Rugby News Tuesday – Green & Gold Rugby

July 16, 2024 #001

Week 2 of early testing season.

What a weekend of rugby testing!

Another great weekend of rugby, with Test matches galore across the world. Bris’ recap can be read here.

Bris would not be covering the Wallaroo game, so I will start the article with a short summary. Then I will compile an international team of the week from the games of the Rugby Championship teams and finish the article with some news of the day.

Wallaroos vs Black Ferns

The Wallaroos played their first game at Ballymore on a glorious Sunday afternoon in Brisbane. The Wallaroos can expect no more glory and they will have to wait a while longer to break that hoodoo.

The first half

The Wallaroos had some possession in the early stages but were unable to force a breakthrough. An uncharacteristic mistake by Friederichs allowed the Black Ferns to gain possession. They got to work: strong carries, good hands, nice running lines and supporting play saw hooker Ponsonby run a great running line and score their first try within 5 minutes.

As the Wallaroos gained some possession, another error led to more strong carries and support play from the Black Ferns (this was a theme that would continue throughout the afternoon), and they were back in the corner with openside flanker Sae finishing off a superb passage of play. A sideline conversion for 14-0.

The Black Ferns got on the scoreboard twice more in quick succession. It may be a matter of luck that Tui and Vahaakolo can kick a few times well, but teams create their own luck by running hard and wanting to score the ball. After 23 minutes it was 24-0 and the Black Ferns clearly had the Wallaroos in their power.

The Wallaroos really couldn’t get anything going their way, whether it was the captain Leonard touching a turnover ball, or too many passes behind the player, the game broke down when it looked promising. Whether it was the defensive pressure from the Black Ferns, or the Wallaroos giving them too much respect, they really struggled to impose themselves on the game. Eva Karpani did try to score from the back of a rolling maul, but couldn’t get the ball on the ground and it was disallowed.

The Wallaroos’ lineout and scrum worked well in the first half and you could see the commitment from the players, but they just couldn’t cope with the power, supporting play and offloads of the Black Ferns.

Vahaakolo was back for her second try in the 36th minute and nearly had a third at half-time, with the Black Ferns going into the sheds with a 29-0 lead.

The second half

Vahaakolo scored again in the 41st minute for her hat-trick after a stunning solo run to put the Kiwis ahead 36-0.

The Wallaroos were still unable to pull off any tricks in the second half. Two early setbacks, one on a restart and one in an attempt to collect a loose Kiwi pass, left the Black Ferns with possession. Given the mood they were in, that spelled trouble.

Jo Yapp brought up some reserves early in the second half and it gave the team a boost. Masters had a heavy shot in midfield and the Wallaroos were awarded a turnover penalty on 50 minutes but the Black Ferns stole the lineout and half a dozen phases later outside centre Brunt took the ball to the line and threw a neat grubber which they themselves attacked. Another side line conversion put the Kiwis up 43-0.

Piper Duck suffered a nasty dislocated finger which forced her to leave the pitch after 55 minutes. She is clearly a tough cookie as she walked off the pitch quite calmly and took the time to greet the bench players before heading down the tunnel.

Bella McKenzie saw cheese as a deliberate knockout, but it’s notable that the referee called this in real time, without replays or forensic examination.

Vahaakolo got her fourth try in the 61st minute after another Wallaroos error inside their 22, and the Black Ferns threw the ball through their hands. 48-0 Vahaakolo was denied a fifth try in the 72nd minute due to the vagaries of the bouncing ball.

Debutante Lolohea scored a try in the 74th minute and a penalty after the whistle completed the score: 62-0.

It was definitely a tough outing for the Wallaroos and they still have a few months before they get another chance on the field. There is still a lot of work to be done for Jo Yapp and the Wallaroos if they want to challenge the Black Ferns and other top teams.

Wallabies vs Wales Player Ratings

I offer the player ratings below based on my first viewing of the game, a second viewing of the minigame, and some incidental news I read today. I’m using the traditional G&GR rating system (with a slight tweak to the 5-score) as follows, and will accept all positive feedback on what I did well. I know there’s some duplication with the post-game review ratings, but I wanted to maintain the format for an ongoing tally.

