The Wallabies closed out their home season not necessarily in style, but certainly on a high, after downing Argentina to claim an historic fourth consecutive Rugby Championship win.
It was a struggle at times, but the Wallabies took full advantage of a Pumas yellow card to build up momentum and an unassailable lead.
As per usual, it was up to you, our audience, to do the player ratings – and there are no rewards on offer for guessing who was crowned man of the match.
Andrew Kellaway’s ripping hat trick saw him easily named best afield for the green and gold, with his whopping average score of 8.66 out of ten one of the highest scores any Wallaby player has received this season.
There was daylight between him and second-placed Samu Kerevi on 7.67 out of ten – while Rob Valetini wasn’t far behind on the podium with 7.56.
1. James Slipper
Average score: 6.57
Most common rating: 7 (39.2%)
2. Folau Fainga’a
Average score: 6.52
Most common rating: 7 (37.4%)
3. Taniela Tupou
Average score: 6.43
Most common rating: 7 (33.7%)
4. Izack Rodda
Average score: 6.12
Most common rating: 6 (41.3%)
5. Darcy Swain
Average score: 6.31
Most common rating: 7 (36.8%)
6. Pete Samu
Average score: 6.24
Most common rating: 6 (35.9%)
7. Michael Hooper (c)
Average score: 7.24
Most common rating: 7 (37.2%)
8. Rob Valetini
Average score: 7.56
Most common rating: 8 (38%)
9. Nic White
Average score: 7.11
Most common rating: 7 (37.8%)
10. Quade Cooper
Average score: 7.26
Most common rating: 7 (34.9%)
11. Andrew Kellaway
Average score: 8.66
Most common rating: 9 (48.4%)
12. Samu Kerevi
Average score: 7.67
Most common rating: 8 (41%)
13. Len Ikitau
Average score: 7.35
Most common rating: 7 (39.3%)
14. Jordan Petaia
Average score: 5.84
Most common rating: 6 (35.1%)
15. Reece Hodge
Average score: 5.84
Most common rating: 6 (42.5%)
16. Lachlan Lonergan
Average score: 5.15
Most common rating: 5 (37.9%)
17. Angus Bell
Average score: 5.98
Most common rating: 6 (40.9%)
18. Greg Holmes
Average score: 5.51
Most common rating: 5 (37.1%)
19. Matt Philip
Average score: 5.56
Most common rating: 5 (36.4%)
20. Sean McMahon
Average score: 5.63
Most common rating: 5 (35%)
21. Jake Gordon
Average score: 4.71
Most common rating: 5 (31.3%)
22. James O’Connor
Average score: 4.90
Most common rating: 5 (39.1%)
23. Tom Wright
Average score: 5.89
Most common rating: 6 (35.9%)
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Totally agree Tony. Marika and Kellaway are not cut from the same cloth.
The Strategist
Roar Rookie
There are many aspects to BPA's game that I like. He is very busy around the park in general play. His accuracy in that activity is not as consistent as it needs to be. His scrummaging is good and is obviously better when his tight side is being held up by his Red's colleague. His lineout work is not as consistent as it needs to be. In general, I think 2 is our least settled position and definitely our poorest quality of options. None of those given a chance have owned it. I feel like the whole front row is not settled. In my mind Nella is the definite tight head starter. For a long time I have felt that AAA is not the right player for the 3 jersey. I agree with Nick Bishop that AAA could very well be an excellent loose head. Bell is too young yet, so my opinion is reserved and I don't think he should be playing test rugby. I would start Slipper and Nella every test as this is our best pairing. Robertson is the size of a school boy 1st XV prop. Actually he is probably too small for that also so I strongly disagree with Rennie having him in the squad.
Tony H
Roar Pro
Mostly agree Rob, but I wouldn't say that Marika could slot into 15 - and I wouldn't want him too
Tony H
Roar Pro
The chaos at the end of the game was in a large part down to Gordron not marshalling his forwards correctly, being slow to rucks, and passing like he was a fat armchair critic from The Roar.
Tony H
Roar Pro
Yet ANOTHER Career ruined by Cheika.
Gepetto
Roar Rookie
Mr Strategist, What category do you put the dropped BPA in?
Poco Loco
Roar Rookie
Thanks, it had to be said.
