24 September 2024 #012
Good morning G&GRs, and welcome to Tuesday’s news. We had the penultimate round of the Rugby Championship on the weekend, which also happened to be the first game of the Bledisloe series for this year. And the player ratings as voted by the G&GR faithful are listed below.
The Wallaroos played against Wales in their last hit-out before heading to Cape Town to play in the WXV2 series.
There’s still some action going on domestically with the 2024 Australian Rugby Shield about to kick off on the Sunshine Coast.
Wallabies Player Ratings
First of all, congrats to James Slipper for his ongoing contribution to Australian rugby, the Wallabies, the Queensland Reds, and now the Brumbies. There were plenty of tributes to the big man (all deserved) for his 140 caps and counting.
The player ratings are in from the match review poll on the weekend. As usual, these are the average scores from the voting, and the commentary is mine.
- Angus Bell – 6 – A quieter game around the park from Bell, though the scrum was solid in first half when he was on with Tupou. Some more minutes this week before being replaced. Had to return to the fray late in the game.
- Matt Faessler – 6 – Another solid game by Faessler and his try off the back of a rolling maul was quality. We did lose four lineouts, and particularly in the attacking 22, which has to be a work on for next week. Continues to show good footwork in the contact zone and is developing into a very good player.
- Taniela Tupou – 5 – The scrum was good and he has good skills around the field, including two key turnovers. Replaced early in the second half, and after some serious injuries I like that his workload is being managed, and that other players continue to get game time.
- Nick Frost – 5.5 – Another decent game by Frost, some people observed that the forwards weren’t physical enough early, and maybe some of that has to reside with the locks. Was very active in support running and made some good defensive stops.
- Jeremy Williams – 6 – A solid performance from Williams and added starch once they got through the first 20 minutes. Needed some help on the first kickoff to judge the flight of the ball.
- Rob Valetini – 6.5 – Continues to be one of the Wallabies best, week in week out. His effort to chase DMac down the sideline and force the error and no try was excellent.
- Fraser McReight – 8 – Gets the highest score of the week, rounded up from 7.75. No discredit to Tizzano who was good in Fraser’s absence, but McReight showed that he is world class with work on the ball, tackles, good carries, a try from a set piece and great linking work in general play. His 50-22 showed great vision and skill.
- Harry Wilson – 7.5 – Wilson’s best game in gold. Led the team well, had a positive relationship with the ref, and racked up some great contributions, tackles, hitups, and supporting play. After the debacle in Argentina, and the first 20 minutes in Sydney, he did well to keep the team in it.
- Nic White – 4.5 – Pretty consistent views that White is becoming a liability with the way he interacts (yells at) the refs. Too many of our kicks in general play are not actually contestable.
- Noah Lolesio – 5.5 – The definition of a solid, if unspectacular performance. 4 from 4 conversions. Too many of our kicks in general play, or kick offs are not contestable. Played the full game.
- Markia Koroibete – 4 – Rounded up to four, not one of his better games, poor hands on a couple of occasions and more defensive misreads than good shots.
- Hunter Paisami – 5 – A bit of a mixed bag by Paisami. A loose pass/offload gifted the All Blacks an early try but generally good in defence and scored a good try.
- Len Ikitau – 5.5 – A better game and after the first 20 minutes the defence improved. Overall the backline looked better as the game went on.
- Andrew Kellaway – 5 – Missed some one on one tackles but scrambled well.
- Tom Wright – 6.5 – One of his better games in gold, and found space with the ball in hand. Joined the line as the extra play maker, and scored the Wallabies final try. Tom’s looking more comfortable and making better decisions.
- Brandon Paenga-Amosa – 6 – A good first up return to the Wallabies for BPA. Made a great break in the second half that led to a Wallabies try. One or two lost lineouts on his throws though so something to work on.
- James Slipper – 5 – A better contribution in his record breaking game. Had to go off for a HIA, but was solid.
- Allan Alaalatoa – 5.5 – A solid game after he came on early in the second half. Better in the scrum than last week and was part of a bench that added a lot of impact.
- Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 7– Added physicality and skill when he came on. A great break through the middle, shored up the scrum, and hit hard in defence.
- Langi Gleeson – 6 – Replaced Bobby V and looked at home. His best game in gold, with tackles, hitups, and a key turnover late in the game. Added to the game.
- Tate McDermott – 6 – As always, looked to increase the pace of play, ran more, and was dangerous. Was put into space by BPA and Fraser, but well covered and tackled by TJ.
- Tom Lynagh – N/A – Didn’t make it on the field.
- Dylan Pietsch – 4 – Maybe a bit harsh on Pietsch, looked like he went looking for work and added a physical presence when he came on. Maybe deserves a start next week to give Marika a rest.
The other news about the Wallabies is the sentiment out of the camp following the loss. They aren’t happy being close losers according to an article by Nathan Williamson over at RA here. It feels like the ghost of Brad Thorn from the Reds a couple of years ago. The proof of the pudding will be in the game in Wellington on Saturday.
Wallaroos
The Wallaroos lost another close game to the Welsh on the weekend 31-24. Wales scored a try after the final siren to secure their first ever win over the Wallaroos. The Wallaroos were better than the previous week against Ireland, and hopefully are building into the WXV2 tournament that starts this weekend in Cape Town. You’d expect the Wallaroos to improve each week as they get to spend more time together and get into a more professional environment.
The Wallaroos wingers looked dangerous when they had the ball with Maya Stewart scoring a great try. Wallaroos number 8 Tabua Tuinakauvadra looked dangerous every time she had the ball and is a real handful. Fullback Caitlyn Halse was very good at full back and looks at home in international rugby despite being only 18 years young.
The draw for the WXV2 can be found over on the WXV2 website here.
The Wallaroos play Wales on 28th September, South Africa on 6th October, and Scotland on 13th October.
Anyway, good luck to the Wallaroos in South Africa this week, I’m sure they will be better for the extra games and experience and deserve to be full time contracted players.
2024 Australian Rugby Shield
Closer to home, at least for those of us in Queensland, the Sunshine Coast will play host next week to the 2024 Australian Rugby Shield (ARS). The ARS was founded in 2000, and is a round-robin tournament featuring teams from outside the Brisbane and Sydney heartlands.
The tournament will be played at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast and the 12 teams (6 mens, 6 womens) will play four games over five days, with three seeding games and then a final. This year’s tournament will be contested by QLD Country Heelers, NSW Country Cockatoos, SA Black Falcons, Queensland Suburban, TAS Jack Jumpers (men’s), ACT & SNSW Kestrels (women’s) and the Australian Defence Rugby Union.
NSW Country Cockatoos have the most titles with 4, and will be looking to add to that this year.
You can get all of the details including the draw in a an article by Lachlan Grey over at RA here.
It’s great to see this type of tournament continue and the Sunny Coast should be a fantastic place to play rugby, hopefully the players get some time at the beach between games.
That’s a wrap for this week
If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time, that’s it for me this week, over to you G&GRs.
