I’m not sure what to think of that game.
On the one hand we kept a good French side to nil and muscled up to win a physical game which in the past I suspect we would have lost. But on the other hand we frittered away good possession, and our execution in the French 22 was woeful.
Ultimately I am going to take a positive view of this game. Our error rate was OK, and but for a few little things we could have won by a decent margin. I don’t think any changes are warranted to the starting team, however I think it’s time to try a few different things on the bench.
Anyway, here are my ratings:
[one_third last=”no”]
James Slipper
Is developing into a world class loosehead prop. His scrum performance wasn’t flawless- he gave away two penalties and was lucky to avoid a third, but it was nonetheless commendable, and his work around the field was excellent, carrying the ball 8 times and securing a turnover. 8
[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Tatafu Polota-Nau
Not the cannonball of old, but very solid. Did the basics of his position well, and was industrious without being particularly noteworthy around the field. 6[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Sekope Kepu
Has kicked on well after a good end of year tour in gold, and this may be his best game yet. Was rock solid in the first half scrums, then dominant in the second in a games where the scrums counted for plenty. Did a bucket load of work around the field as well. Becoming indispensable, and for that I give him my Man of the Match. 8[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
James Horwill
Like TPN, we didn’t see the Kev of old but it was a pretty decent version. Gave a way a few silly penalties but made up for them by being busy at the ruck and carrying pretty well. Bagged a nice lineout steal too. 6[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Rob Simmons
Decent enough in a game not particularly suited to him. Ran the lineout well, played it pretty tight and recorded OK stats. Not one for the ages, but he did enough. 6 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Scott Fardy
Highly rated by others, but I just didn’t see it. The stats don’t show it either. Has lost the physical edge we saw last year, where he stood out in everything he did. He was by no means bad, but this was a game in which he should have thrived. He didn’t and was subbed by Link with 15 to go. 5 [/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Michael Hooper
Was never far from the action, and I thought he played pretty well. Took a nice pilfer and spoiled at the breakdown, and was our most effective forward with ball in hand, as usual. Missed 5 tackles, though, so loses a mark. Captaincy was also good considering the nature of the game. 6[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Ben McCalman
The unsung hero of the night. Played 80 minutes and never slowed down. Led the tackle count and the run count, and hit plenty of rucks. One of his best Wallaby efforts, and he was unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions. 8 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Nic White
Like McCalman he hasn’t got the credit he deserved. Yes he kicked a lot, but with a popgun-booted 10 and an innacurate 12 the responsibility of the game plan fell on him. So don’t blame Nic for the kicking, he was only carrying out orders. With the French muscling up I thought he did a decent job, and used his running game well in the last 20. 7[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Bernard Foley
He isn’t suited to these types of games, but he bloody well needs to be if he wants to be a long term Test 10. His kicking from hand was poor, and he was fairly anonymous in both attack and defence. We needed more. 4 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Nick Cummins
An old dog for a hard road. Ran hard, tackled hard, did everything that was asked of him. 7[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Matt Toomua
Not up to his usual standard. Made a couple of really costly errors- kicking a penalty dead, botching a golden attaching opportunity with an ill-thought triple cutout and turning the ball over three times. Still made plenty of tackles, and like Fardy I think he may be a victim of his past glories in Gold. But in a tight, physical game he should have done better. 4[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Tevita Kuridrani
After last week this was a bit of a let down. He didn’t get any quality ball to use, and was well contained by Bastareaud. Saying that he didn’t let the side down at all and his stats are good. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Adam Ashley-Cooper
Barely touched the ball, so is hard to rate. A similar story to Kuridrani- did everything he needed to do. 5 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Israel Folau
The only Australian back who threatened the French line. Every time he ran he found a half gap, or broke a tackle, or generally got us on the front foot. We needed to use him more. His kicking game was below par, though. 7[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Nathan Charles
Got on at the end, and did OK. Made a crucial covering tackle on Huget in the dying stages. No rating[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Pek Cowan
Tried his arse off, but I can’t help thinking he isn’t up to this level. Missed a few easy tackles and was dominated on the carry. 4[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Laurie Weeks
Like Charles he only had a few minutes but he did OK. No rating
[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Luke Jones
Looked very timid. Passed the ball a few times when he should have run, and botched a lineout which ultimately led to a turnover. I’ll put it down to first game nerves, but honestly I expected more. 4 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Scott Higginbotham
Played a lot tighter than usual, which under the circumstances was very appropriate. 5[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Nick Phipps
Secured the penalty to win the game. No rating[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Kurtley Beale
Added real spark I thought, and put the pressure on Foley for the starting 10 jersey. Has found the extra yard of pace he lost a few years ago. 7[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Pat McCabe
Played a few good minutes at the end. No rating[/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
[/one_third]
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?
