4 weeks ago
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It was a poor night at the office for the Wallabies in Udine, where impressive performances were few and far between. Let’s take a look at how the Wallabies players rated.
Angus Bell - 5
Seemingly hampered by a shoulder injury that saw him come off at halftime. Scored a strong try by powering through contact in tight near the line, but carrying in general play wasn’t as damaging as we’ve seen.
Matt Faessler - 5.5
A decent return for the Wallabies hooker, who scored a try, was accurate at lineout time, and carried and defended well. A few forward passes blotted Faessler’s copybook, though.
Taniela Tupou - 6
Continued a run of nice run form on tour with some strong carries and an aggressive defensive mindset. Picked up a penalty in one scrum - unfairly - but also gave away a penalty straight in front after throwing out an arm, which was lazy.
Nick Frost - 5
Industrious effort in the tight, and was strong at the lineout. But this was an evening where the Wallabies were outmuscled in contact areas, and you want your biggest men taking that personally and fixing it.
Nick Frost at the end of the Wallabies-Italy clash.Credit: Getty Images
Jeremy Williams - 5.5
Always works hard, and Williams again defended with energy. But breakdown work should be bread-and-butter for tight forwards and Australia were second-best.
Tom Hooper - 6.5
Arguably the only Wallaby ball-runner who made consistently good yardage when he carried. And Hooper trucked it up hard, particularly in the first half. Strong showing highlighted the odd decision by Joe Schmidt to not use his Exeter teammate Len Ikitau.
Tom Hooper of Australia looks for support from Matt Faessler.Credit: Getty Images
Fraser McReight - 7
The Wallabies’ best for a second consecutive week. Added more pilfers to his world-leading tally of turnovers in 2025, and added some welcome linespeed in the Wallabies’ defence, too.
Harry Wilson - 5
Effort is never in doubt, as seen by a team high 15 carries. But he was chopped for many and struggled to make any headway. Wilson is the heart of the side and the fact he looks weary and was beaten to the punch probably sums things up. Leadership-wise, the Wallabies went away from things that looked promising, ie rolling mauls and the scrum.
Jake Gordon behind the Wallabies’ scrum.Credit: Getty Images
Jake Gordon - 5
Clean as a whistle again on pass-kick skill (apart from a kick out on the full), and made a nice break in the first half. But it was far too rare. Wallabies attack is now far too predictable, and missing a probing threat near the ruck to keep defenders honest. Quick tap from a scrum after Tupou had won a penalty the scrum before was also a tad hasty.
Carter Gordon - 6
After 18 months out of rugby, this was a mostly impressive return for Gordon, who looked assured on the ball - and under the high ball, too. Made a nice linebreak and finished off a well-taken (though lucky) try. Carrying a quad injury, the lack of a kicking game limited Gordon’s options though, and the team’s. Italy had no trouble defending the Wallabies all night.
It was an impressive return from Carter Gordon.Credit: Getty Images
Corey Toole - 5.5
Some good contestable kick wins in the first half but rarely sighted in attack, and the fact there are no plays being deployed to use Australia’s fastest player - as seen with Max Jorgensen last week - points to a flawed attacking strategy.
Hunter Paisami - 5
Defended stoutly and carried often, but mostly as a battering ram. Paisami has good touch and skill, and the Wallabies use him to play second wave shapes, but it felt under-pressure and rushed all night. Not to mention over-done.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii - 4
Defended well until he got it horribly wrong in the second half and was yellow carded for a high shot. Has ridden his luck on high shots in rugby before this game. The card left the numbers stretched for Australia and led to Monty Ioane’s match-winning try. Had more attacking involvements but still runs too high into contact in rugby.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii of Australia makes a break.Credit: Getty Images
Harry Potter 4.5
It’s clearly part of Potter’s game to roam all over the field, and even get into rucks and mauls. But it has mixed results and can impact his core business as a winger. He was isolated on a few carries, and with heavy legs was also beaten on the outside by Ioane for his try.
Andrew Kellaway 4.5
When the Wallabies are on, Kellaway is usually a key cog. So when Kellaway is off, you know the Wallabies are too. A handful of mistakes from the usually assured fullback, with some dropped ball and a missed tackle on Louis Lynagh that allowed a try.
RESERVES
Billy Pollard 5
Limited involvement but got his set-piece work right.
Aidan Ross 5
Played a solid 40 minutes and kept the Wallabies scrum in good shape. Head-down, bump-up kind of player.
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Zane Nonggorr 5.5
Some strong carries from Nonggorr, who isn’t a noted ball carrier but showed what can be done with leg drive after contact. Several teammates need to take notes.
Rob Valetini 5.5
Showed his power in a very limited stint on the field, which again highlighted the unusual use of the bench by Joe Schmidt. Why you would not have Valetini playing at least 30-35 minutes in mystifying. If it was to keep him fresh for next week, the gamble backfired.
Pete Samu 4.5
Looked a little lost in limited minutes, beyond one clean-up mission from an intercept. You hope Samu gets more opportunity, and working in the wide channels where he is effective.
Ryan Lonergan na
Limited minutes, which doesn’t allow for much beyond the basics.
Tane Edmed 5
Came on when Gordon went off injured, and didn’t change the picture for a Wallabies side who were already getting slow ball and were predictable.
Filipo Daugunu 6
Nice strong punch in several carries in the midfield - one of the few to really penetrate. Again, the question is why was a guy with fresh legs left on the bench for so long.
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