15. Kurtley Beale: 6.5
Not an electric display by any means, but I did enjoy the width he offered when joining the line. Doesn’t have the menace of Israel Folau (who does?) but when the Aussies were looking at their best, it was usually when Beale was spreading the play with his slick hands.
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper: 7
Defensively solid but relatively quiet going forward, although he finished well for the opening score. Hugged the touchline more than usual as the Wallabies tried to stretch Scotland, but I like to see him off Foley’s shoulder, where he can be so effective.
13. Tevita Kuridrani: 8
I have to admit to thinking he’s a bit of a blunt instrument in an otherwise top-drawer Australian backline but he did everything expected of him against the Scots. Barged off Tommy Seymour to set up Ashley-Cooper and showed good power to wriggle over for a crucial score in the second half.
12. Matt Giteau: 6
A solid display in the middle from the new centurion, who is now sporting a positively regal beard to go with his status as the Wallabies’ most capped centre. He wasn’t perhaps as involved as he would have liked to have been though but made good decisions when required.
11. Drew Mitchell: 8
Missed out on an early score when he spilled a bullet pass from Foley but he made up for it with two smart finishes, going in low at the corner and holding his width well. Such a canny operator to have on the flank.
10. Bernard Foley: 5
Talk about hot and cold – this was almost a Quade Cooper-esque performance as he delivered the good and the bad in equal measure. His missed kicks at goal were nearly so costly, as was his ridiculously slow decision to chip ahead, which led to the charge-down try, but some of his distribution was razor sharp and, when it mattered, he showed that he had balls the size of boulders to kick the winning points.
9. Will Genia: 7
His best game in a gold jersey for some time. His decision making and authority were impressive – never more so when he exploited Maitland’s sin-binning to put Mitchell into the corner for a score in the second half.
1. Scott Sio: 4
Probably his toughest day in a Wallaby jersey. I disagreed with many of the calls at the scrum – where I thought he was at the wrong end of some poor decisions – but, at the end of the day, he didn’t adapt his game appropriately and paid the price. Shares the blame for an atrocious lack of concentration around the ruck defence for the first Scottish try, too.
2. Stephen Moore: 6
Another new centurion, though lacks the facial hair – in fact, hair in general – of Giteau. Defensively as solid as ever and was a key cog in the rolling maul machine that seemed to be on top for most of the game. Didn’t have it all his way in the set piece though and has to take some responsibility for that.
3. Sekope Kepu: 5
Quieter about the park than he has been in recent games and was part of a scrum that largely came off second-best – although the majority of the problems appeared to be happening on the other side.
4. Kane Douglas: 7
More impressive industry for the lock who has seen his reputation soar this tournament. He was aggressive in the loose and is one of the go-to lineout options in the Wallaby set piece.
5. Rob Simmons: 6
Like his partner in crime, Simmons was a physical presence around the park and matched up well to the brute force offered by the Gray brothers. But he loses a mark for playing his part in the dozy ruck defence that allowed the quick-thinking Peter Horne to waltz over in the first half.
6. Scott Fardy: 7.5
Had a hell of a tussle with Blair Cowan at the breakdown and around the park in general, and probably finished on a score draw with his opposite number. Stepped up to the plate at the breakdown in the absence of Pocock and, although he didn’t have as much success as his Brumbies buddy, he was effective in slowing down Scottish ball.
7. Michael Hooper: 6.5
A mixed bag really. He played with his customary energy level which borders around the ‘manic’ mark, and showed good control for his try in the rolling maul, too. But his technique at the breakdown didn’t quite hit the mark and I think it’s fair to say that John Hardie probably won that particular battle.
8. Ben McCalman: 6
Another man to have an epic face-off with his opposite number, McCalman certainly matched Denton for workrate but you’d be hard-pushed to say he had anywhere near the same impact as his Scottish counterpart, especially with the ball in hand.
Replacements: 4
Most of those introduced were solid and committed in difficult conditions, particularly Nick Phipps, but James Slipper will have nightmares for years about the time he nearly, literally, handed the game to Scotland. I don’t think many coaches consider, when introducing their reserve prop into proceedings, that a match-losing floated intercept pass is a potential risk they need to think about.
By Mike Cooper (@RuckedOver)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
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