of chances with some mazy runs, but on a couple of occasions just couldn’t execute the killer pass to turn his breaks into points. 6
14 Andrew Kellaway: Fairly quiet for the most part, but got more involved as the game opened up and came up with a couple of nice touches. 6
13 Len Ikitau: Used in a slightly different way to how he has been so far this Rugby Championship, but it brought the best out of him. He was able to slice through the All Blacks defence on multiple occasions and became a key figure in their attack. 7
12 Hunter Paisami: Provided some serious punch in midfield, and combined well with Ikitau to make the midfield the focal point of the side. 7
11 Dylan Pietsch: Was only given limited time on the ball, but couldn’t get a proper foothold into the contest. Did brilliantly to keep Beauden Barrett’s touch kick in play. 5
Half-backs
10 Noah Lolesio: Utilised a new attacking style this week, and it brought the best out of him and the Wallabies backline as a whole. He still kept his core distribution skills but injected some serious pace to proceedings and got his team firing. 7
9 Jake Gordon: Nothing flashy from the scrum-half, just did his job well. Distributed well out of a messy ruck, and combined well with Lolesio too. 6
Back-row
8 Harry Wilson: A proper captain’s knock from the back-rower today despite the brave defeat. Brought plenty of physicality to proceedings, and was one of his side’s principal carriers. 7
7 Fraser McReight: Exceptional showing from the flanker. Seemed to spawn in the exact areas his team needed him in both defence and attack, coming up with some huge tackles, crucial turnovers and also carrying hard in the tight. Scored a nice try, and nearly had a second too. What a player he is becoming. 8
6 Rob Valetini: Complimented his fellow back-rowers well, and typically dragged his side over the gainline with some huge carries through traffic. 7
Tight five
5 Jeremy Williams: Got stuck into the ugly stuff well, which contributed to his side’s improved performance on the whole. 5
4 Nick Frost: Excellent work in defence, and cut down everyone in his path with some huge tackles. Led the charge for his side in this area too, with 14 tackles across his stint. 6
3 Taniela Tupou: Had some decent involvements despite picking up an early knock. Gave away a couple of cheap penalties, but otherwise a decent shift from the tighthead. 6
2 Matt Faessler: A busy day for the hooker, who put himself about on both sides of the ball. Lineout was also pretty solid whilst he was on too. 6
1 Angus Bell: Solid showing as ever from loosehead Bell. Had the better of Tyrel Lomax a couple of times at the scrum, and made plenty of work for himself around the park. 7
Replacements: The Wallabies bench have come under serious scrutiny this Rugby Championship, and whilst they didn’t have the same impact as their All Blacks counterparts they did a decent job.
Langi Gleeson made a huge impact upon his entry to the game, and had some decent involvements in both defence and attack. Fellow forwards Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Isaac Kailea also looked to get involved in the battle up front in the latter stages, which allowed the Wallabies to stay in the fight despite the game getting away from them. Elsewhere, Tate McDermott injected some pace to their attack just when it seemed they were running out of steam, and Josh Flook came up with some nice touches too.
There are certainly things for them to work on in this department, and their inability to score any points in the second-half was a big issue despite creating plenty of chances, but on the whole Joe Schmidt should be a bit happier with the work of his bench today. 7
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