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Player Ratings: Bledisloe 1

Matt Rowley August 21, 2012 37

No GravatarIf you got the feeling no one really wanted to do the player ratings for this one, then you were right.

So here’s my shot from the hip: it was so much easier to find the negatives in this game. Really does make you wonder how we stayed so close. What did you have?

Player Comment Score
Benn Robinson While the scrums weren’t shambolic, he’s lost his way around the park and is leaking penalties. 4
Tatafu Polota-Nau No skewed throws and some solid hit ups 6
Sekope Kepu Pinged in the scrum and butterfingers in the loose 4
Sitaleki Timani A few good hits and an offload, but I suspect Scott Allen could re-run his previous analysis on the effective work rate 4
Nathan Sharpe He was immense and the try was no accident. Saving the best till last? 8 – G&GRs MoM
Dave Dennis One of those blindside games that goes unnoticed but got work done 6
David Pocock Not Poey’s best game – certainly not helped by a knee injury and a superior AB pack 6
Scott Higginbotham Strangely, I’ve seen him play wider, but the howler of that dropped pill sticks in the mind. 4
Will Genia Apart from the line-break he had a lousy night with some very strange decision making 4
Berrick Barnes Good touch finding and goal kicking, the odd run but that howler of a pass to KB to set up the keystone cops 6
Anthony Faingaa Bustle as usual, but missed tackles and sinfully wasted turnover ball with that grubber 4
Rob Horne Couldn’t find a lot wrong, but not a lot to commend either 5
Digby Ioane Where everyone else was running in mud, he was still blistering 8
Adam Ashley-Cooper Never managed to break free but didn’t do a lot wrong 5
Kurtley Beale What do you call it when you’re responsible for letting in two tries and you drop the pill cold? A SHOCKER 2

G&GR Patented Player ratings scale

10 – A legendary performance to go down in the history books
9 – Outstanding performance: Man of the match shoo-in
8 – Excellent all-round game
7 – Good game with a few sparkles
6 – Solid performance
5 – Average – ho hum
4 – Below par
3 – Had a bad game
2 – Tell your story walking pal
1 – A complete joke

TAGS » , ,
POSTED IN » Wallabies
About the author: Matt Rowley View all posts by
Matt started G&GR just before the 2007 Rugby World Cup and has been enslaved ever since. Follow him on twitter: @MattRowley

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Discussion »

  • vidiot

    Genia actually had a good game, compared to the turgid performance from Barnes. Yes, he tried to run it from deep from a tap, but they had numbers and space. TPN just huffed and puffed and watched the ball sail across his chest. And we’re hearing that they were told to run it from anywhere – wasn’t that the right time? Genia took the high ball well, against the best in the business, defended well and served almost perfectly to a a team coached to wander around gesticulating at each other rather than play rugby. The irish frog penalised him twice literally for existing.

    Anyhow, rant off. Bring on Eden Park. Kiwis gonna suffer. Or not.

    • Richo

      That quick tap from Genia was just a bad decision. Admitting he made a mistake doesn’t make him a bad player.

      • vidiot

        Manufacturing numbers and space is patently impossible for this wallaby team from the set piece and against a set defence they are smashed behind the gain line and turned over. I would argue spotting the opportunity was the RIGHT decision in this context, and that the problem was execution.

      • Red Kev

        Although I haven’t watched the replay (haven’t had the stomach to watch the debacle a second time) I thought that quick tap decision was made by Beale not Genia.

  • Fin

    Thought Timani had his best game since last years S15 and probably deserved to be ranked higher than Higgers and Fat Cat. Genia also deserves higher than that group. Digby was superb again would love to see him move in one- we had a match with four 12s and no 13s -no wonder it wasn’t much of a spectacle. Thought Barnes was ok but just not the 10 we need. Maybe BB at 15 and QC at 10. Finger and Diggers in the midfield with AAC and Drew on the wings. Play KB from the bench.

  • Liam

    Just because Rob Horne was on the field and didn’t do anything doesn’t mean he was average. It means he was useless. Waste of space.

    Generous to Higgers and Sharpe for that matter. Sure he did some good things but he was bloody awful at the same time.

    If you could rate how they function TOGETHER as a team then I think that rating would be towards the bottom of that scale.

    • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley

      You’re going to have to help me understand how Sharpie wasn’t amongst our best on field.

      And in your markings if you’re going to mark Horne down you’d have to mark down Ant Faingaa and others even further. I marked him on how he played on Sat.

