15. Israel Folau: 6
We were all waiting for him to explode into life once again, as we seem to have been doing all tournament, but it just didn’t quite happen. Perhaps that ankle niggle is more niggly than we thought. He was solid and always seemed to tie in a couple of defenders, but no fireworks.
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper: 7
Utterly invisible in the first half, although that was hardly his fault. However, he grew into the game in the second half and his awareness created his side’s second score, spotting the space for Genia to chip into. He remains a class act.
13. Tevita Kuridrani: 5.5
Perhaps a tad harsh for someone who showed good support play to score a crucial try (although it did look as if he was running through treacle) but he looked outclassed to me in the midfield. A bit of a blunt instrument in attack, he was pretty well dealt with and defensively he was ropey in terms of his positioning, too.
12. Matt Giteau: 6
Showed signs of promise and authority before being forced from the field after being flattened by Brodie Retallick. A real shame that the man who only played a bit-part in the 2003 Final at the start of his international career had to endure a similar role at the end of it.
11. Drew Mitchell: 6.5
Perhaps the Wallabies’ most potent attacking threat, he seemed to wriggle out of tackles at will and beat a number of defenders. Unfortunately, the ball seemed to bounce out of his hands an uncharacteristically noticeable number of times, including just before Barrett’s game-winning score.
10. Bernard Foley: 6
Targeted in defence but he stood up well and certainly did not crumble. He did, however, lack the utter authority of his opposite number and, although he certainly caught the eye with some trademark jinks and some solid kicking, he was over-shadowed by his fellow number 10. Then again, there’s no shame in that.
9. Will Genia: 7
Has grown again this tournament after a year or two in the doldrums, and his communication and execution for Kuridrani’s second try was very impressive. Gave good service throughout the game but we didn’t see too much sniping around the fringes.
1. Scott Sio: 6.5
He was massively important for the Wallabies at scrum time, and we saw them struggle once the big loosehead left the field. He won an early penalty against Franks and from then on seemed to almost have the upper-hand without quite making it count.
2. Stephen Moore: 4.5
He has to hold his hands up and take a share of the blame for a lineout which fell apart when it was needed most. Bloodied and brave as ever, that sadly doesn’t always cut it at the top level (see Steve Borthwick for further evidence). That said, Moore is a class act and will bounce back.
3. Sekope Kepu: 5.5
Honours even in the scrum and a couple of big bursts were impressive but – let’s be honest – he was a lucky boy to stay on the field after clattering Carter illegally a couple of times. Unnecessarily risky from the prop and, as it turned out, it had no effect whatsoever on the Kiwi playmaker.
4. Kane Douglas: 6
A real shame he was forced off so early, because he has provided real bite to the Wallaby dressing room. Looked aggressive and up for it in the 15 minutes he was on, but an awkward knee injury curtailed his involvement.
5. Rob Simmons: 4.5
Like Stephen Moore, Simmons (as the lineout caller) has to share the responsibility for a predictable and shaky platform that was probably a key component of the loss. Full blooded and committed in the loose, he was also unfortunately conspicuous when it came to getting on the wrong side of the law.
6. Scott Fardy: 6
He made a couple of crucial turnovers which underlined why he should never be overlooked as such a key component of the Wallaby back row, but he was also guilty of being a little bit flimsy in the tackle – slipping off three, which helped the waves of Black build their momentum.
7. Michael Hooper: 7.5
Very impressive, even in defeat. He was absolutely everywhere as usual – charging about, clattering into people, and he pinched a couple of turnovers, too. Sometimes his over-enthusiasm to make the big hit led to him dropping off tackles, but with Pocock in the side his primary function is to cause chaos. And he did that well… albeit not well enough.
8. David Pocock: 8.5
Another breakdown masterclass from a man who is surely Player or the Tournament. Not only did he win three turnovers, but he also topped the tackle charts with 13 and controlled the rolling maul well to kick-start the fightback. He would have been utterly dominant, were it not for a very, very special display by the greatest flanker of his (or probably any) generation on the other side.
By Mike Cooper (@RuckedOver)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images