As first hit outs at a tournament like the Rugby World Cup go, it was a good one. A tough match that the boys had to work hard for, but they got the win and a bonus point to boot.
Some inclement weather at the start of the game saw things tight and more grind than glitz and we went into oranges at 6 a piece. The sun came out for the beginning of the second half and the Wallabies to the opportunity to run in four quick tries. And that was that for the scoring.
Some pleasing things to come out of the match included the return to test rugby of Tatafu Polota-Nau and James Slipper. they also got some much needed experience in wet and windy rugby, something that given the weather around the country here, will come in handy.
On the flip side, the broken hand that arose later for Digby Ioane is a worry. Hopefully, we hear, he should be back come the business end of the tournament.
GAGR MOTM: James Horwill. Earned the official award too, after another podcast appearance, the accolades just keep coming.
But, onto the ratings:
| Player | Rating | Comment |
| Sekope Kepu | 6 | Scrummaging was good, held himself well, especially against Castro. Pushed the “last feet” a bit too much, especially given the way it was being reffed. Needs to be smarter. |
| Stephen Moore | 7 | Great around the field, great in the line out and scrum. Class player who does plenty of work and can be relied on for the tough stuff. |
| Ben Alexander | 7 | Strong in the scrum and much improved around the field. Scored the first try with some good leg drive. |
| Daniel Vickerman | 6 | Full of niggle and mongrel, perhaps a little too full. Gave away a few penalties and cost us being walked for talking back to the Ref. In all fairness, he was right that time, We like the edge but needs to be smarter. |
| James Horwill | 8 | A real Captain’s knock. The added weight of the captaincy has not slowed Kev down a bit. He is involved and strong in contact, gets through a mountain of work and has good referee management. Official Man of the Match. |
| Rocky Elsom | 7 | Conversely to Kev, the removal of the captains arm band has freed Rocky to concentrate on his own game and we are seeing a return of the Rocky of old. Good strong running with plenty of effective work in the tight. Looked like he got some ocular work in the first half, slowed him down for a while. |
| David Pocock | 7 | A menace at every breakdown, usual strong game. Also had some good strong carries. Was replaced by Ben McCalman with 20 to go, perhaps seeing the contingency plan the we hopefully wont need. |
| Radike Samo | 7 | Continues to Impress, he is the only Wallaby in the team older than me, and for that I am totally amazed at what he does. Strong, Athletic and hits hard. A very solid game. |
| Will Genia | 7 | Controlled the game well from the base. Kicked well and his pass was good as always. |
| Quade Cooper | 6 | His sparkling footwork didn’t get him the gains it usually does, such was the quality of the Italian defence for much of the game. Controlled the game well and made some good decisions. Though did throw a pass that was intercepted by Parisse. May have ended in a try, had it not been a back rower. |
| Digby Ioane | 7 | Strong, strong, strong and such a loss. Was working hard to get involved and every involvement was good, made good metres out of nothing and defended well. Not sure where he broke his hand, but if only he had missed that bit of contact… |
| Pat McCabe | 6 | Played well. Some good handling and straightening of the line. Plays a great defensive game as well. Solid. |
| Anthony Faingaa | 6 | Didn’t have the greatest outing, at least with Ball in Hand. Defended well as always but was subbed early for James O’Connor |
| Adam Ashley-Cooper | 7 | Has certainly played his way into form after looking less than good for the Brumbies. As someone who believes he is more wing that centre, I have to acknowledge it was after he shifted into centre that he ran a beautiful line to score a try. |
| Kurtley Beale | 7 | Did well under the constant highballs especially with the conditions. Always a threat with ball in hand. A couple of decisions that could have been made better, but a solid hit out, none the less. |
| Tatafu Polota-Nau | 6 | Got twenty minutes off the bench, with a break for some stitches. Good around the field without going all kamikaze, a nice balance. |
| James Slipper | 6 | A fifteen minute cameo off the bench, which started with a scrum that he happened to score off. Looks to be completely fit, with one great run to cover a loose ball, still has a lick of pace, for a prop… |
| Rob Simmons | 6 | Did well in the line out and did plenty of work around the park. Nothing flashy, so was probably busy working in the tight. |
| Ben McCalman | 5 | Replaced Pocock with twenty to go. A good hit out to maintain some match fitness. Not as much impact as I would have liked to see. |
| Scott Higginbotham | 6 | Only had ten off the bench, and that corresponded to the rain arriving again. Game went tight, so he had some work to do, kept his nose down and did it. |
| Luke Burgess | 6 | Was pinged straight after hitting the field for not throwing straight into the scrum. Got a second warning after the next try for “taking the piss” with his scrum feeds, Interesting. A good hit out otherwise. |
| James O’Connor | 7 | Was looking to make amends for his sleep in and suspension. He sure did. For a little fella, he can make some metres. Kept the defence on the back foot. Show his worth as a goal kicker as well. |
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
Did we get them right?
