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All Blacks player ratings vs Australia | Bledisloe Cup II
By Ben Smith
The Wallabies came out of the blocks fast to score the opening try through Fraser McReight after seven minutes of power rugby.
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A tight first half ensued before a try to Caleb Clarke on half-time gave the All Blacks a 19-13 cushion into the break. They were able to score first in the second half and continued their ascendency.
It was a happy result for the All Blacks in the last home Test for veterans TJ Perenara and former captain Sam Cane, but the pair will be unsatisfied with their work.
Here’s how the All Blacks rated in the second Bledisloe Test in Wellington.
1. Ethan de Groot – 5
The All Blacks again didn’t have scrum dominance with Australia proving tough to crack. They were matched by the Wallabies in the early stages and the Wallabies won the first penalty from scrum time. A memorable driving tackle on McReight a highlight for De Groot but he was credited with three missed. Off at 51.
2. Codie Taylor – 7
Led the front lines in defence along with captain Barrett with a physical showing in the tight channels. Almost had a ruck steal but technique cost a penalty.
3. Tyrel Lomax – 7.5
Scrum stable but equally matched by Australia, however Lomax added impact in other areas. Got over the ball for a big penalty in the first half. Forced another turnover on Harry Wilson with a big tackle that popped the ball out. Eight tackles and three carries.
4. Scott Barrett – 8
A workhorse in defence as the Wallabies enjoyed mountains of possession early. Finished with over 20 tackles. The All Blacks maul defence was also phenomenal, Barrett instrumental in disarming the Aussie maul.
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5. Tupou Vaa’i – 6
Produced a assist on a try saving tackle in combination with Savea on McReight as he tried to spin over for his second. Rewarded with a try in the second half, crashing over from close range. Eight tackles for Tupou Off at 61.
6. Wallace Sititi – 9
Another dominant showing by Sititi. Just has explosive burst on the carry that is hard to stop. Sparked the first try with footwork in-and-out and a perfect offload for Lienert-Brown off his shoulder. Astute lineout jumper with a steal in the first half and continued to pressure the Wallabies throughout.
7. Sam Cane – 3
A standing ovation for Cane as he ran on as Wellington celebrated his 100th Test for the All Blacks. But the occasion quickly turned for Cane, he got beat by Len Ikitau after the McReight try, conceding a line break. Unfairly penalised for hands in the ruck shortly after that. Got beat again by Tom Wright to concede another line break. His effort around the park though was high, jumping on loose balls and getting through the tackles on defence (12) but it wasn’t his night on the field. Pushed an offload to Ioane that was knocked on. A fumble on a loose ball had a try to Vaa’i overturned. Off at 67.
8. Ardie Savea – 7
A big defensive shift from Savea as he got through 19 tackles. A heroic effort to save at least two points with a try saver on McReight. A key ruck steal led to a try to Reece on a transition play. Had a tough turnover from a bad pass by Scott Barrett on a set piece strike play, was pinged for sealing off in the second half, otherwise another solid outing from Savea.
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9. TJ Perenara – 3
Good pressure from the halfback on defence, shooting up in certain situations. Exit kicking was a mixed bag. One really bad sliced kick in the first half. Under penalty advantage tried a monster cutout ball that flew into touch. Had one breakaway run but was stripped one-on-one by Kellaway. Took a quick tap from a penalty and knocked on. Finished with a team high three turnovers lost. Not the performance he would’ve wanted in front of his home crowd in his last New Zealand Test.
10. Beauden Barrett – 7
Back running the cutter Barrett was back throwing his trademark league passes, hitting Caleb Clarke with one for a try. His point of difference from McKenzie was his ability to flatten up and really take it to the line hard. A typical Barrett game with the boot as he took over the kicking duties. Missed a kick for the line and first conversion and but his chip kicks and high balls were well placed. Was probably lucky to escape punishment for a tackle on Ikitau trying to recover his own chip kick.
