Another test against Wales another close win for the men in gold.
The Wallabies dominated possession but Wales were a shot for victory right up until the final whistle.
Here are my ratings:
[one_third last=”no”]
James Slipper
Lost the ball in contact early and was up against it in the scrum. He was busy, but didn’t have his best game in gold, conceded a penalty try. 5
[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Saia Faingaa
Had a few typically effective “chopping” tackles, but had a few errors too. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Sekope Kepu
Seemed a little off the pace and was part of the penalty try conceding scrum. 5[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Sam Carter
Wasn’t a great outing for Carter with a few errors and he was pulled off after fifty minutes. Intercepted a loose pass in the first half. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Rob Simmons
Had the most line out takes for the game, didn’t stand out in general play but was solid. One silly penalty knocks him down a point. 5 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Sean McMahon
Had a bad defensive read to gift Wales their opening try. Coughed up possession, but worked hard and will probably learn more from this match than the last. 4 [/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Michael Hooper
The captain set up Folau’s first try with a neat offload. Tackled well all eighty. 6[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Ben McCalman
Had the most runs of any forward and tackled like a machine. 7[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Nick Phipps
Phipps continues to look more at home in the Wallaby 9 jersey. Took the right option most of the time and was tirelessly quick to the ruck for his seventy minute stint. 7[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Bernard Foley
It was good to see a Wallaby ten that could position himself well and comfortably slot a high pressure drop goal. Kicked perfectly from the tee and directed play well against a good Welsh defensive effort that was determined to fan out and avoid contesting the ruck. 7 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Joe Tomane
Had a smattering of good runs, particularly in the second half. 6[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Christian Lealiifano
Played well with a few good runs, but also lost the ball on the deck more than once. Didn’t look out of place but didn’t do much to cement his position either. 5[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Tevita Kuridrani
Had the most runs of any player (14) and smashed through to collect a try . He’s becoming the Wallabies most potent weapon and the fear he puts into defenses will only make things easier for his team mates. 9 and G&GR Man of the Match[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Adam Ashley-Cooper
Had a great allround game. Cut through from first phase ball to open the second half and held up George North over the line to deny a close range try. 7 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Israel Folau
You just can’t keep Folau off the score sheet. Scored one try from a great piece of anticipation and support running and plucked an intercept while marking two players to get his second. 8[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
James Hanson
Solid input for twenty minutes, nothing flashy. Was part of the penalty try front row. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Tetera Faulkner
Got his first Wallaby cap. Didn’t let the side down but wasn’t overly visible. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Ben Alexander
Scrum didn’t do any worse when he entered the fray. Interestingly decided to switch play a couple of times in attack. 5[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
James Horwill
Played for fifteen minutes, took a few lineouts and tackled well but didn’t make waves. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Will Skelton
Was good to see him get a good twenty minutes, made an impact in both attack and defense. Looks to be packing a bit high in the scrums, but perhaps it’s due to his enormous frame. 6[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Matt Hodgson
Only got ten minutes but made a few runs and some good tackles including a vital forced penalty when he got over the ball with Wales hot on attack. 7[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Will Genia
Provided good service against tiring legs for the final twelve minutes. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Rob Horne
Tackled well and showed good energy after slotting into inside centre for the last five minutes. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
The patented G&GR ratings guide:
10 – A legendary performance to go down in the history books
9 – Outstanding performance: Man of the match shoo-in
8 – Excellent all-round game
7 – Good game with a few sparkles
6 – Solid performance
5 – Average – ho hum
4 – Below par
3 – Had a bad game
2 – Tell your story walking pal
1 – A complete joke
So am I on the money?
