Wallaby Player Ratings v South Africa
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Wallaby Player Ratings v South Africa
Quade Cooper made a sensational match-winning return as Australia got up and running in the Rugby Championship with a last-gasp 28-26 victory over South Africa on Sunday.
Here is how we rated Dave Rennie's men.
1. Angus Bell - 6
Won a key penalty just before halftime at the scrum getting the better of Frans Malherbe. A strong outing in his first start but Malherbe did get two penalties over him at scrum time.
2. Folau Fainga’a - 5
Sent to the sin bin for a silly no arms tackle and was arguably lucky not to be sent there even earlier. Gave a few penalties away while his lineout darts were solid enough.
3. Allan Alaalatoa - 6
Had a good battle with Steven Kitshoff in the scrum and got one up on the Springbok but was bettered on two occasions. Solid around the park.
4. Izack Rodda - 6
Fronted up to the Springbok pack and got stuck into the rucks and maul well to disrupt the South Africans.
5. Matt Philip - 7
Like his locking partner, Philip piled into the Springbok pack to good effect. He contested well at lineout time too and managed to disrupt one or two of the Springbok drives.
6. Lachlan Swinton - 7
Lucky to escape a card for his tackling technique on a few occasions. Abrasive and physical throughout and produced the kind of performance needed against the Springbok pack.
7. Michael Hooper - 9
A force at the breakdown and excellent on defence. He almost set up a match-winning score but stellar defence from Willemse denied the Wallabies. Another immense performance from the Australian skipper.
8. Rob Valetini - 7.5
An excellent performance with the ball in hand from the Wallaby no.8. He carried well into the Springbok defence making over 30 running metres.
9. Tate McDermott - 6
A sharp performance with his kicking and passing on point. An injury cut his game short at halftime but a good game nonetheless.
10. Quade Cooper - 9
An error-free performance and match-winning kick was exactly what Australia needed from Quade Cooper and he stepped up to the plate.
He was sound on defence and knocked over all his shots at goal for a 23 point haul.
11. Marika Koroibete - 7
His 29 metres from sevens carries shows how well the Springboks were on defence but Koroibete was just as sharp. He gave Nkosi little room on the flank and did well in the air and blocking the Springbok chasers.
12. Samu Kerevi - 8
Claimed one of the three clean breaks the Wallabies made in the match and was superb on defence too. He thundered into the green and gold defensive wall and asisted Kellaway for the Wallabies' only try.
13. Len Ikitau - 7
Played a big role on defence for the Wallabies and showed off his long-range boot with some good clearances. Had little to do on attack but filled in nicely on defence.
14. Andrew Kellaway - 7
The one chance he got to score, he took it. Saw little ball on attack but like Koroibete, he did a good job in blocking the Springbok high ball chasers. Replaced after the hour mark after a solid game.
15. Tom Banks - 6
Good under the high ball and kicked well for touch, especially from penalties. Quiet on attack.
Replacements:
16. Feleti Kaitu’u - 6
17. James Slipper - 6.5
18. Taniela Tupou - 6.5
19. Rob Leota - n/a
20. Pete Samu - 5
21. Nic White - 7
22. Reece Hodge - n/a
23. Jordan Petaia -5
*players not rated if they played under 10 minutes.
