Australia’s Rob Vallatini reacts after the Rugby World Cup Pool C match between Australia and Fiji at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Etienne, France, Credit: Alamy
This is how we assessed Eddie Jones’ team in their 22-15 defeat to Fiji at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday, following their first defeat in 69 years.
15 Ben Donaldson: His impressive performance in the first game did not earn him the Man of the Match award, but the full-back tried his best to impact the game. He kicked very well and improved in attack as he moved to fly-half. 6
14 Mark Navazanitawase: His work-rate was rewarded when he raced in for a good try, which was perhaps lucky to be rewarded. Went around the field looking for opportunities, but most of the times he faced failure. 6
centers-
13 Jordan Petia: Blunt on attack as he was often outpaced by his support lines and was comfortably shut down by Vaiseya Nayakalevu and company. 5
12 Samu Kerevi: Australia scored in the first half thanks to their work-rate and simply brilliant offloads. He was a standout player in a backline that was largely outmatched, his one-on-one performance against Joshua Tuisova did not disappoint. 6
11 Marika Koroibete: He had a lot of missed tackles as he was tasked with defending piecemeal at outside center as well. When he got the ball in his hands he made very little purchase. 5
half back
10 Carter Gordon: Let’s be frank, the Wallabies pivot had suffered a blow. Conceded four turnovers, was the target of the Fijian attack, failed to stop them and was part of the mistakes that led to Tuisova’s easy escape. 3
9 Nick White: It was his 50:22 that set up Nwakanitawase’s try but that was almost as good as it got for the experienced nine who struggled to generate momentum for his team. Strangely changed before the hour mark. 5
back row
8 Rob Valetini: One of the forwards who really rose to the task set before the Fijians and tackled it with tenacity. A solid performance and he can hold his head high after that innings. 6
7 Fraser McWright: The 24-year-old is a player who is never short of effort, but in his one-hour shift, he was easily beaten by Fiji’s world-class number seven Levani Botia. 5
6 Tom Hopper: The Test novice produced another hard-working performance in all aspects of the game and made some dents in the Fijian defense with his big carries. He was also disciplined, few of the Wallabies were disciplined. 6
tight five
5 Rory Arnold: Four penalties were conceded and while he and Nick Frost battled well at the lineouts, he was part of a mistimed breakdown attempt as Fiji dominated the floor. 4
4 Nick Frost: The 23-year-old was excellent in lineouts, picking up a few balls from Fijian throws and running that set-piece well. He was one of the more accurate Wallabies at the breakdown. 6
3 James Slipper: Had a good fight with Fiji’s Luke Tagi but could not give his best performance. 5
2 David Porecki: Far from the best result for the first-time Wallaby captain after taking the armband from Will Skelton before kick-off. However, he had no mistakes in the game, as he hit his lineout jumpers and made his tackles. 5
1 Angus Bell: The loosehead prop was once again one of the highlights of the pack as he continues to impress with his massive carries. 75 minutes of powerful performance. 6
Replacement: There was certainly some energy and spark from the bench but not enough to see Eddie Jones’ side over the line. Suliasi Vunivalu looks a completely different player to the one who made his debut against South Africa earlier this year and scored a try which gave Australia a chance. Lalakai Foketi also made an impressive impact, as did Isaac Fiennes-Leliwasa, while Matt Phillippe got his hand up. 6
Read more: Fiji open Pool C by claiming famous win over Wallabies
Article Australia player ratings: Wallabies fail in World Cup defeat appeared first on PlanetRugby.com.
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