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
Super Rugby is what made Quade. That and a good coach.
No Arms
Roar Rookie
Super didn’t do much for Quade this season
JC
Roar Rookie
We’ve seen from Super Rugby what Gordon can do. Now he needs to do it with less time and space at Test level where he’s had fairly limited opportunities so far.
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
Coleman - a career destroyed by Cheika. Ordered to be an enforcer when that was not his natural game and he's been written off by those half dozen showings. A decent coach and he'll step up to the right level.
MO
Guest
Yeah PS but Swain may get there. He's young enough to improve and like Banks has some nice tools but as you say like Banks he's not there yet. Hodge / Kellaway are more valuable at 15 than Banks for mine. I reckon a fit Adam Coleman under Rennie rather than Cheika would have been excellent. All that mongrel and second efforts with less penalties.
Locky
Guest
Jake Gordon has been with the tahs for 7 years, how long will it take him to learn how to pass?
Bobby
Roar Rookie
I think it would be interesting to see the Roar Experts give their own personal ratings (evaluated before other Roarers public ratings, AND published AFTER the Roarers one) to add Experts perspective. Just a thought.
Poco Loco
Roar Rookie
JC, it's not just his pass. Its using up the available time with his skips and a few steps so cuttings down the time available to the receiver to make his play.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Yeah, a good question to ask is whether another winger wouldn't have scored those three tries. Kellaway is a good player in career-best form but a hat trick doesn't necessarily grant MoM status
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I continue to note a significant difference between marks allocated to our forwards and backs. And yet we have bested a Bok and Argie pack that both rate very highly. The best try of the game was essentially made by the forwards and handed to Kellaway. Ignoring the bench scores because I think they are incorrectly marked lower, the average forward score was 6.62 (propped up by high scores for Hooper and Valentini) and the average back score was 7.10 (way lower due to the inexplicable low marking for Petaia and, more understandably, Hodge). I'm pretty sure the backs are scoring well because the forwards are doing their jobs well. And yet the scores don't reflect that at all. Are we predisposed to think our tight 5 are average unless it's Tupou having an occasional blinder? Rodda scored 6.12 and worked the pants of every other lock on the field And I think we need to reset expectations of how we score the bench. Bell has been outstanding in every match with his core tight skills and the other nice to have stuff (his passing and catching skills are so much better but way less showy than Tupou) and yet consistently scores < 6.
Gepetto
Roar Rookie
100 + test lock Rob Simmons was often criticised by those who couldn't count player involvements.
K.F.T.D.
Roar Rookie
John Roe and Dempsey classic what you are banging on about. One doesn’t really understand the game unless you are watching it live , as you say Rodda may have been a bigger part of it , a bit like Kiwi props you almost never see them. But they’re there!
The Strategist
Roar Rookie
There are 2 ways you can watch a game of rugby. The first is you watch the ball and enjoy the spectacle. The second is you watch beyond the ball and you enjoy the game. Player ratings are very much dictated by how you watch the game. Most people would and have suggested that Cooper for example is poor in defense. If you watch beyond the ball you would see the work that Cooper does to always position himself as first back in the line outside the forwards in the direction the play is going. He is doing this to make sure they don't get caught out with a back against a forward. If they are lined up like this he is pushing the forwards back across to make sure they are not marked up on backs. If your only watching the ball your not seeing this happen. The same can be said for some players who are getting high ratings because they know when to pop up around the ball to collect the accolades. But you watch them off the ball and you realise that they are not doing much effective stuff the rest of the time. A month back a lot of people were saying we should persist with Lolo and that with time he will come good. But if you watched him off the ball you could see how hopelessly lost he was and how little he contributes to the management of the game. He will occasionally do something flashy but the team will consistently be poor when he is at 10. A few have commented that Rodda didn't get the rating he deserved. I agree. Because of the game management of Cooper and the punch through the line that players like Kerevi, Valentini, Ikitau, Nella etc are generating we think great we have gain line ball and are going forward. But it is guys like Rodda who through their work in the ruck, timing, physicality and just simple skill and accuracy that gain line ball is being maintained and a platform laid to launch the next phase at a pace that makes the next gain line easy to achieve. Rugby is such a great sport that is complex and full of interesting rabbit holes you can go down in your pursuit of understanding what makes a team great.