Wallabies Player Ratings vs the All Blacks

What a difference a week didn’t make. Even though we scored more points than last week. Even though we stopped them from scoring as many points as last week. Even though we outscored them in the second half. Even though we were only penalised 5 times. We were absolutely hammered by the dudes in black. HAMMERED.

There are possibly arguments that might say it was a lot closer than the scoreboard says. All those arguments rely heavily on a fair serving of “if”. If Williams wasn’t carded, would they have got that try? 21-36. If we had scored just before half-time instead of that intercept, 28-29. If we had just scored 1 more try from all those 22 entries, or in the last 10 minutes when 2 men up, 35-29. And there you have it: in just three little ifs, I’ve got us winning. If only.

“But where did it go wrong?” I asked last week, and I imagine this is what has been pinballing around inside Les Kiss’s head for a week or more; obviously, the first week’s worth of thinking didn’t realise the answer. Let’s face it, I certainly don’t have the answer to that either. Sorry, Les.

France, Ireland and South Africa came here with front-line players either rested or injured, as we started off with a reasonably full contingent of overseas players and returned stars, and were competitive in those games. Argentina saw both teams missing a couple of stars, and we came away with the chocolates. New Zealand came to the Bledisloe with their captain out and possibly their third-pick 10, but certainly weren’t resting any players. Eight games into the international season, and Kiss had lost two stars, Tupou and Hooper, back to Europe and lost his promising 10 to injury. But still, there was hope. Didn’t really think it could be done, but there was a possibility. The last two weeks, this All Black team demonstrated what player depth can do for a team.

The Underdog Rating System

So follows my take on the Aussie players, on the unbeatable Underdog 1–10 rating system.

1. Deadset liability
2. Absolute Barry Crocker
3. A bit of a dog’s breakfast
4. Yeah, nah, not his best
5. Punched the clock
6. Earned his post-match tinnie
7. Gave it a red-hot go
8. Absolute ripper
9. Played a deadset blinder
10. John Eales

Starting with the Team

The Wallabies – 4. Individually there were some good games played; as a team, though, the Wallabies were beaten by speed and accuracy. The defence was extremely disjointed, with the All Blacks making easy metres out wide through the gaps, and through half-breaks and offloads up the centre. The attack was one-dimensional, hot-potato, hot-potato stuff that led more often to a poor pass than a good result. Far too many passes into touch, and no-looks that don’t go to hand. This looks like something they actually practise, and it’s really letting them down in match situations when the man isn’t exactly where he was in the training run. This team was less than the sum of its parts.

The scrum held up, and each result went with the feed, and (correct me if I’m wrong) there were no scrum penalties, again. WOW, no scrum penalties, and if you take the score out of it, that was one of the best matches of rugby you could hope to see, again.

The cleanout was won by a more dominant and speedy team, on a regular basis, again.

The lineout only had one blemish, but Williams, similarly, also got up and stole one off them.

Defence and the running game were a tale of two cities: New Zealand had time; Australia was rushed and pressured. The first 43 minutes were an easy-metres feast for the Kiwis. AGAIN.

The Forwards

1. Ross – 5. Did his job and nothing else.

2. Nasser – 5. Compare his game to Codie Taylor. Made 15 tackles.

3. Alaalatoa – 5. 12 tackles and a few runs say he earned his beer, but missed a couple.

4. Williams – 6. Tries, cards, lineout steals, had it all, the good and the bad.

5. Salakaia-Loto – 5. Was almost invisible. A lazy knock-on after 8 phases in the 42nd minute led to a turnover, and 2 phases, a chip and regather, and another 5 phases, and NZ are in. The ball was passed out in front of him, but he had nothing to offer in attack.

6. Valetini – 5. Replaced early. 7 tackles, missed 3, 13 carries.

7. McReight – 6. Topped the tackle count and the carries count, but was kept at bay by the NZ structure.

8. Wilson – 5. High tackles and carries, but a real dumb kick. As captain, had nothing to offer the team behind the posts when they let in 6 first-half tries.

The Backs

9. Lonergan – 5. Took a kick-off and pumped down to the NZ 22, took the return kick in traffic, put up a nice contestable box kick, then jackalled the ball at an NZ ruck, and all that in the first 4 minutes. Then went through the motions till he was replaced.

10. Meredith – 6. Some aimless high midfield kicks, kick-offs into touch, and a penalty lineout kick went dead. Took the ball to the line well, one resulting in Williams’s try. Unlucky not to score a long-range try, then immediately saved a return long-range effort a couple of metres from his own line. Could come to more if the players around him get to know his game better.

