Super Rugby Australian player ratings: Round 7

Here are my player ratings from Round 7 of Super Rugby. Submit your own, keeping the figures for mediocre scores aside for reasons of brevity and so that the focus is on the best and worst performers.

Scores should be between anyone over 7 and anyone below 4, i.e. for very good and poor performances. Half scores are allowed i.e. 7.5, 3.5.

Please submit your own scores for a whole team. The minimum is one team, there is no obligation to score all the games.

I average the scores per team by the number submitted. I will compile everyone’s submitted teams scores and produce Wallaby form teams later in the week. There will be one team of the round and three accumulative teams.

Three of the four teams dominated the scrum and it was pleasing to see it was against South African and New Zealand teams.

Hurricanes – Rebels
The Rebels dominated the scrum and their forwards matched it in tight. Out wide the Cane backs outclassed the Rebels. The Canes ran the ball and offloaded well. Rebels tried hard and the game was closer than the score indicates, though the Canes were easily better team.

Rebels
L. Jones 7.5
S. Higginbotham 7.5/10
P. Leafa 7.5/10
T. Smith 8/10
P. Alo-Emilio 8/10
M. Inman 7.5/10
M. Harris 3.5/10
N. Stirzaker 7.5/10

Reds – Lions
The Reds have most of their players back and it was said they could have no excuses. Quade Cooper was excellent in his comeback but sorely lacked support and cohesion from the rest of the backline. The experienced former stars in James Horwill and Will Genia provided no direction and looked lacklustre.

This game highlights that you can be significantly better in both the scrums and lineouts but lose the breakdown and collisions and you lose the game. The same in balance in the forwards, as shown in the Wallabies, can cost game too. Forward runners cannot get over the advantage line and winning your ruck ball is difficult, also the defence allows the opponent to gain the advantage line easily.

The Lions won because they have more heart and wanted it more.

Reds
J. Slipper 8.5/10
B. Daley 8/10
G. Holmes 8/10
Q. Cooper 8/10
S. Kerevi 8/10
J. O’Connor 7.5/10

Sharks – Force
This was a game of attrition with little skill on show. The Sharks demolished the Force scrum and were physically bigger and stronger while their defence was very good. The Force players were smart and ran at gaps and played a conservative low error percentage game. A major turning point was the disallowed try to Ben McCalman by the TMO, despite it looking like the ball touched the line.

Force
T. Faulkner 3/10
P. Cowan 3/10
A. Coleman 7.5/10
B. McCalman 7.5/10
N. Cummins 7.5/10

Waratahs – Blues
The Waratahs played their trademark game of bullying and dominating the opponent physically, and won the collisions, the battle of the breakdown, and dominated the scrum.

The Blues’ defence was excellent on the line and their rushing and defence caused a lot of errors in the Waratahs’ handling. Additionally, the Waratahs’ Achilles heel was exposed yet again, that being a lack of genuine pace. The Blues threatened breakaways with their speed and every time they managed to get outside the defence they looked like crossing the line.

Waratahs
S. Latu 8/10
S. Kepu 8/10
B. Robinson 7.5/10
W. Skelton 8.5/10
M. Hooper 7.5/10
N. Phipps 8/10
K. Beale 8/10
M. Carraro 3.5/10