So, we’re world beaters again. Right?
A few good backs’ tries in the second half were nice to watch. Our scrum, lo and behold, bettered that of the Italians by a fair margin. Our forwards were still pretty soft. It was okay, but we need more from this squad.
Here’s how I saw it:
[one_third last=”no”]
James Slipper
The scrum started well – and stayed that way. Got inverted once, but it was an aberration. Busy around the park and in support. Might have confused the No.1 on his back for an 11 – spent a bit of time on the wing. 6
[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Stephen Moore
Effective as always but a little quiet in patches. Near-perfect in the lineout. Great flick pass for Tomane’s try. 7 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Ben Alexander
Was good in the scrum, and had the better of his opposite man (who couldn’t handle the shove). Quiet around the park. 5 [/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
James Horwill
A better game from Kev. Got stuck in. Made a number of runs, secured two turnovers and an offload for good measure. Some good tackles too. 6 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Sitaleki Timani
Went missing after 20 minutes, never to be seen again. Made a few pretty soft runs. 3 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Rob Simmons
Gave away two silly penalties, but otherwise a nice first game at No.6. Topped the tackle count and ran (and passed) well. Always packed on the tighthead side on our own scrum feeds; Alexander might have a bruised arse cheek tomorrow, cos he never moved backwards. 6 [/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Michael Hooper
A typical Hooper performance. Very busy with some nice linking play, though you still get the feeling he’d be too small against any greater foe. Kept his shoulder on the scrum. Took a stupid option to quick tap a very kickable shot early on; Italy scored 60 seconds later. Otherwise, pretty good. 6 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Ben Mowen
Scored the first try, but had no real impact. Was busy in defence, but missed a few. 4 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Will Genia
The man needs a holiday. Passed off the ground for a bit early, but soon gave up on that. Another poorly timed and executed box kick led to an opposition try, this time killing our attack. A few moments of good vision, reversing the play, but nowhere near his best. 3 [/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Quade Cooper
We’re starting to see a very mature Test five-eighth emerge. Mixed it up, invariably choosing the right option, and he kicked pretty well to boot (ha!). Rightly lauded for his long passing game, but his short game wreaked havoc this match with some very nicely weighted balls in close. 7 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Nick Cummins
Must’ve been greased up in some local olive oil, because they couldn’t seem to get a hold on him. Took his chances and made some terrific runs in no space at all. Two tries, and nearly a third.Went hunting for work, and smashed it. 8 – G&GR MOTM [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Matt Toomua
Fantastic game. His combination with Quade was excellent and gave us great width. Distributed well, but proved again that he can take on the line with aplomb when appropriate. Reeled off the meters with some booming kicks for touch, but miscued one in play. Didn’t miss a tackle and earned a couple of turnovers. A bee’s proverbial from MOTM. 8 [/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Tevita Kuridrani
A nice game. Trademark hard runs kept the Azzurri on their heels, and bagged a nice try to reward his good support play. 7 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Adam Ashley-Cooper
A little quiet by his own standards, but didn’t put a foot wrong and looked good when he actually did get ball in hand. Ran a sublime line for his try in the second half. 6 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Israel Folau
Was quiet in patches, but still produced a number of bustling runs. Fell over the line for a try late. 6 [/one_third]
… wasn’t it nice to see the bench get a solid run?
[one_third last=”no”]
Saia Fainga’a
Made some pretty dominant hits, and plenty less dominant ones in his minimal time. 6 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Benn Robinson
Defended nicely on the line, but gave away two penalties in a few minutes. 5 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Sekope Kepu
Didn’t make any impact, and the scrum looked dodgy on his side. 4 [/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Dave Dennis
Made three tackles in 23 minutes, and nothing else. Has to do more off the bench. 4 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]
Liam Gill
Made a number of tackles and was pretty hard on the ball. Would’ve been nice to see him start. 5 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Nic White
I hadn’t noticed him come on, but his first pass rapidly ended that patch of ignorance. His speed of service was a revelation. Conceded an unlucky penalty. Would’ve been nice to see more of him. 6 [/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Christian Leali’ifano
Made a heap of tackles off the bench, and kicked some nice goals. Will keep heat on the starting No.10 and 12. 6 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”]
Joe Tomane
Ran hard and straight for nice try on his first touch. Didn’t have to do a whole lot. 5 [/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, how’d I go?
