15. Ben Smith: 6.5
New Zealand have struggled to find their rhythm throughout the pool stages but Ben Smith is one player who can go into the next round feeling confident about his form. He was put under pressure in defence against Tonga and made some errors but was generally composed and threatening in attack, going over for a well worked try in the first half.
14. Nehe Milner-Skudder: 6.5
Scored two tries and was named Man of the Match, he has surely earned himself a starting sport for their quarter final clash. His footwork and strength were on show and he gave a glimpse on his speed to score from Beauden Barrett’s kick through.
13. Conrad Smith: 5
Another uneven performance from Smith who didn’t pose much of a threat and made a few errors with ball in hand.
12. Ma’a Nonu: 6
A special moment for Nonu to score on his 100th cap. He helped New Zealand get over the gainline with his typically direct running but nothing spectacular from the centurion.
11. Waisake Naholo: 5
A dropped ball when the All Blacks had a simple overlap opportunity summed up a forgettable performance. Made a couple of runs but overall lacked impact, and may well lose his spot to Savea.
10. Daniel Carter: 6
An improved display from Carter in comparison to his performance against Georgia last week. Crucially he was more successful with the boot and opened some gaps in Tonga’s defensive line.
9. Aaron Smith: 6
Combined much more confidently with Carter and marshalled the forwards well, particularly in the second half when New Zealand had weathered the Tongan storm. A nice offload to Sonny Bill Williams for his try in the second half was Smith at his best.
1. Tony Woodcock: 4.5
Poor old Tony Woodcock. An injury in the second half marked the end of both his World Cup and international career having amassed 118 caps. Apart from a try in the first half he was having issues in every area with Tonga putting him under big pressure. A sad end to a great career.
2. Dane Coles: 5
Loses points for the issues at the scrum and lineout but made up for it in other areas of the pitch. At times Coles looks more like a back and a particularly amusing attempt at a crossfield kick illustrated the confidence he has in his ball-playing abilities.
3. Owen Franks: 4.5
The scrum will be one of Steve Hansen’s biggest worries having been put under pressure by a few lower tier teams and even the experience of Owen Franks couldn’t stop the New Zealand scrum from going backwards.
4. Luke Romano: 5
Made some good early runs but was guilty of a few handling errors and looked second best in a few collisions; expect Brodie Retallick to come straight back in.
5. Samuel Whitelock: 5.5
Once again Whitelock put in a tireless performance. He has been solid throughout the pool matches but will need to take it to the next level to overcome some of the world class second rows that New Zealand will meet later in the competition.
6. Jerome Kaino: 5
As expected Tonga came out of the gates flying in the first half and for a while were overwhelming New Zealand at the breakdown where Kaino was left floundering on a couple of occasions. Gradually grew into the game but has yet to show any of the form that was on display at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
7. Sam Cane: 6
Part of a pack that had issues coping with Tonga’s big runners but showed great footwork and hands to set up Ben Smith’s try in the first half and got one of his own in the second. He has proved himself to be a worthy deputy to McCaw.
8. Kieran Read: 5
New Zealand struggled to deal with Tonga’s physicality, particularly in the first half and Read paid the price when sent to the bin for collapsing a dominant Tongan maul. Read has admitted the forwards will have to up their game in the quarter finals and they certainly can’t afford to take such a long time to impose themselves.
Replacements: 6.5
New Zealand’s strength from the bench has been the difference in all four of their matches. Just as Tonga began to tire they were able to bring on the likes of Keven Mealamu and Sonny Bill Williams. Beauden Barrett’s kick through for Milner-Skudder’s try was a particular highlight.
By Joe Ogden (@JoeOgden90)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
Ogden’s Nut gone flake?
Perhaps because previous scores have been perceived by some as on the high side, Oggers has erred on the side of caution here & marked the whole team down!? I’m assuming these scores are out of 10, not 5!?
IMO it’s true to state that, generally, the ABs have knocked on & turned over too often thus far in the tourney. On the other hand, they’ve pulled finger @ times when necessary & upped tempo or changed tactics & subbed players to get the job done. They’ve also scored tries & points aplenty… without shipping too many casualties to date.
They will need to cut out the error rate though… & then they should hopefully get higher marks.
Unfortunately Don these scores always seem to get adjusted according to expectation.
NZ expected to totally dominate therefore when they largely dominate its seen as not performing to their potential
Think maybe you’re right!
Was at the game and I don’t think the ABs were at their best but they didn’t need to be, still look like they might have a couple more gears to go up if they need to.
Hope you’re right!