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Wallabies player ratings: How the men in gold fared against Wales
By Tom Decent
The Wallabies had to dig deep but got their first win of the Joe Schmidt era on Saturday night in Sydney.
It was a big improvement from the 40-6 disaster against Wales at last year’s World Cup.
Here’s how Australia’s players fared.
1) James Slipper (7): Always puts his heart on his sleeve for his country. Penalised early but played a role in Australia’s dominant scrum in the first half. Was as hurt by anyone about what happened last year. He played with the determination of someone wanting to make amends for his country. A pleasing game for the 35-year-old.
2) Matt Faessler (6): Australia’s lineout success was 93 per cent on Saturday night. Faessler did his job without anything that stood out immensely. Hit rucks hard and was very busy when it came to pick and drives.
3) Taniela Tupou (8): The Wallabies just wanted one big half from Tupou and that’s what they got. Received plenty of pats on the head after helping win an early scrum penalty. His fitness will get better as the Test season rolls on but it was a productive shift from the big man. Bagged the opening try of the match through pure strength.
Taniela Tupou (centre) and teammates celebrate Australia’s win over Wales on Saturday night. Credit: Getty Images
4) Jeremy Williams (7.5): Rolled his sleeves on a fine starting debut. Made 13 tackles - more than any Wallaby - and was busy around the park in a 80-minute shift.
5) Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (6.5): Was sick early in the week but didn’t let his team down. There was a knock-on but Salakaia-Loto had a reasonable outing. Still has a big future in Test rugby.
6) Liam Wright (7): A great start as skipper. Had good communication with the referee in the first half. Pulled off an important lineout steal. Did most of the Wallabies’ lineout jumping. Whether he continues as skipper is still to be seen. Allan Alaalatoa is still probably the likely captain in the future.
7) Fraser McReight (6): Didn’t have as big of a presence over the ball as he would have liked, with no turnovers. Excellent in defence. Made all of his 12 tackles. Did receive a yellow card for collapsing a maul.
8) Rob Valetini (8): Made the most carries (10) and tackles (13) of any Wallabies player. Also ran for more metres than any Australia forward (31 metres). Such an important dynamic in any Wallabies back row.
9) Jake Gordon (8) - A really solid game at halfback. Passing game was crisp and worked well with Noah Lolesio. Good speed to breakdowns. Is clearly a key man given Schmidt loves the box kick option. Should start in Melbourne. You can understand why Schmidt wanted to keep Gordon in Australian rugby and not let him leave for France.
10) Noah Lolesio (6.5) And up and down game for Lolesio but definitely did enough to stay in the hot seat at No.10. Kicking off the tee could have improved and his cross-field kick to Kellaway in the 61st minute might not have been the best option. Otherwise, a steady hand and was pivotal to the win.
11) Filipo Daugunu (7): Scored a try and had the smarts to know he was likely to slide over the line. Has work to do on his kicking if he wants to be in the back field but had a pretty good game back in a gold jersey.
12) Hunter Paisami (7): A real threat at No.12 on both sides of the ball. Has promised so much on the Test arena and this could be his year. Made more tackles (11) than any Wallabies back in a game where Australia had most of the ball.
13) Josh Flook (6): A steady debut without anything flash. Didn’t get many passes away or carry for a massive number of metres. If Len Ikitau is fit, Flook probably drops out of the starting XV in Melbourne next week.
14) Andrew Kellaway (7): Made a clean break in the first half after benefiting from a lovely set play. Has always been one of the Wallabies’ most consistent players. Has a great rugby IQ and was a calm head in the back three.
15) Tom Wright (7.5): Scored the match-winning try with speed we’ve rarely seen at Test level. Picked his moment and went for it. Some improvements to make in his overall game - he coughed up a bit of ball - but a productive start to the Test season.
Wallabies pose for a team photo after their victory.Credit: Getty Images
16) Billy Pollard (6): Only had 15 minutes at the end but got into the grind.
17: Isaac Kailea (7.5): A very impressive debut after coming on in the 50th minute. Made all nine of his tackles in that period and was a workhorse.
18) Allan Alaalatoa (6.5): Was his reliable self and the team’s skipper when Wright came off. Showed how much Australia missed him at the World Cup.
19) Angus Blyth (6): Was picked for his physicality and did his country proud on debutant. Hit plenty of rucks. Was one of only five Wallabies players to reach double-digit tackles.
20) Charlie Cale (7): The Brumbies back-rower has a huge future ahead of him. Won a lineout steal and didn’t shy away from the tough stuff.
21) Tate McDermott (6.5): Quality service for his 17 minutes on the park.
22) Tom Lynagh (6.5): Had a less than ideal early involvement by throwing a cut-out pass to the man next to him (Tom Wright) but worked into the game and helped seal the win. Gave early ball to Wright, which was important before the fullback’s 65-metre effort.
23) Dylan Pietsch (N/A): Only got on in the 76th minute and had one carry of the football.