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Australia player ratings vs Ireland | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
By Ian Cameron at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Australia player ratings:The 22-19 scoreline will be a particular bitter pill for Joe Schmidt and this Wallabies’ team, who were most of this contest the better side.
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Here’s how we rated the Australia players:
1. James Slipper – 5.5
The super-experienced prop showed his usual grit in the scrum but was just about outmatched by Ireland’s Australia-born tighthead Finlay Bealham. Solid if unspectacular in the loose.
2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa – 6
Worked hard in the set-piece and carried adequately. His lineout throwing was consistent under pressure.
3. Taniela Tupou – 8
He looks like he’s slimmed down from his listed weight of 148kg but is still a little off the pace of his more dynamic earlier years in green and gold [a lighter Tupou would likely have run that intercept in on 31 minutes]. Dominated collisions and gave the team much-needed go-forward, as well as giving Porter plenty to think about.
4. Nick Frost – 7.5
The 6’9 Frost was effective in the lineout and industrious in the loose, though his unfortunate slip at a 24th-minute ruck certainly helped Josh van der Flier barge over.
5. Jeremy Williams – 7
A decent shift in the tight exchanges and showed he can be a competent link player in open play too. Put in some thunderous shots and clearly has a really decent engine too.
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6. Rob Valetini – 5
A standout for Australia with his damaging ball-carrying and general hard-nut-ness. A couple of handling errors and the fact he copped a silly penalty leading with the elbow stopped him from scoring higher here.
7. Fraser McReight – 8.5
A really high nuisance factor for Ireland. Busy throughout, showing his ability to disrupt at the breakdown. Tackled tirelessly and seemed to pop up in attack on multiple occasions. You imagine Ireland would really have liked for him to go away.
8. Harry Wilson – 7
This was a solid effort from a streetwise operator, contributing with some decent carries, though he lacked the explosiveness of the likes of Valetini. Went toe-to-toe with Lions’ No.8 Caelan Doris, which is no mean feat.
9. Jake Gordon – 6
A generally decent performance here from Gordon although it had a few weird moments too, not least diving out of contesting an aerial bomb much to the delight of Hugo Keenan, who duly gathered it.
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10. Noah Lolesio – 6.5
Showed flashes of real creativity and flashes of sloppiness here, especially kicking out of hand. Jumping back into his 22 to claim a mark under pressure from the on-rushing Keenan was the type of composure he needs to show more of to prove himself a long-term solution at ten. It says something when Ireland’s 3-cap Sam Prendergast looked the more assured of the pair here.
11. Max Jorgensen – 7.5
Threatened in attack with some elusive runs and was good value for his try. Has the pace to give most opposing back three players nightmares.
12. Len Ikitau – 6
More than dependable in the midfield with strong tackling and clever distribution on occasion. A reliable presence for the Wallabies this afternoon after a leaky outing against Scotland.
13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – 5
The former NRL star was a little subdued today but it’s his ability to compete aerially at the drop of a hat gives Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies a real edge. Against that, didn’t make any breaks and occasionally looked lost at sea defensively as he faded out of the game. The NRL style, no-arms tackling that he seems to lapse back into could also come back to haunt him if it’s not tweaked. A late tap-on into Irish hands helped seal Ireland’s victory.
14. Andrew Kellaway – 5
After a defensive horror show against Scotland, Kellaway worked hard off the ball here. A rip from Hugo Keenan in the 5th minute, stopping what would have been a certain try was a statement of intent. Caught napping at a ruck by Tadhg Beirne and cost the Wallabies an Irish lineout in their 22; and again fell off tackles.
15. Tom Wright – 5
Showed his class with sharp decision-making, impressive running lines and a steady presence at the back. A real problem over the ball too. A fatal error in the 72nd minute, when he brought the ball over the sideline has cost him an 8 out of 10 here and more importantly, Australia the match.
Replacements
16. Billy Pollard – 5
Limited impact off the bench, though his set-piece contributions were steady.
17. Isaac Kailea – 7
A late change to the replacements bench in place of Angus Bell. Brought impressive energy in the loose in what was a bright cameo.
18. Allan Alaalatoa – 6
Used his experience to steady the ship in the closing stages without really dominating. Got into elder prop Cian Healy when he came on.
19. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 6
Brought physicality off the bench but struggled to match Ireland’s late intensity.
20. Langi Gleeson – NA
Not on long enough to rate.
21. Tate McDermott – 5
Tried but failed to inject the tempo Australia needed late in the game.
22. Tane Edmed – NA
Limited time to make an impact and was taken off nearly immediately for a HIA.
23. Harry Potter – NA
Wasn’t given the time to cast any spells over Ireland’s defence here [I’ll get my coat].
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