11. Caleb Clarke – 8
Continued his Test season as one of the All Blacks best. Two brilliant spot tackles on Tom Wright defending the goal line that prevented the Wallabies from scoring. Silly penalty with an aggressive contest on a kick restart after Lolesio’s first penalty goal. Run hard all night with strong ball carries. Picked a perfect line to run off Barrett to score right on half-time. Yellow carded for picking up the ball in an offside position late in the contest.
12. Anton Lienert-Brown – 6.5
Good support play and questionable long pass to Sevu Reece for an assist. Showed a range of skills including a grubber for Ioane that was almost regathered. Carried well and didn’t put a foot wrong.
13. Rieko Ioane – 6
It was a quiet game for Ioane on attack but he was solid on defence. The Lienert-Brown combination was in sync and they did their job. He produced a touch for the haters with smart hands to put Clarke down the left hand side for a half chance. Had a tough tackle on Taniela Tupou in the first half and he drove the big man into touch.
14. Sevu Reece – 7.5
Scored a runaway try down the right flank beating the cover defence for speed. Reece had an energetic performance, making good decisions to veer in field when needed. One of those led to a try to Clarke. He demonstrated an excellent catch pass injecting on the far side to create a line break. Off for McKenzie in a backline reshuffle.
15. Will Jordan – 9.5
Another sublime Jordan performance to bully the Wallabies on a dry flat track in Wellington. Early scare cleaning up a kick from a smart play by the Wallabies. Lost possession and the Wallabies nearly scored. Returned to score a brilliant solo try running a hard line onto a Beauden Barrett leaguie pass. Returned kicks with vigour and threatened regularly. Pinched Peitsch’s pocket with a slip’s catch as the Wallaby wing tried to kick past him. His own kick forced a goal line dropout.
Reserves
16. Asafo Aumua – N/A – One carry and one tackle for Aumua in limited action.
17. Tamaiti Williams – 7 – On at 51. Used his size and power to crash over for a try in the 54th.
18. Pasilio Tosi – 7 – Came up with a goal line turnover after a Wallabies line break and another with seven minutes to go. Two big time penalties.
19. Patrick Tuipulotu – 4 – On at 61. A couple of lineout takes to finish the game.
20. Luke Jacobson – 5 – A shot on Luhkan Salakaia-Loto his big highlight. Five tackles.
21. Cortez Ratima – 5 – On at 61. Unfortunate to not win a penalty on Kellaway. His exit kick was good.
22. Damian McKenzie – 7 – On at 61. Showed his class in the final 20 injecting into the line at pace. Had a deft touch down the left side that freed Clarke for a try. Defensively had two big stops coming up off his own line. Doesn’t deserve the unfair criticism being sent his way.
23. David Havili – N/A – A few hard carries at No 12 in his fifteen minutes.
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Waiting for BS article once the Boks play the Argies next week 😉
This is pathetic. Cane 3???? I wonder who the journalist will be that starts a new trend of NOT going for click bait.
Championship Done. Coaches score 3.5.. Time 2 to give some of our young gun guns a Crack for the Northern Tour
Will Jordan another sublime performance, even better than last week. He is loving being back playing. He is the no1 Fullback and there he must remain.
Undoubtedly a very talented individual. However I think him at 15 only makes sense with the proper 10 and 13 combo to link him in. Feel like him and DMAC haven't quite gelled on attack or defence and Ioane seems to have an aversion to passing to him (or in general). Like Caleb he just feels under utilised at the moment
I thiught he was pretty average actually. Great finisher and good at times in attack but he doesnt make good decisions. 4 occasions last night he should have found his support but took it into the tackle believing he would break out the other side and score. He didnt. Lost the ball on 2 occasions. He isnt a first rate defender either. Not bad at tackling but gets caught out of position too much at 15.
So DB are you going to write something about the best team in the world winning championship 🏆
Once again, Ben Smith shows how little he knows about rugby.
Someone didn't watch closely, Va'ai's try was disallowed. But it explains the ridiculous ratings of some players including him and ALB, not to mention the 3's.
I’m not a big Cane or Perenara supporter but their ratings of 3 on their final test is a joke and the author is disingenuous and just stirring the pot. Cane was everywhere hitting and clearing rucks and deserved a 6 at least. Perenara made several errors but he often recycled quick ball and also was a 6.
