The Wallabies began the Spring Tour on somewhat of a high. A win over the Boks in Bloemfontein gave renewed hope, but still… those All Blacks. They were so damn good. Five tough test matches beginning with a fourth Bledisloe, followed by challenges against the Welsh, the Poms, the Italians and finally the French would be a mighty challenge. History shows we won them all, bar for the test at Twickenham, with tour highlights being the bookend wins against the Kiwis and then the Frogs.
We’ve done the Bundy Rum Test Series where Quade Cooper produced the goods. His old schoolmate David Pocock was the stand-out during the Tri-Nations.There were many fantastic performances this tour. Let’s look back and review how the readers of G&GR rated them.
Match Eleven: Wallabies v. New Zealand @ Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (30 October).
Australia: Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Ben McCalman, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom (c), Nathan Sharpe, Mark Chisholm, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson. Replacements: Saia Faingaa, James Slipper, Dean Mumm, Luke Burgess, Berrick Barnes.
New Zealand: Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Joe Rokocoko, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (c), Jerome Kaino, Tom Donnelly, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock. Replacements: John Afoa, Sam Whitelock, Alby Mathewson, Stephen Donald, Isaia Toeava.
Australia 26 (Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper tries; James O’Connor try, 2 conv; Matt Giteau conv) defeated New Zealand 24 Jimmy Cowan, Cory Jane, Ma’a Nonu tries; Dan Carter 3 conv, pg)
G&GR Points:
3 – David Pocock
2 – Kurtley Beale
1 – James O’Connor
Match Twelve: Wallabies v. Wales @ Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (6 November).
Australia: Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Ben McCalman, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom (c), Nathan Sharpe, Mark Chisholm, Ben Alexander, Saia Faingaa, Benn Robinson. Replacements: Huia Edmonds, James Slipper, Dean Mumm, Luke Burgess, Berrick Barnes.
Wales: James Hook, Will Harries, Tom Shanklin, Andrew Bishop, Shane Williams, Stephen Jones, Mike Phillips, Jonathan Thomas, Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate, Alun-Wyn Jones, Bradley Davies, Adam Jones, Matthew Rees (c), Gethin Jenkins. Replacements: Chris Czekaj, Paul James, Deinol Jones, Martyn Williams, Richie Rees, Dan Biggar.
Australia 25 (David Pocock, Kurtley Beale, Ben Alexander tries; James O’Connor 2 conv, 2pg) defeated Wales 16 (Richie Rees try; Dan Biggar conv; Stephen Jones 3 pg)
G&GR Points:
3 – Kurtley Beale
2 – David Pocock
1 – James O’Connor
Match Thirteen: Wallabies v. England @ Twickenham, London (13 November).
Australia: Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Ben McCalman, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom (c), Nathan Sharpe, Mark Chisholm, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson. Replacements: James Slipper, Dean Mumm, Richard Brown, Luke Burgess, Berrick Barnes.
England: Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Mike Tindall, Shontayne Hape, Mark Cueto, Toby Flood, Ben Youngs, Nick Easter,Lewis Moody (c),Tom Croft, Tom Palmer, Courtney Lawes, Dan Cole, Dylan Hartley, Andrew Sheridan. Replacements: Steve Thompson, David Wilson, Simon Shaw, Hendrie Fourie, Danny Care, Charlie Hodgson, Delon Armitage.
England 35 (Chris Ashton 2 tries; Toby Flood 2 conv, 7 pg) defeated Australia 18 (Kurtley Beale 2 tries; James O’Connor conv, 2 pg)
G&GR Points:
3 – Stephen Moore
2 – Kurtley Beale
1 – Nathan Sharpe
Match Fourteen: Wallabies v. Italy @ Stadio A. Franchi, Florence (20 November).
Australia : Kurtley Beale, Lachlan Turner, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper, Luke Burgess, Ben McCalman, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom (c), Nathan Sharpe, Rob Simmons, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, James Slipper. Replacements: Tatafu Polata-Nau, Benn Robinson, Mark Chisholm, Matt Hodgson, Pat McCabe.
Italy: Luke McLean, Tommaso Benvenuti, Gonzalo Canale, Alberto Sgarbi, Mirco Bergamasco, Luciano Orquera, Edoardo Gori, Sergio Parisse [C], Alessandro Zanni, Paul Derbyshire, Quintin Geldenhuys, Carlo Antonio Del Fava, Martin Castrogiovanni, Fabio Ongaro, Andrea Lo Cicero. Replacements: Carlo Festuccia, Lorenzo Cittadini, Santiago Dellape, Robert Barbieri, Pablo Canavosio, Riccardo Bocchino, Andrea Masi.
Australia 32 (Rocky Elsom, Drew Mitchell tries; Berrick Barnes 2 conv, 6 pg) defeated Italy 14 (Robert Barbieri try; Mirco Bergamasco 2 pg, Luciano Orquera pg)
G&GR Points:
3 – Rocky Elsom
2 – Nathan Sharpe
1 – Berrick Barnes
Match Fifteen: Wallabies v. France @ Stade de France, Paris (27 November).
Australia: Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Ben McCalman, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom (c), Nathan Sharpe, Rob Simmons, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, James Slipper. Replacements: Tatafu Polata-Nau, Benn Robinson, Mark Chisholm, Scott Higginbotham, Luke Burgess, Matt Giteau, Lachlan Turner.
France: Jerome Porical, Yoann Huget, Aurelien Rougerie, Yannick Jauzion, Alexis Palisson, Damien Traille, Morgan Parra, Sébastien Chabal, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Thierry Dusautoir (c), Lionel Nallet, Julien Pierre, Nicolas Mas, William Servat, Thomas Domingo. Reserves: Guilhem Guirado, Jerome Schuster, Jerome Thion, Julien Bonnaire, Dimitri Yachvili, Fabrice Estebanez, Marc Andreu.
Australia 59 (Drew Mitchell 3, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Benn Robinson, Will Genia, James O’Connor tries; James O’Connor 6 conv, 4 pg) defeated France 16 (Penalty Try; Morgan Parra conv, 3 pg)
G&GR Points:
3 – Adam Ashley-Cooper
2 – Drew Mitchell
1 – Berrick Barnes
A tough competition that saw a different player get Man of the Match in each Test, which is a promising indication of depth and performance for the Wallabies. So to the table:
| Place | Player | Pnts |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kurtley Beale | 7 |
| 2nd | David Pocock | 5 |
| 3rd | Stephen Moore | 3 |
| Nathan Sharpe | 3 | |
| Rocky Elsom | 3 | |
| Adam Ashley-Cooper | 3 | |
| 7th | James O’Connor | 2 |
| Berrick Barnes | 2 | |
| Drew Mitchell | 2 |
Kurtley Beale wraps up his first full season as a Wallaby with the most significant on-line fan-based Spring Tour award in Australian Rugby history. With Kurtley, Bam Bam, Squeaky, Rocky and The Earl all receiving maximum points in a Test this tour, it was Gilbert’s consistency in gaining a couple of 2-pointers that got him over the line in this one.
Most of you should be able to make the call now as to who our Green and Gold Rugby Wallaby Player of the Year is, but just hold your horses. We have a little surprise up our sleeve. So make sure you are back in a couple of days for the grand announcement.
