Rugby World Cup: Wallabies player ratings after disastrous loss to Wales
The Wallabies were outplayed and outcoached by a well-drilled Welsh outfit early this morning and readers have made it clear who they blame for the disaster.
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A 40-6 hammering by Wales signals the darkest day in Australian rugby history, with the Wallabies on the verge of being bundled out of the World Cup in the group stages.
The blowtorch will be applied to coach Eddie Jones after his raft of risky selections backfired spectacularly after back-to-back losses to Fiji and Wales.
This Wallabies outfit seemed lost at times, outplayed by a well-drilled Welsh outfit that never drifted away from the game plan.
For the most part it was hard to decipher what that game plan was – if any – the Wallabies had.
Rugby World Cup 2023
Wallabies vs Wales
Angus Bell
Started out well at scrum time, and was busy in open play. The Welsh scrum started to dominate as the game wore on though.
Dave Porecki
Retained the captaincy despite Tate McDermott’s return. The decision to kick for touch instead of taking an easy three points from a 25th minute penalty backfired. A poor lineout let the Welsh off the hook, and the men in red kicked a penalty shortly afterwards.
James Slipper
The veteran front-rower was pretty much the only good thing the Wallabies had at scrum time, and he was taken off after 40 minutes.
Nick Frost
Tried his guts out, but was upstaged and outplayed by the Welsh pack. Like the rest of the Wallabies forwards, Frost was taught a lesson about mauling.
Richie Arnold
Nearly created a try opportunity for Angus Bell with a nice offload early in the match, and was busy around the park. Despite his best efforts, couldn’t make a lasting impact.
Rob Leota
A telling presence on both sides of the ball, Leota made a great charging run down the left, but was replaced 10 minutes into the second half.
Tom Hooper
Was busy and energetic, but failed to have any impact at the breakdown. Made a team-high 13 tackles, but his inexperience was evident in giving away several penalties. One of Eddie Jones’ hopeful selections, hopefully Hooper can bounce back.
Rob Valetini
One of Australia’s best. Valetini ran for 27 hard-earned metres and made eight tackles in a typically physical showing.
Tate McDermott
Lively on his return from concussion. His kicks from the base of the ruck were solid, until a truly awful box kick midway through the second half led to another Wales penalty.
Ben Donaldson
Looked like a bloke who’d barely played five-eighth at Test level. Because he hadn’t. Jones’ refusal to take a back-up flyhalf was a disaster as Donaldson dropped a ball, had a kick charged down and was replaced after 53 minutes. Blame Jones’ coaching and selections.
Marika Koroibete
Tried to get involved, but four runs for nine metres tells the story of a frustrating night. Was barely sighted in the second half.
Samu Kerevi
Good in defence, but was out of sorts with Australia on attack. A game to forget for the normally dependable Kerevi.
Jordan Petaia
Struggled to get involved despite looking for work. Made a couple of big plays on defence, but the Welsh strangled him out of the game.
Mark Nawaqanitawase
Starved of any decent ball by a disciplined Welsh attacking unit. Was solid under the high ball, made a crucial tackle on Liam Adams and ran for 51 metres.
Andrew Kellaway
Made a game-high 66 metres with ball in hand and beat four defenders. Made a vital play in holding up Louis Rees-Zammit right on halftime.
Matt Faessler
Came on after an hour, but couldn’t make a telling impact.
Blake Schoupp
Came off the bench with 13 minutes left and the game already out of reach.
Pone Fa'amausili
Replaced James Slipper at halftime, which is exactly when the Welsh scrum began to dominate.
Matt Philip
Was only introduced after the game was lost.
Fraser McReight
Played the last half an hour of a game that was steadily slipping out of reach. Probably should have started.
Nic White
Another player who got just 12 minutes off the bench and couldn’t do much to impact the outcome.
Carter Gordon
His kick for touch that went dead late in the second half summed up Australia’s entire World Cup campaign.
Suliasi Vunivalu
Couldn’t make any impact in his 20 minutes on the pitch.
(Coach) Eddie Jones
Selection decisions backfired horrendously this week and last week. The decision not to take a dedicated back-up flyhalf like Quade Cooper or Bernard Foley is the worst, but not the only one. Jones' Wallabies outfit looked bereft of ideas on attack, clueless in defending the rolling maul and were thoroughly out-scrummed. News that Jones interviewed for the role of Japan coach just days before the World Cup began surely makes his position untenable.
Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Wallabies player ratings after disastrous loss to Wales
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