#22 Tuesday 3 December 2024
Good morning everyone and welcome to Tuesday’s Rugby news. The Wallabies are done for 2024, and while they didn’t come home with a grand slam, they have improved since the Rugby Championship, and are much better than the team at the World Cup in 2023.
The Wallabies Year
The Wallabies played 13 tests this calendar year, winning 6 and losing 7. At face value that’s a 46% winning record, and while it’s a disappointing return compared to better times it’s certainly better than last year, and better than Dave Rennie achieved in his tenure. I think we all agree the Wallabies have turned a corner and are now competitive with the best teams in the world. There’s a lot to like about how the Wallabies played on the northern tour, and with better luck against the Irish (does that ever happen?) we could’ve snatched a win or a draw in Dublin.
By my count there were 47 players who donned the Wallaby gold this year, including 19 debutants. That’s quite something, particularly when you consider the Australia XV program providing opportunities for other players to gain international experience.
The focus of today’s article is to cover the players’ scores from the Irish test on the weekend and next week I’ll provide a summary of the player ratings throughout the year.
Ireland v Australia Player Ratings
The Wallabies headed over to Dublin to play Ireland at Lansdowne Road (aka Aviva Stadium) on the weekend and it was a cracking test match, as reported here by BLL. It certainly was an entertaining game with both teams having a chance to win it, and, to be honest, both teams would’ve been able to say they deserved the victory had they won; the Irish for their dominant territory and possession, the Wallabies for their staunch defence and taking the points when they were on offer. Unfortunately though, the Irish got the win, and we’ll need to wait a bit longer for a victory against them.
The scores below are my thoughts based on my viewing of the game and using the G&GR rating system.
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
0 – Didn’t make it on, or no meaningful involvement.
As usual, if you agree, let’s hear about it in the comments.
Wallaby Player Ratings
- James Slipper – Got a start and his 143rd cap in place of Angus Bell. Slips doesn’t offer the running threat that Bell does, but knows his role and appears all over the field when you look for him. a solid performance. Score 6
- Brandon Paenga-Amosa – Another start for BPA and lineout was better than last outing against Scotland. In fact we won 9 from 9 on our own throw this week. Score 6
- Taniela Tupou – Probably his best performance of 2024 for the Wallabies. The scrum was solid, his defence was solid and the intercept and 50 metre run downfield was great. Maybe needed to find a better option than the over the shoulder pass. Score 6
- Nick Frost – Another very good performance from Frost as he reformed his partnership with Williams. Made his tackles, was a good lineout option, challenged the Irish throws, and even found himself running in open play supporting Harry Wilson. Score 7
- Jeremy Williams – Is forming a good partnership with Nick Frost, and does all the grunt work that is needed. Genuinely one of the better Wallabies performers this year, but more on that later. Score 6
- Bob Valetini – The big man had another great game before being replaced by Gleeson. Immense in attack and defence, and his work around the field in cover defence is amazing. Score 8
- Fraser McReight – An excellent al around game from Fraser, with the only blemish being a knock on in the first half. His ability to be in the perfect place to make the turnover is as good as anyone in the game. His link play, and interplay with Harry Wilson in particular is great for the Wallabies. Score 8.
- Harry Wilson – Has really cemented his position at the back of the scrum this year for the Wallabies, and brings skill, pace, and games awareness to an excellent back row. Score 8.
- Jake Gordon – Along with Noah, could’ve kicked better from hand to relieve pressure and find much needed territory. Was in everything in his time on the field, and had to deal with a lot of pressure at the base of the ruck. Score 6.
- Noah Lolesio – 5 from 5 from the kicking tee, but kicking from hand could’ve been better, whether it was clearing kicks or kicks for touch or contestable kicks. Was good in defence, and his option taking around the field was generally good. Score 6.
- Max Jorgensen – We’re starting to see why this guy has such big wraps on him, has genuine pace, makes good decisions, and is good defensively. Score 6
- Len Ikitau – Playing at 12 again this week with JAS in the 13 jersey. Continues to be one of the Wallabies better players every week. Australia could have made more use of his left foot to kick their way out of trouble. Score 6
- Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – He tried hard to get involved, but was well contained by the Irish defence. A couple of dubious tackles that could be shoulder charges on other days. Overall, playing against the number 2 ranked side in the side, looked more at home than against Scotland. A couple of errors reduced his score. Score 5
- Andrew Kellaway – A much better game from Kellaway this week, made a lot of tackles on the outside including a try saver early on. Score 6
- Tom Wright – A bit of a mixed bag from Tom Wright, with some amazing moments mixed in with a couple of handling errors, but couldn’t find a way to break the game open. Score 6
- Billy Pollard – Maintained a perfect lineout record for the Wallabies, and was solid in tackles and the scrum. Score 5.
- Isaac Kailea – Very good impact off the bench, carried the ball well in close quarters and the scrum was solid when he came on. Score 6
- Allan Alaalatoa – At 30 years old, 7As has plenty of time to add to his 79 caps. Was very good in the scrum, some dominant tackles and a solid performance. Score 6
- Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – Solid again off the bench and held his own in the physical contest. Score 6
- Langi Gleeson – Hard to give him a rating, no real highlights, and no obvious errors. Score 5.
- Tate McDermott – Couldn’t add the same level of impact that we’ve come to expect from the livewire. His work in cover to field a grubber and then wrong foot James Lowe was excellent and bought his side time to clear. Was solid. Score 6
- Tane Edmed – Got on the field late for his debut and to become the 990th Wallaby. It was short lived though and unfortunately had to leave the field with a head knock. No rating.
- Harry Potter – Made it on with a couple of minutes to play, but didn’t get a touch as the Wallabies chased the final score. No rating.
The Aussies pushed the Irish all the way in this game, and with a little more luck could’ve got across the line. As part of a very good back row, I’d give the Player of the Match to Fraser McReight. Great number 7s are a hallmark of Australian rugby, and Fraser is no different; he might just be the most complete player we’ve had since George Smith, and he’s only 25 tests into his career as well.
It’s a hard place to win for visiting teams, so a 3 point loss at the end of a long tour gives a lot to build on for next year.
Worth a listen
Don’t forget the talking team podcast, which you can find below.
And of course there is the excellent dropped kick off podcast as well here.
Thanks again for reading this, and I look forward to the comments section. See you next week for a Wallabies team of the year wrap up.
Cheers, RAWF