      • BloodRed

        Sharpie made almost no yards other than when he scored and gave up several penalties by getting isolated and not releasing the ball. Still was probably our most industrious forward. Barnes was ponderous with the ball in hand, threw THAT pass to Beale and according to Scott’s video analysis was responsible for a lot of the slow ball from the ruck base. His touch finding was dreadful in the first half, he had 3 penalty kicks for touch in a row that would have been lucky to go 15 metres each. His first chip kick was shit and his first grubber even worse. 4 at best. Faingaa on the other hand made his tackles when they counted. He only missed when rushing up and still managed to put pressure on the ABs. All other tackles were to his usual standard. His running with the ball has been totally underrated as usual, he hit the ball and the gain line with momentum (forwards take note) and always presented quick clean ball back to Genia – not that it was always used quickly. I thought the grubber was a good option as he had no immediate support, we gained good position out of it and put pressure back on the kiwis. Deserves 6 and was the pick of the Australian inside backs.

        • Nipper

          If he gets no support on a hit up 3m from the ruck, where 7 other forwards are standing/lying around, is the onus really on him for “getting isolated”?

        • BloodRed

          Point taken but he does go to ground too easily allowing the AB forwards to blow over the top of him creating the isolation.

        • JJJ

          Going to ground “too easily” is a much better option with our forwards than getting held up in the tackle and mauled back 10m then penalised for collapsing.

        • BloodRed

          I think you’ll find that would be a scrum feed to the opposition and yes that is a better option to a penalty. My one criticism of Sharpie and I know I’m not alone is that for a big fella he tends to flop or dive into contact rather use leg drive to maintain forward momentum eg Michael Hooper.

  • Lee Enfield

    All I will add is AAC is not a winger. He has a massive problem staying on his wing in defence. He came in to make a tackle he didn’t need to and created an overlap for the Kiwis, which Dagg promptly took advantage of.
    AAC is at 13 or 15 or on the bench. The Wallabies need to pick his position and leave him there.If is a utility, then on the bench he goes. We don’t need to pick him on the wing, when we have Shippers and Mitchell.

    One more thing, the Wallabies need to stop shuffling the backline everytime there is an injury. Pick the best player in that position and leave him, if he is injured, pick the next best in that position. This picking the “best” players and finding them a position is crap. We have the depth, bloody well use it.

    • Mart

      Spot on. I’m sick of hearing that we don’t have the depth.

      Put AAC at outside and leave him there. Leave Horne at the super rugby level to develop.

      There’s loads of solid winger out there. They are wasting spots.

      • Lee Enfield

        I might also add that there should be some liaison between the Wallabies coach and the SRU coaches as to a players best position.
        I am not sure if this already happens, but it doesn’t appear to be. This way we have the best players in their best positions becoming masters at that position.
        The current squad seems to be filled with too many jacks of all trades and masters of none.
        This is highlighted when we play top teams and our jacks of all trades get beaten by masters. Last saturday night is a prime example.
        Out of all of this, I feel sorry for players like AAC and O’Connor, who get shunted from position to position at both SRU and International level.

  • old weary

    I was so angry after that game, but taking a breath and watching the game again last night, I am now just plain disappointed. Is this what the Tah’s fan’s feel like?

    Now a lot of focus has been on Beale, and yes he had a howler, but he has proven he has immense talent, and picking him was prob the right choice – I can’t see him making those same mistakes based off the talent we know he has. But this is my point. On pure talent, I would argue a large portion of the Wallabies out there are easily on par with a number of the AB players. So what is going on?

    The words I kept finding coming from my mouth were “Please, just give a sh1t!”. Walking to rucks and then doing nothing when there? How many passes where thrown behind the man, completely flat footed? Or never went to hand? That rubbish when they tried to run behind their own goal line?!? Tight forwards literally strolling to the breakdown that was 5 meters out or not working to get to an isolated man (basically conceding a turnover)?

    Timani, you weigh 125kgs! That is Bakkies Botha territory, so why don’t we see a similar impact at the rucks? No one, not at one ruck, hit the ruck to disrupt the AB ball (with the exception of Sharpie). All I could think of was Vickerman in the quarterfinal in the RWC, and how he flew into every ruck, and caused havoc for them. What annoyed me more, was the shots of the players after the game, having a laugh and joke with some of the AB’s. Seriously? It looked like Sharpie was the only one that was upset they played so badly.

    This weekend, I still think we can do it. I always do think the Wallabies will/ can win, however in my view, talent is not the issue and won’t be the reason for not being on the right side of the score this weekend.

    • jimmy

      You’ve hit the nail on the head mate. Those shots of Beale after the siren proved that he doesn’t give a fuck. He was having a great old time, laughing and smiling – immediately after playing the worst game of his life.

      I think this proves that the Aussie players don’t really care these days – it’s only the fans who care whether they win or lose.

