What a great game!
The Wallabies turned up in Bloemfontein, and played out a heart-racing draw that was great to watch. Both sides had plenty of chances to win it, but I think it would be the Springboks who would be feeling the worst. How we held them out in the last 15 I have no idea.
I’ve taken a pretty optimistic view of our guys, who I thought put it a good shift in tough conditions. There is a reason we’ve only won once in 40-odd years at altitude. The draw was a pretty good result for us and while there is always room for improvement, we’re not looking too bad at the moment.
So without futher ado, here are the ratings:
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1. Scott Sio
Has rediscovered his best form, which is lovely to see. Another good contribution in all facets, with a few nice carries. 7
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2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
Seemed to be a lot more involved this week, and the lineout operated efficiently. A solid outing. 6
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3. Sekope Kepu
The superprop was a bit quieter this week, but heheld the scrum up well and did everything a tighthead should do with minimal fuss. 6
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4. Isaac Rodda
Another face in the revolving door of lock partners for Coleman, and another fairly anonymous effort. It was his first start so I can’t be too harsh, and he didn’t do a lot wrong. But he was quiet. 5
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5. Adam Coleman
A standard Coleman performance. Plenty of aggression, but also plenty of accuracy. No missed tackles, a couple of nice runs. Yet another solid day at the office. 6
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6. Jack Dempsey
Like Rodda he was starting his first game, and like Rodda it’s fair to say he struggled for impact. Showed enough to suggest he could be good at this level, though. Earned another start. 6
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7. Michael Hooper (c)
A pretty typical Hooper effort. He was everywhere, and won two steals with inspirational play. His tackle on Jantjes and subsequent turnover in the 78th was a thing of absolute beauty, and almost won us the game. 8
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8. Sean McMahon
God I hope he doesn’t leave. He’s just bloody great. Ran the ball like a wounded bull, tackled his heart out (led the count with 15 makes and no misses) and took a peach of a lineout steal. A crucial knock-on late blotted his copybook, sadly. 8
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9. Will Genia
His best game of the season for mine. His service was fast and faultless, helping us get over the gainline time after time. A few nice kicks as well, and a line break. Rebels fans should be licking their lips. 8
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10. Bernard Foley
A nightmare to rate. He single-handedly created three tries, but also bombed a chance by kicking it dead. Missed a couple of tackles, but his goalkicking was flawless. Man those tries were delightful. His bullet pass to Korobeite for the third could be the best pass he has thrown in Wallaby gold, and warmed the cockles of my heart. 8 and G&GR Man of the Match
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11. Reece Hodge
He’s becoming a key player for us in defence, and it’s paying dividends. He just makes hit after hit. A few nice touches in attack too, but he looked gassed in the last 15. 6
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12. Kurtley Beale
Bit of a mixed bag, with nice attack let down by some soft defence – though he made a huge tackle on Skosan in the last ten minutes. But he’s such a spark in attack, you can never take your eyes off him. 6
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13. Tevita Kuridrani
Tackled his heart out, as usual – made a huge hit on Jantjes in the last 10 minutes which might have saved the game as the Boks looked poised to score. Did everything asked of him. 6
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14. Marika Koroibete
Easily the pick of the starting debutants. He made his mark early with some hard, accurate tackling, then scored two well-taken tries. Got a bit overenthusiastic in defence a couple of times, but that can be fixed. A lot to like. 7
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15. Israel Folau
Scored a beautiful try, as usual. Took a few high balls, as usual. Threatened the defence with every touch, as usual. Kicked a few times for mediocre results, as usual. 7
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Finishers
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16. Stephen Moore
The old bull didn’t look out of place, and made a few nice contributions. 6
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17. Tom Robertson
A soft missed tackle on Kolisi drops him a point, but he was OK overall. 5
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18. Allan Alaalatoa
A few minutes at the end for Kepu, didn’t do too much wrong. 5
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19. Rob Simmons
Few runs, few tackles, a soft penalty. Did enough. 5
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20. Ned Hanigan
Tried his arse off, but missed a few cleanouts. 5
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21. Lukhan Tui
Made his debut from the bench, and had a few nice touches. One to watch. 6
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22. Nick Phipps
A few minutes at the end, did OK. 5
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23. Samu Kerevi
Same as Phipps. 5
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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
Player Ratings – Wallabies vs Argentina
