Wallabies player ratings: How the men in gold fared against South Africa

The Wallabies fell just short in their quest to win successive Tests in South Africa, losing against the Springboks 30-22 in Cape Town.

The Wallabies were forced to constantly reshuffle their lineup after being hit with a streak of injuries on a cow paddock of a field.

Here’s how the Wallabies rated.

1. Tom Robertson: Did very well in the scrum against the world-class tighthead Thomas du Toit and looks a lot more comfortable at loosehead. 6.5/10

2. Billy Pollard: Missed two crucial lineout throws that will disappoint him, but always a strong contributor in the loose. 6

3. Taniela Tupou: Gave away one scrum penalty, but it failed to blot another strong performance in the set piece against Ox Nche. Also played bravely through pain, after looking like he broke his fingers. His presence was essential to keeping the Wallabies in the game through set-pieces. 7

4. Nick Frost: Outstanding in the lineout again in Cape Town, but will be disappointed with being so easily blown off a tackle by South Africa’s Kwagga Smith leading to a try. 7

5. Will Skelton: South Africa came physically fired up after their shock defeat last Saturday at Ellis Park and Skelton’s muscular presence at the breakdowns and mauls was essential in keeping the Wallabies in the contest. 7

6. Tom Hooper: Another brilliant performance by the Exeter-bound breakaway, who is growing into a hard Test player to drop. Relentless in defence and with his carries. Also won six lineouts. 8.5

7. Fraser McReight: A breathless performance from the first-time skipper, leading his side with 17 tackles with none missed. Will be disappointed not to secure any turnovers and perhaps will regret his choice to turn down two kickable penalties. Hindsight is very easy at such times. 7

8. Rob Valetini: The two-time John Eales medallist has been badly missed by the Wallabies and carried for 37 hard metres in Cape Town, constantly setting South Africa’s defence on edge. 7.5

9. Nic White: Cruelly forced to leave the field after just 12 minutes after a heavy tackle from Kwagga Smith, made an outstanding kick for Toole’s try and his control at the base of the ruck was missed badly. N/A

10. James O’Connor: Will be disappointed with his missed kicks off the tee, particularly the perfect opportunity to send the Wallabies into a lead when Brandon Paenga-Amosa went over at 67 minutes. 6

11. Corey Toole: Shut up anyone who doubted whether he could perform in Test rugby. A try on his debut and ripped two turnovers from South Africa. He would have been even better on a dry track. 9

12. Len Ikitau: Constantly brave, taking the hard carries that few others would relish. A crucial link in the Wallabies attack. Will be disappointed with three missed tackles and needlessly getting pinged for being offside. 6

13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii: Not able to continue for the second half and had a difficult day in Cape Town. Dropped the ball early after an ambitious basketball pass from Wright and it set the tone for his performance where he never looked comfortable in attack or defence. 5.5

14. Max Jorgensen: Relished the aerial battle with the Springboks’ Cheslin Kolbe. Was tirelessly looking for opportunities to attack and was rewarded with a try. A world-class Test player at age 20 with scary amounts of potential. A shrewd signing for rugby for years to come. 8.5

15. Tom Wright: Cruelly injured and forced to leave the field after just four minutes. N/A

Bench players

16. Brandon Paenga-Amosa: Rewarded with a try for his tough carries. 7

17. Angus Bell: Added desperately needed power to the Wallabies carries and wriggled, rolled and muscled his way through the South African defence. 7.5

18. Zane Nonggorr: Growing into a very solid replacement tighthead option and held up scrum well after replacing Tupou. 7

19. Jeremy Williams: Two carries, three tackles after coming on with 33 minutes to go, had little time to impact the game. 5.5

20. Nick Champion de Crespigny: Only on for six minutes. N/A

21. Tate McDermott: Forced into action a lot earlier than expected and did his job well, but his sniping was not possible on the Cape Town cow paddock. 7

22. Tane Edmed: Played in the unfamiliar role of inside centre against the world champions on his second cap after a having a tough season in and out of the Waratahs team. Did brilliantly and added a second playmaker to complement O’Connor. Took an outstanding high ball on 57 minutes. 7.5

23. Andrew Kellaway: Was very unlucky to have been judged to have knocked on with a great chase-down tackle that almost led to a McReight try. Was the perfect replacement for Wright and was calm under immense pressure. The ultimate bench backline Swiss Army knife. 7

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