      • David

        I haven’t seen that footage because I watched it live but I actually thought Beale did pretty well after the game. In his post match interview he was very up front in saying he had a shocker, and he’s sent out a number of apologetic tweets to fans. To me, he seems like the kind of bloke that would beat himself up about a performance like that, but I guess we’ll have to wait til Eden Park to see, if he plays that is.

    • Westy

      yes… this is what Tahs fans feel like

  • Nabley

    At the time I thought Higginbotham was a criminal as he dropped the ball and thought another lost opportunity (which it still was), but a later shot taken from a different angle showed what we TV watchers could not see; an AB cover defence well in place.

    • Fin

      I couldn’t catch the ball because the big kids scared me.

  • Razz

    A pack with serious size that doesnt show aggression. A backline with talent lacking confidence. A world class team making basic errors and showing little emotion when losing.

    For all you non-Waratahs supporters who have mocked us all year, now you know how weve felt watching the Tahs.

    Hurts dont it.

    • Brax

      It only hurts because there are so bloody many of the underperforming Tah’s in the test team!

  • http://www.facebook.com/RebuildTheWaratahs hannibal

    What does Beale have to do to get a 1? Punch the ref?

    • Red Kev

      Surely punching the ref would be worth a 10 not a 1. Especially after his laughable scrum penalties, French-speaking Irish tosser.

  • RedsHappy

    What does it say of this team’s management when

    - in probably the most important Test of year,

    - and at home in front of a huge crowd

    - and after weeks of self-lauded preparation

    - and supervised and trained by 3 new ARU ‘hand-picked’ assistant coaches

    …the average GAGR score per Australian Test player is 5.1 meaning ‘average – ho hum’?

  • Jimbo81

    why is Deans still employed?

    • jimmy

      EXACTLY. WHY OH FUCKING WHY.

  • Hooper for 12

    The whole team looked unfit and uncoached.

    • The Rant

      nah, they looked pretty deans coached to me

  • Hooper for 12

    The Wallabies have become so one-out. This sadly I fear is going to be the Dean’s legacy. So one-out can only mean that nothing is pre-planned or co-ordinated – this comes from this “just play whats in front of you” mantra. Firstly it is boring to watch and secondly does not seem to win big games. Its a team sport FFS – lets see some practised moves!!

  • Grease gun

    Barnes a 4. Nothing new, Tah’s moves, as Scott showed slowed the ball. A one out legend who can defend. Not an Ella’s eyebrow.

  • http://BigFella Big Fella

    Deans has never coached the Waratahs but the Wallabies play exactly the same style.
    Deans has coached the Crusaders but nothing in our Wallabies game resembles them…..what gives?

    Barnes would be the prototype No 10 for an All Blacks team to play against if they wanted an easy night.
    He stands flat footed and way too deep, has slow feet, no acceleration, a poor step, weak fend, is predictable and favours kicking and passing over running.

    • Hooper for 12

      Thats quite a profile!

  • danny

    Our Wallabies would do well to watch a State of Origin game. Any one of them that has been played, ever. Play with the intensity and termination of either team in any of those games, and they will do much better.

  • mad italian flyhalf

    I’d give Timani a 5.5 cause he ran all over the pitch like a mad man, though not sure about quality of his workrate

    Sharpe 7.5 and Diggers 7

    Fainga’a 5 at least solid, Horne 3 useless

    AAC… Well he’s been caught in no man’s land in first try, but he saved one against Gear and he was almost perfect under high ball, I give him 6 at least but sadly underused… Need to be desperately in midfield with barnes 12 ans qc 10

  • adc

    A 6 for Barnes is very generous, my conclusion from the game is that Barnes is a shithouse 10.

    I re-watched the game last night (I had shit seats at the ground and was surrounded by Kiwis on the night), most rucks Barnes stood 20 metres behind the gain line, received a pass standing still then passed the ball on without moving forward, his pass usually behind the man.

    I thought his kicking was average in the first half but improved a lot in the second half. I’d give him a 3, slightly better than Beale.

    On the others, I didn’t notice Dennis once during the game, maybe that means he played a classic blindside game but I’m more inclined to think he was just poor.

    Higgers plays like an extra winger, we need a real 8. He should be dropped along with Beale. Ant Fainga actually did ok, carried hard and tackled well. Soft porn Horne is a waste of space.

    Sharpie did some good stuff but also turned the ball over at least 4 times, althought one or two of those the defender didn’t roll away and got away with it. Timani was busier than usual but not particularly effective.

    The front row get a collective Meh, struggled in the scrum and didn’t contribute much around the ground. Aside from squeaky Moore the cupboards bare here though.

    Pocock, Genia, Diggers and AAC were the only guys to enhance there reputations.

    Deans out!!!

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