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SA v Aus: Wallaby player ratings
Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:39
Australia not only kept alive their Tri-Nations dreams, and consigned South Africa to another season at the foot of the table, with their 27-15 win over the Springboks in Durban on Saturday, they also set up a decider against the All Blacks in Brisbane on September 13.
It was a great comeback from the Wallabies, after their 10-39 loss to New Zealand in Auckland earlier this month, as they again showed up the Springboks at the breakdown.
But there were other areas where they overpowered South Africa. Full marks to Robbie Deans for his tactical appreciation of the game, good selections and astute coaching.
rugby365's Jan de Koning rates the Wallaby players:
15 Drew Mitchell:
He was rock steady on defence and always looking for work. Maybe not the world's greatest counter attacking player, but sound allround. 6/10
14 Peter Hynes:
Very ordinary display for a very talented player and that on a day when the Aussies backs were far superior. 4/10
13 Stirling Mortlock (captain):
Typical Stirling performance from the Wallaby captain - strong, straight running and great break for his try. 10/10
12 Berrick Barnes:
Took an early knock and never looked comfortable. Replaced 20th minute. 2/10
11 Lote Tuqiri:
Good obstructive running and good on him for getting away with it. Poor hands at time, but great running for his try. Still a threat on the attack. 6/10
10 Matt Giteau:
Tactically he simply outplayed Butch James and showed that brains can beat brawn any day. Those little grubbers had the Boks' defensive line at sixes and sevens all day. 8/10
9 Sam Cordingley:
Steady and a great service to Giteau. Nothing too flash, but he did what he was paid to do and made no mistakes. 6/10
8 Wycliff Palu:
Abrasive and strong at the breakdown. He is forming a great partnership with George Smith and Rocky Elsom. Deans has his mix right. 7/10
7 George Smith:
Several great steals ... as usual, great on defence and allround showed the Bok loose forwards up. Remains a world class poacher. 8/10
6 Rocky Elsom:
Strong as always and hard-working. He got away with some skullduggery, but his face looked he went 10 rounds with a world heavyweight champion. 7/10
5 Daniel Vickerman:
A couple of clean line-out takes and hard work around the park till he went off in 35th minute. The Wallabies missed him. 6/10
4 James Horwill:
He had a quiet day by his standards, but he also did some yeoman work around the park. His injury will also concern the Wallabies. 6/10
3 Matt Dunning:
Struggled in the scrums and got tackled backwards whenever he tried to run the ball. Remains the most overrated prop in international rugby and was replaced. 2/10
2 Stephen Moore:
Hard-working and clever at scrums, knowing full well his team is always under pressure. Great use of delaying tactics at scrum time. 6/10
1 Benn Robinson:
Good try and great vision to see the gap. Ordinary at scrum time, but good workrate. 5/10
Replacements:
16 Tatafu Polota-Nau (on for Horwill in the 79th minute):
Not long enough to be rated
17 Al Baxter (on for Dunning - 56th minute):
The Aussie scrums were more steady, although his impact elsewhere was not as effective as you would have liked. 5/10
18 Dean Mumm (on for Vickerman in the 35th minute):
He did not back away from a scarp with the Boks and brought a physical edge to the game. 6/10
19 Phil Waugh (on for Palu in 48th minute - just blood - on for Palu 78th minute):
Not enough time on the field to be rated
20 Brett Sheehan (on for Cordingley in the 55th minute):
Steady, rather than spectacular. Did his job and nothing more. 5/10
21 Timana Tahu (on for Hynes 56th minute):
One great run and a fine tackle. Certainly an improvement. 6/10
22 Ryan Cross (on for Barnes in the 20th minute):
Strong on the run and stood up well in the tackle. Looked for work and kept the Bok defenders busy all afternoon. 6/10
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Originally Posted by jazza93
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