The Wallabies rounded out a forgettable year with another defeat. How did the players rate?
Scott Sio 5
Scrum didn’t perform under pressure in the first half when England turned up the heat. Rarely sighted carrying, which is a shame given his power.
Tolu Latu 5
Mostly anonymous shift from the Wallabies hooker but scrum issues also a problem. Lineout accuracy was a positive.
Sekope Kepu 5.5
Back at favoured tighthead but couldn’t deny England scrum dominance. Some decent running and a nice pass to Folau for his first try in the plus column.
Adam Coleman 6.5
Again led the way with aggressive defence and led the lineout well but efforts weren’t replicated enough by others.
Izack Rodda 6
Robbed of a try by shocking blunder by referee Jaco Peyper but as the bigger man arguably should have powered over Farrell anyway, despite the illegal tactics. Lineout much improved but a loose collection at the set-piece let in a last England try.
Jack Dempsey 6
Always looked decent when carrying the ball but the Wallabies backrow was unquestionably outplayed by the English trio, and collectively they let them get way too much yardage.
Michael Hooper 7
Lion-hearted shift from the skipper but fighting a lost cause one-out. Carried hard and made a mountain of tackles - stopping a try on the line. But leadership in other areas was perhaps lacking: a failure to press Peyper hard for a replay on the Rodda incident and lack of awareness to change a failing game-plan in the second half.
Pete Samu 5.5
Called up late and never looked like a dominant figure on either side of the ball. Samu’s strength at the Crusaders, funnily enough, was ball-running. Barely seem him carry this year.
Will Genia 6
Not a bat-raising kind of result for Genia, which is a huge shame. His organisation and calm helped the Wallabies across the distance but disconnect with halves early was costly. Love to see him running and playing more out of nine.
Matt To'omua 4.5
Not a memorable game for To'omua either, particularly as a game manager. When the Wallabies needed to build pressure in the second half, short kicking gave the ball away cheaply time and again. Chasing wide space again proved to be fool’s gold. To'omua is worth persisting with as a class playmaker but needs to be playing hard and flat at the line, and kicking long.
Jack Maddocks 5.5
Showed some really strong touches in the first half when given half a chance, and defended well too. Didn’t re-appear after the break though.
Bernard Foley 4
Has ever looked happy or in control playing at 12. Just not his spot. Another guilty of chasing wide space and quick kills when time and pressure with the ball was called for. Defensively didn’t fit with Toomua, either, and both made errors.
Samu Kerevi 5
The lack of involvement for Kerevi in attack told the tale of the Wallabies’ flawed game strategy. The no.13 is the most damaging runner and like Ben Te’o should be running hard lines at 12. Instead he saw the ball sail over his head.
Dane Haylett-Petty 6
Showed terrific feet several times and was at the centre of when the Wallabies looked dangerous in attack. But also gave up a try with a missed tackle and his charge-down early doors also led to an England score.
Israel Folau 6.5
Scored a sizzling first-half try - and finished another after the siren - but again, a lack of similar flat touches showed the Wallabies’ flawed approach in playing too deep. They rarely made England sweat in defence.
REPLACEMENTS
Tatafu Polota-Nau 5
Settled the scrum, threw well and carried okay but the game was drifting out of reach when he came on. One of the best weapons when building attacking pressure but never got the chance.
Jermaine Ainsley 4.5
Didn’t make a discernible impact when he came on.
Allan Alaalatoa 5
Tried to bring punch from the bench but didn’t get any opportunities to influence the result.
Rob Simmons 4.5
Got through his work but no huge impact.
Ned Hanigan 4.5
Tried to muscle up but didn’t get far. England defence stopped him at the line.
Nick Phipps 4.5
Given 13 minutes to try and bring energy to the Wallabies but the game was all-but gone.
Sefa Naivalu 4
Almost gave away a try with a loose pass near the England line. Another who didn’t make an impact.
Marika Koroibete 4.5
Didn’t get any ball in a short spell.
