AUSTRALIA PLAYER RATINGS FOR THE FIRST RUGBY TEST AGAINST ENGLAND
Israel Folau: Bagged a try, threw the last pass for another and coughed one up with a wild pass that gave England a sniff. 6.5
Dane Haylett-Petty: Had limited chances but barely put a foot wrong in a solid debut in attack and defence. 7.5
Tevita Kuridrani: Another no-frills display and was rewarded for his direct running with a late try that gave Australia hope. 6.5
Samu Kerevi: Showed vision and skill to put Michael Hooper over for Australia’s first try but butchered another later on after failing to clean up for England’s opener. 6
Rob Horne: Australia’s newly appointed vice-captain had a solid first half but had an early shower after being dazed in a heavy tackle. 6
Bernard Foley: Set up one try and saved two with desperate cover defence but had an off night on the goal-kicking front to put Wallabies under pressure. 6.5
Nick Phipps: A typically wholehearted display and did his best to present the Wallabies backline with attacking opportunitiues. 7
David Pocock: The champion flanker was below his dominant best but still strong around the ground. 6.5
Michael Hooper: Australia’s best, scoring the Wallabies’ first and last tries in a signature all-round 80-minute performance. 8
Scott Fardy: Unable to replicate his World Cup heroics in an Australian pack outmuscled by England. 6
Rob Simmons: The lineout general failed to stamp his authority at the all-important set piece. 6
Rory Arnold: Heavily involved early with some powerful running in an eye-catching debut but quiet thereafter. 7
Greg Holmes: The veteran will have enjoyed much better birthdays than this one as Australia’s front row buckled under pressure. 6
Stephen Moore: Hard to fault in a typically reliable captain’s knock but will be disappointed with the Wallabies scrum. 6.5
Scott Sio: A star of last year’s World Cup run but came crashing back to earth with a poor game and was yellow-carded for repeated scrum infringements. 5