The same old issues reared their ugly heads as the Wallabies’ ill-discipline, missed tackles and sloppy errors cost them a 38-7 defeat to the All Blacks.
There were injuries to Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou, but even if that pair of powerful props remained on the field it likely wouldn’t have solved the problems that have plagued the green and gold men for years.
The Bledisloe Cup will be New Zealand’s for a 21st consecutive year, while the Wallabies have now lost 15 of their past 20 Tests.
Here’s how all the Aussies performed in the heavy defeat.
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1. Angus Bell: 7
The Wallabies’ best. He played with grit and tenacity even when the odds were stacked against him. Bell’s rampaging runs were an early highlight. As the forward line became shot to bits, Bell was forced to shuffle positions but never gave up. He racked up 56 run metres, third among the Australians behind fullback Andrew Kellaway and winger Marika Koroibete.
“We’ve let down Eddie (Jones, Wallabies coach), and we let down Australia,” he told Channel 9 after the game. But Bell didn’t let anyone down – just the opposite.
2. David Porecki – 4
He was slightly at fault for the Kiwis’ early try, his pass down from the lineout hitting Tate McDermott too high – and causing the Aussie to cop a bruising whack that produced a try. Good in defence but couldn’t do much at the other end.
3. Allan Alaalatoa – 6
The acting captain – just his second game in charge – was in fine form until his brutal injury. He crumpled to the turf and it was immediately clear he was in serious pain. Ever the warrior, he refused to be stretchered up to the medi-cart, standing up and hopping on with a grimace before being driven from the field. His World Cup is under a dark cloud.
4. Nick Frost – 4.5
Brought into the starting line-up, he worked hard in defence and was handy at the lineouts. His 24 tackles was the second most of the Aussies, behind Hooper. Was left pouring blood from next to his ear, which must sum up how the Wallabies feel after another loss to start Eddie Jones’ tenure.
5. Will Skelton – 5.5
Skelton was excellent at the breakdown, forcing a couple of handy turnovers including one in his own 22, and his offloading was a feature. Made metres with his strong leg drive and was particularly impressive in the first 15 minutes but faded. Was taken off early in the second half.
6. Jed Holloway – 4
Decent at the lineout, but quiet elsewhere outside a good tackle on Aaron Smith that forced a knock-on.
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7. Tom Hooper – 5.5
A solid night for the rookie in just his second Test, despite the result. Laid on a game-high 32 tackles – though he did miss a few – but didn’t have any impact in attack. Eddie Jones took a gamble putting him on the open side flank but it didn’t pay off.
8. Rob Valetini: 7
He was absolutely everywhere in the first 20 minutes, picking up a try for his efforts on both sides of the ball. He ran hard and tackled well all night, though he did fade slightly as the match wore on.
9. Tate McDermott – 4
Had a tough night at the office. Monstered by Scott Barrett on his own line in the third minute as the visitors took the lead, and there wasn’t much improvement from there. Some of that was down to a lack of protection from the forwards at times.
Nic White took over for the final 30 minutes.
10. Carter Gordon – 5.5
The 22-year-old Rebels flyhalf has impressed in his two stints off the bench, and he was trusted to take the 10 jersey for the first time in front of Quade Cooper. He showed flashes of brilliance but maybe was overawed by the pressure and the big occasion, failing to ignite the Australian attack.
Early on, he moved the ball quickly to his outside men to get across the advantage line.
But he seemed to lose his way at the back end of the first half as the All Blacks turned up the heat.
His kicking was also poor, particularly in the first half, with two mislaid cross-field kicks and a restart that didn’t go the distance.
He was hooked after 50 minutes along with McDermott, but there were likely enough promising signs to hand him another start.
11. Marika Koroibete – 4.5
His yellow card for a cynical off-side play was the turning point of the match, with the Wallabies losing all momentum when he sat on the pine. He played decently besides that, running for 82 metres and troubled the defenders, and made some crunching tackles to boot. New Zealand – smartly – chose to attack down the opposite sideline all night, which paid off and limited his impact. When they did come his way for the Jordan try, he was caught infield in an obvious defensive mix-up.
12. Samu Kerevi – 5
Had some good moments with the ball in hand but was largely stifled by the Kiwis’ disciplined defence. Threw his body about in defence but couldn’t do much to halt the All Blacks, and missed a couple of important tackles. Even took a rare kick in the opening minute – showing how he tried just about everything to make an impact, but without much joy.
13. Jordan Petaia: 4
Looked well below his best – unsurprising given his three-month layoff before the match. Couldn’t make an impact going forward in a very quiet night, but his kicking game in the second half added.
14. Mark Nawaqanitawase: 6
What an impact the 22-year-old beast has had early in his international career! Playing in just his fifth Test, he broke through the lines repeatedly with hard running. That help set up the Wallabies’ only try, while he kept a Kiwi clearing kick in play with some impressive awareness of the sideline. Defended well and had some good touches in attack for the rest of the game, though he was guilty at times of forcing the issue as the Wallabies desperately tried to ignite a comeback.
15. Andrew Kellaway: 6.5
He was tested under the high ball but was reasonably solid in that department after spilling the second one of the match. Ran well all night, with his early efforts the most impressive, and can be happy with his defensive work.
REPLACEMENTS: 4.5
Taniela Tupou came on early after the skipper’s horror injury blow, but lasted around 20 minutes before going off with an injury of his own and a yellow card to boot – which cost the Wallabies three tries in the period his replacement Bell was on the sidelines.
Elsewhere, James Slipper became the second most capped Wallaby of all time behind George Gregan when he ran on for his 130th Test. But that was about as good as it got for the finishers, who mostly came on as a group early in the second half.
A chirpy Nic White copped a brutal ‘shush’ from the outstanding Scott Barrett as the bench players failed to make any real impact, with Rob Leota the best.