11. Potter – 5. Didn’t get involved enough.

12. Henry – 5. Some good hard runs in the 12 channel for 5 defenders beaten, but couldn’t gel with his 13.

13. Suaalii – 5. Doesn’t look comfortable. Missed 5 tackles. Couple of offloads. Moved to the wing early in the second half.

14. Jorgensen – 6. Another good game from Jorgensen, who is building a bit of something with Wright. But often tries to do too much.

15. Tom Wrocks – 6. Shinier rock again, but interspersed with rubble.

The Bench

16. Pollard – 5. See 2. Nasser.

17. Bell – 6. Hope Kiss benefited from his benching of our best loosehead, as the Wallabies didn’t. Good effort from Bell, though.

18. De Lutiis – 5. Came on at 50 and did his job.

19. Canham – 6. Let’s hope he’s fully fit for November, as he looked to be the best on the field, but still managed to give away 2 penalties (though it all happened after the 43rd-minute full-time whistle).

20. Tizzano – 6. Possibly, with the Bledisloe lost, Tizzano should have started, as they had McReight’s number.

21. Thomas – 5. A pregnant pause at times before his pass, but that may be lack of time in the saddle.

22. McLaughlin-Phillips – 5. Only 7 minutes, and Wallaby #1001.

23. Daugunu – 6. As many rocks and diamonds as our esteemed fullback; did far better than the starting 13.

To me, this bunch looked like they just “punched the clock”, everyone relying on someone else to create something, except Jorgensen and Wright, who created; Meredith, who grew into the game and tried to create things; and then Williams, McReight and Wilson, who were perpetual motion.

The Coach and the Referees

The Coach – 5. Having lost the Bledisloe, this was another game where Kiss got to move his men around. Hope he got more out of it than I did.

The Referees – 7. International acclaim for Pearce in most pages I’ve read, and condemnation of the TMO, whose name is too hard to spell. A different take by our old friend from the Roar, Mzilikazi, who thinks Roigard should have rolled away from Meredith after he had brought him to ground on the try line, not continued to block his one dynamic movement to place the ball until he was on his feet again.

Maybe letter of the law, I agree; pity van der Westhuizen didn’t explain it that way to Pearce. And I thought Schneider only had to answer Pearce with a clear “he tried to get out of the way, just bad timing, not cynical”, but couldn’t find his tongue quick enough. Maybe it was cynical; a retreating player shouldn’t be running down the 9’s passing zones. (Pearce before match: “Hmmm, I’ll tick the offside at the lineout box today, that’ll win me praise.” Ticked.)

Mirt’s Final Word

This was another great game of fast-paced, hard rugby. This time, however, the Australians went into the sheds at half-time with a 29-point deficit, 36 soon after. That they came back against a team that had basically knocked it back a gear or two doesn’t gain the second-half players from getting any more rating points from me. A couple of consolation tries were allowed in before the All Blecks woke up again and refused us when they were a man or two down (this also came with the reintroduction of Taylor, coincidence?). How good is rugby when the scrums are used to restart play again after a mistake?

I reckon we’re a chance in ‘27. My hopes are building already.

The Howl of the Pack

Mirt has had his say. Now it’s your turn, rated straight from the stands and the couches.

The pack wasn’t howling at the moon this week. The starting XV averaged 5.11, which is Punched the clock territory, and the bench outscored the starters.

Top of the pack is Angus Bell on 6.52, with 15% of you calling him an Absolute ripper or better. Mirt gave him a 6, so the kennel and Mirt are roughly on the same page, although you nudged him past Jeremy Williams (6.48) for top billing.

Down in the kennel sits Aidan Ross on 3.73, with 33% of you rating him A bit of a dog’s breakfast or worse. Harry Potter wasn’t far behind on 3.88, and 39% of you put him at 3 or below.

The coaching team copped a 4.15, with 30% rating them 3 or worse. The pack is clearly not sold on the bench-the-best-loosehead experiment.

The ref fared better on 6.06, but that’s still almost a full point shy of Mirt’s generous 7.

The Pack v Mirt

The biggest divide was Aidan Ross. Mirt reckoned he Punched the clock, but the pack marked him 1.27 lower.

• Kinder than Mirt: nobody cleared a full point this week. The closest was Harry Wilson, at 5.85 v 5.
• Tougher than Mirt: Aidan Ross (3.73 v 5) and Harry Potter (3.88 v 5).

Most Divisive

Max Jorgensen split the pack, with ratings running all the way from 1 to 8. Punched the clock and Gave it a red-hot go each took 21%.

Most United

Filipo Daugunu brought the pack together, with 48% agreeing he Gave it a red-hot go.

Reader’s Player of the Match

Declan Meredith took the Top Dog with 33% of your votes.

Here is the final aggregate of our reader votes for Bledisloe 2 2026: