Wallabies player ratings v B&I Lions: Nic White ‘riles up’ tourists as Will Skelton sticks up for the ‘little man’
Wallabies player ratings as nic white plays his final game
The Wallabies fought hard to win the third Test against the British & Irish Lions in Sydney on Saturday, battling adverse weather conditions and injuries as they sent the tourists packing in what was a brutal and unforgiving encounter.
Here’s how we rated the Wallabies players:
Backs
15 Tom Wright: It was a defensive masterclass from the Wallabies full-back. As the rain poured down in monsoon-like stages, he kicked well to put the Lions under immense pressure, even when he was on the back foot himself. Showed brilliant footwork to get his side out of trouble on more than one occasion and made some huge tackles to dismember a stuttering Lions’ attack. 7
14 Max Jorgensen: Despite not being the weather for a winger, he threatened in attack with every touch, making some vital line breaks and even scoring after expertly latching onto a dropped ball by the Lions in the second half. 8
13 Joseph Suaalii: Brilliantly timed pass to set up Dylan Pietsch’s try, and truly stepped up in attack, appearing to have more time on the ball than others. Arguably one of his best games since first appearing in Wallabies colours. He crucially dropped a simple pass on the Wallabies’ attack, however, and made what could have been a red card hit on Tadhg Beirne in the final moments to dull an otherwise impressive performance. 7
12 Len Ikitau: Worked hard in the breakdown, winning vital turnovers and carried hard. He won the number 12 battle against Bundee Aki, quite literally man-handling his opposite number in the tackle, causing a knock-on. Without Ikitau, the Wallabies’ attack doesn’t flow so smoothly. 8
11 Dylan Pietsch: A superbly taken first try, and was truly fired up after being overlooked last week. Made a huge hit on Tommy Freeman to stop an almost certain try in the first half, and continued to make up for lost time as the match continued. Faded slightly in the second half and unfortunately knocked the ball on over the try-line in the dying minutes, but will be pleased with his return. 7
Half-backs
10 Tom Lynagh: Missed his first effort at goal from a difficult angle and struggled to make much of an impact in the match thereafter. Injured late in the first half – not the long-term Wallabies number 10 on this display. 5
9 Nic White: Given a standing ovation when he walked off in the 58th minute as he exited the field for the final time in international colours. Got under the Lions’ skin early doors, and kept their focus on him, rather than the game. The experienced number nine was pivotal for the Wallabies’ attack as his kicking game kept the Lions pinned back in their own half, and when his crew turned the ball over he was instrumental in the red-zone attack, orchestrating his forwards’ close-court game in the wet weather. 9
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Forwards
8 Harry Wilson: Made the hard metres as he captained a fierce Wallabies performance. Will want to forget being double-tackled by Jack Conan and Jac Morgan, however, and was guilty of dropping a couple of restarts. 6
7 Fraser McReight: Topped the tackle charts for the Wallabies as he put his body on the line in wet and windy conditions. Although he’s not always at the forefront of the picture, he once again did the hard work that allowed the rest of the team to play. 8
6 Tom Hooper: Made a huge impact in attack, topping the carrying charts and created the vital go-forward ball for the Wallabies. His defensive work rate was there for all to see in a match that truly suited his talents. 7
5 Will Skelton: His impact was there to see from the opening moments. He escalated the biggest brawl of the series, standing up for the little man as he used his giant frame and physicality to show the Lions who was boss early on. His physical impacts during open play were hard, and his hands were soft, even skillfully putting Taniela Tupou through a gap just after the lightning break. 8
4 Nick Frost: A brilliantly secured early lineout, only the second in the entire tour that’s gone awry for the Lions. He continued in the same vein throughout, his lineout prowess giving the Wallabies pure set-piece dominance and causing havoc in the Lions’ ranks. 8
3 Taniela Tupou: It was an incredible scrumming performance by the Waratahs prop as he justified his selection. In the contact area, he was immovable, but in open space, he still proved effective, making a storming breakaway to take his side 20 metres into the clear. 8
2 Billy Pollard: Struggled with the first few lineouts, but then settled down as his team took the ascendancy. It was due to David Porecki and Matt Faessler not being available that Pollard got the start, but his performance, although solid, did not warrant any further selection conversations. 6
1 James Slipper: The veteran prop held his own in the scrum as he provided the base for his side to work off. It was a solid performance all-in-all, but not one that will make the archives. 6
Replacements: Eyebrows were raised when White was brought off with a quarter of the game left to play, but his replacement, Tate McDermott, stepped up, bringing the pace to the Wallabies’ attack. It was McDermott who would hammer the final blow, as he snuck through the Lions’ bodies to touch down, taking the scores beyond the regainable. Ben Donaldson made an early entry onto the field when Lynagh was injured and stepped up, proving to be the man for the future. Jeremy Williams made the all-important lineout steal that ended all Lions’ hopes, then shortly afterwards added salt to the wound by winning the subsequent ruck penalty. The bench didn’t need to change anything, simply add to the existing gameplan – and that, they did. 8