Rating system:
10 – A legendary achievement that will go down in history
9 – Performance worthy of Man of the Match
8 – Excellent
7 – Good game, great in some points
6 – Solid performance
5 – Average, a pass
4 – Below average
3 – Had a bad match
2 – Tell your story, walking buddy
1 – A complete joke.

#1 James Slipper: Slips took the role of captain in this match and was good on the field. Good power in contact. 6

#2 Matt Faessler: The lineout struggled this week, possibly due to rain and changes due to the absence of Liam Wright. 5

#3 Taniela Tupou: A much quieter night from the big man. 5

#4 Jeremy Williams: Played a lot of minutes on his debut, made a solid contribution on both sides and felt right at home on the big stage. Congratulations Jeremy, and on to many more games in Gold. 6

#5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto: Another major setback for LSL this week: a high tackle and a yellow card. 5

#6 Bob Valetini: Bobby V keeps scoring, with huge tackles, lots of hits and many meters after the contact. 8

#7 Fraser McReight: Got himself in position to assist Daugunu for the first try. In the thick of the action and big turnovers all night. 7

#8 Charlie Cale: Charlie Cale made his debut as a starter and immediately went for it. No highlights from the free run, but a professional performance. 6

#9 Jake Gordon: Another good game for Gordon, who kicks well, passes well, shows positive leadership and is a meat pie. Goal line defence in the moments leading up to his try. 7

#10 Noah Lolesio: Another educational game for Noah, who came in for some criticism for a botched tackle on the Welsh winger, but Wright missed it and Fraser was caught in the tackle. 5

#11 Filipo Daugunu: Filipo followed up last week’s good performance with his best ever game. Two tries, both from great off-the-ball efforts, set the standard for the rest of the Wallabies. 9

#12 Hunter Paisami: The Squatter carried the ball often and made his tackles on a night that was not suited to extended play in the back. 6

#13 Josh Flook: Didn’t get many chances with the ball in this game, but did make his tackles. 6

#14: Andrew Kellaway: That chip kick and regather for the first attempt. Otherwise solid as you would expect. 6

#15 Tom Wright: Tom Wright had another good game, he had a loose carry or two but it was wet and he is really an extra playmaker in the back. 7

#16 John Nasser: The Queenslander made his debut off the bench. Was solid when he came on. 5

#17 Isaak Kailea: It was good again from the couch. 6

#18 Allan Alaalatoa: 7As came onto the field at half time and was busy preparing. Scored his first test try. 6

#19 Angus Blyth: Another solid performance. 6

#20 Langi Gleeson: An important lineout steal. 6

#21 Nic Wit: A downward kick disrupted other good work. 5

#22 Ben Donaldson: A good substitution, a consistent performance and an important penalty that decided the match. 6

#23 Dylan Pietsch: Didn’t enter the field. n/a

Team assessment

Overall I would give the Wallabies another team rating of 6. They started brilliantly but allowed the Welsh to get back into the game. The Maul defence was almost non existent but they worked hard around the field to create some lucky chances. Ultimately it is a test match against a true international team and the Wallabies found a way to win.

Team of the week

Another big disclaimer, or confession, it is much easier to choose from games where you see the whole game and also know the players. I struggled to get into the Argentina vs France game, it was exciting but there are a lot of new players, especially for France. The reserves are a combination of players who came off the bench, or the second best in the position they started.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Other news

A great sled behind 2 poles tonight. The panel were talking about Kellaway’s chip kick, how he landed it and how bad it was, when Michael Hooper called it, “it was almost like Bernard Foley Clearance”.

Jock stays with the Reds

Good news for the Reds, Jock Campbell has re-signed with the Reds for next year. I’m sure he’ll do well against Wales this week. Speaking of Wales, hopefully all the Reds players who aren’t in the Wallabies matchday squad can be released to come back and play for Qld against what you’d expect to be a full strength Welsh team.

Australians under 20 are allowed to play and win.

Australia’s U20s secured a 36-29 victory over Wales, with Qld Reds half-flyer Harry McLaughlin-Phillips leading the junior Wallabies around the park. Of course the photo is from the match against the Italians, before the field got too wet.

I’m sure there’s a lot more to tell, but I’ll save that for Yowie, Karl and Happyman later this week.

That’s it for me for this week, now it’s time for you, G&GR’s.