There are players that polarise, from Cooper to Baxter, from Campese to Dunning, Beale to Simmons.
Especially in the age of anonymous internet abuse, we sometimes need to take stock and remember that the only real sin most of these guys have committed is to be the best available in their position, at the time the coach had to put names on a piece of paper. (Who could ever forget Al Baxter’s triumph at Twickenham in November 2008? One of the great rugby redemptions.)
Saia Fainga’a has copped his fair share of criticism over his career, and the press reports that referred to him as “Australia’s sixth choice hooker” over the last week probably didn’t make it to his scrapbook. But I certainly hope that the match reviews find a spare page, because he produced one of the bravest performances I can recall from a Wallaby number 2 tonight.
I should admit now that I am writing this from Cape Town. I was at the match, and haven’t yet seen a replay or read any stats, so my opinions on Saia and other Wallabies may not stand up to the scrutiny of the video review, but I am going to give them anyway.
1. James Slipper – A typically industrious game. Plenty of tackles, plenty of runs, and generally good hands.
2. Saia Fainga’a – A mighty, mighty game. Incredible, fearless defensive effort, and a key part of a front row that scrummed really well.
3. Sekope Kepu – Solid at scrum time, but a liability around the field. Simply doesn’t have to mobility to contribute in the loose, and handling was, again, an issue
4. Sam Carter – started strongly, but seemed to fade. Still needs body height adjustment when running.
5. Rob Simmons – like Carter, had some bright first half moments, but was replaced early.
6. Scott Fardy – a glimpse of the form from last year’s spring tour, finally. Still not involved enough, in my view, but best performance so far in the 2014 RC.
7. Michael Hooper – maybe his worst game of the series. Ineffective at ruck time, and made a couple of critical errors, and missed several tackles. As always, popped up on occasion to make metres with the ball in hand, but in my view this isn’t enough to compensate for his shortcomings.
8. Ben McCalman – A typical BM game. Solid, industrious, but no real impact moments. Between him and Hooper is a great loose forward. Hooper has the brilliant moments but not the grunt, and visa-versa for Ben.
9. Nick Phipps – Hard to comment without sounding hypocritical, given my comment about anonymous internet criticism. I will just leave it as “Welcome back Will”. Some terrible, terrible options, and seemingly has no feel for when holding possession is vital.
10. Bernard Foley – A backward step from his recent form. Seemed rattled at times, but generally competent, as always.
11. Joe Tomane – Put your head down and run for the corner you goose! Otherwise OK, would retain his spot in front of Rob Horne if I was selecting.
12. Matt Toomua – also seemed rattled, and made some odd decisions. Not his best night.
13. Tevita Kuridrani – keep on coming, big boy. You are a beauty in the making. He is almost a match winner right now, and I still get the feeling that he is getting better every game. A powerful performance tonight.
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper – solid, a great finish for our only try, and super defence.
15. Israel Folau – threatened all night, but didn’t land a real blow. Still needs to learn when to hold’em, and know when to fold’em.
Of the reserves, Scott Higginbotham seemed to make no impact, but was confronted with a Big Burger with a point to prove. Hanson was industrious, but was overshadowed by Fainga’a’s great game. Horwill was average, lucky not to concede a couple of penalties, and looked to run out of legs early.
Beale was horrible. His lack of defensive urgency seemed to hint at an attitude problem re-emerging. I hope I have read too much into this, but he had some embarrassing moments.
Overall, despite the beating it was a great Test. My second admission is that I left with 35 seconds still on the clock, so missed the coup de grace.
The good news from Australia’s point of view is that the pack continues to develop, and that Genia, Cooper and Pocock could all make instant impact on return. I would really love to see Scott Sio get a run. A win next weekend is critical, but not by any means certain.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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