Yeah Cane was into it wasn't he. Affected his game a bit possibly but it's just great to see him go for it again, winding the clock back, something I thought might not happen if he let that WC burden weigh him down.
ALB deserves more than 6.5, his contribution was subtle but valuable. He showed once again how a natural centre can pass and distribute to his outsides with soft skills which look easy, but difficult to master. His two starts at 12 this season have been solid, while his cameos from the bench far less effective. The backline looks so much better with a good distributer in the centres.
Yep really good performance from Alby as he needed it
Two great passes for tries and very clever spinning out of tackles
I have always been a critic of ALB but I must admit he has played well when playing 12.
Way too slow to defend at 13 now at test level but in the tight 12 channel he is physical running and tackling and distributes well.
Barret proves you need a more abrasive 10.
Haha I know just the guy!
And you proved you just want to hate on any ABs success.
A good analysis by Ben, pleased that he noticed Reece's intelligent play, on a good day he is brilliant, shame he is a bit erratic. and yes, TJP was absolute rubbish. I am sick of people rubbishing Clarke's defence , he is much better now as Ben said.
But I disagree with Ben about DMac attracting unfair criticism; if anything BB proved that DMac simply isn't a starting #10.
Not enough dinky kicks for your liking?
Yeah I like Reece but I feel we are really missing Telea
He constantly tops the defenders beaten
Yes I know he’s had a couple of high ball woes but he’s still fantastic
I think BB is the answer for now anyway
DMac can provide impact from the bench however goalkicking may be an issue on the EOYT
Some harsh ratings but generally fair. BB and ALB worked well together
Keen to hear from our "Will Jordan is not a fullback" people
He was very average in defence and he needs to learn that not every run he makes will he score. He needed to find his support last night on 4 occasions but blew two by being turned over. A work in progress.
Sure
After one excellent game against a lower ranked team?
Glad he played well but let’s not forget he was average at best at fullback for the ABs before today
But he was fantastic today
He was impressive, but the real tests await when we take on the big 3 of the North. There will be a lot more kicking and they will try to bury Jordan in the backfield. It will be interesting to see if he can still exert his influence in the same way.
Working real hard to talk up BB. Average game and the author makes out his passing game was mint. His pass to Jordan was standard and same to Clarke. Those players did the work. “League passes” means crap shuffle passes. 6 at best let’s not get silly.
Exactly, when your replacement comes on and runs a line to draw in both defenders and pops a last second no look pass to the person he created the space/overlap for, you know you've been outclassed and it's time to pass on the mantle.
Barrett played very well. The backline attack was very good throughout both halves and, while Barrett still made a couple of poor kicks as usual, he kicked far less than usual and the All Blacks maintained possession for more phases.
Except that it allowed ALB, Jordan, Reece, Clarke to play. The All Black back line looked alot more dangerous than a fade run sideways then often into contact or a short pass to the nearest forward pod and turnovers or slow grinding forward play.
BB might not run through teams anymore and score 20 points a game but he opens up the attacking options and has a wider range of play than DMac.
I wonder if Robertson should try the BB @ 10 and DMac @ 15 that was near unplayable till DMac got injured before the World Cup.
He was very good and provided the composure the ABs needed at 10
For now anyway
He made it look easy with time on his side
So what is his passes were standard? They worked unlike Dmacs last week
And I’m a fan of DMac
Beauden made a couple of silly kicks early in the second half which took the pressure off the wallabies but otherwise the backline hummed
Giving 3s for both Cane and Perenara is rather harsh to say the least but the impression is that these two players are teetering on retirement anyway. Maybe the subtext here is that Ben Smith really wants to suggest it is time to blood in some long term replacements in time for the end of year tour....
3 was a bit harsh for Cane, but TJ was largely poor. It made no sense to bench one of the two best players from last week, Ratima. Combinations was the reason given, but if BB is to play flyhalf in any capacity moving forward, he'll have to build a combo with Ratima because TJ is out of here.
Ben Smith missed the trifecta.
He's a lousy gambler.