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Wallabies player ratings: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalli shines on debut: Planet Rugby
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Wallabies player ratings: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalli shines on debut: Planet Rugby

Following the Wallabies’ dramatic 42-37 win over England at Allianz Stadium, here are our player ratings for Joe Schmidt’s Australian side.

Electric backline

15 Tom Wright: What a feeling of attack. Wright went from being left out of the Wallabies side to being the main threat on the counter-attack. The fullback oozes creativity and has had another foray into Wallabies gold. Outstanding effort with an attempt to match. 9

14 Andrew Kellaway: The experienced man appeared in heaps on the Twickenham stage, complete with a crucial try in the second half where he collected a loose ball to run unopposed. Elsewhere, he was lively with the ball in hand and made plenty of carry yards. 7

Star debut

13 Joseph-Aukuso Questions: Absolutely impressive. Now it wasn’t the perfect outing, but considering he just made his rugby debut against England at Twickenham with such a lack of fuss, it shows his immense quality. There were question marks when Schmidt picked the million dollar man, but he has produced the goods. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, remember this name because a special wallaby was born today. 9

12 Len Ikitau: The center highlighted his ability to get away from the game with that backdoor dare that set up Max Jorgensen for the game-winner. Ikitau has been inspiring throughout with his heavy carrying, elusive running and attacking. We were interested to see how he would fare at 12 and if the living man had hit the ground running. 8

11 Dylan Pietsch: Strong. This was really the first time the winger really announced himself on the Test scene as a member of a fiery back-three. Although he is the most inexperienced of the backs, it didn’t show as he got his hands on the ball and crossed the line three times, making good yards in the process. 7

10 Noah Lolesio: Much better for the spinner who has been much more assured in this Test and his team has really benefited from it. Lolesio is far from the finished product, but seeing him take a step closer to fulfilling his potential has been a joy to watch. 7

9 Jake Gordon: A big part of Lolesio’s turnaround was the confidence given to the fly half by Gordon’s consistently solid play. His distribution was good, he hit hard and showed he was a great option to start the game, although Tate McDermott’s cameo was electric. 6

England stunned by Wallabies as dramatic debutant try puts pressure on Steve Borthwick

Planet Rugby Player Rating Key 10 - Career-defining performance 9 - Absolutely successful effort 8 - Significantly influenced the outcome of the game 7 - Committed and effective output 6 - Flashes of brilliance outside of the fundamentals of execution 5 - Fulfilling the role required by the position (basic level) ) 4 - Poor execution of fundamentals 3 - Costly mistakes and/or game discipline 2 - Poor performance that directly affected the result 1 - Very ineffective throughout 0 - Should have carried water insteadPlanet Rugby Player Rating Key 10 - Career-defining performance 9 - Absolutely successful effort 8 - Significantly influenced the outcome of the game 7 - Committed and effective output 6 - Flashes of brilliance outside of the fundamentals of execution 5 - Fulfilling the role required by the position (basic level) ) 4 - Poor execution of fundamentals 3 - Costly mistakes and/or game discipline 2 - Poor performance that directly affected the result 1 - Very ineffective throughout 0 - Should have carried water instead

8 Harry Wilson: Now he’s really settling into the commander role thanks to his high tackle and carry numbers, as is ALWAYS the case. The tireless eight was rewarded for his epic turnaround with the Wallabies’ first try. Schmidt has moved between the captains this year, but Wilson seems to be a man built for the role. 8

7 Fraser McReight: It’s as if that shadow of Michael Hooper has been completely lifted, with the Reds flanker doing his best impression of the great captain. McReight is consistently on top and is simply a world-class open flanker. He became very important to Australia. 9

6 Robert Valetini: *Insert standard Valetini info… In all seriousness, the 2024 John Eales Medal winner pulled off another storming performance in which he had no regard for his own safety and spent 80 minutes launching into his opponents english people 7

5 Jeremy Williams: Many will say his try should not have stood, but it was just reward for a very encouraging start to Williams’ Test career. It was his best international outing with a solid exit performance and a busy contribution in the loose. 8

4 Nick Frost: The more experienced of the two second rows and just as hardworking as Williams. Frost has grown under Schmidt and ultimately the tight five ticks the boxes that give the Wallabies options. An important figure for Schmidt. 8

3 Taniela Tupou: The hulking prop wouldn’t be happy with his return to the scrum, but he has grown into a game in the overall game. We are yet to see that breakthrough performance of one-of-a-kind talent. 6

2 Matthew Faessler: An intelligent rugby player who made some solid contributions for his team. Clearly the prostitute in office and a warrior in gold today. 6

1 Angus Bell: NINE DEFENSES BEAT! No, that’s not Cheslin Kolbe’s tip, you read that right, Angus Bell has beaten nine players against England. That alone is sensational, but Bell was a rock in the scrum and defended like a warrior. It’s so good to see such a strong performance from a man who has really struggled with injury over the last couple of years. 9

Substitutes: This is an area that Schmidt understood. McDermott was absolutely electric and caught England without a pillar which resulted in Wilson’s try. Elsewhere, the forwards brought energy and big bodies as Jorgensen galloped to the winner with the clock running red. 8

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