By Charlie Elliott
This Autumn Nations Series there have been plenty of moments and performances which are enough to define a career, and here are The Rugby Paper’s picks for the biggest stock rises and falls.
With test rugby being the pinnacle of a player’s career, players are put under great scrutiny and with the reactionary nature of fans, one moment can often be enough to lift or damage someone’s reputation.
Stock Risers
Wallace Sititi:
Having recently been crowned World Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year, Sititi has had a meteoric rise over the past 12 months.
His Autumn Nations Series continued that trend, and he started off with intent when he starred in the All Blacks’ tight win against England.
The only blemish for his side was a narrow 1-point defeat to France, in which Sititi still managed to have a good game, playing in a slightly unfamiliar position of 8.
Wallace keeps getting better and better and will be a star for years to come.
Marcus Smith:
A player which has divided opinions, Smith came into his own this Autumn and was one of the few players for England who was good in every game.
Despite a couple of poor moments, most notably missing a couple of drop goals against New Zealand, in general, Smith has been a standout player for England, and his performances deserved better results.
Steve Borthwick was criticised for taking Marcus off against the All Blacks, and going forward the fly-half will likely be trusted to finish games off, and for this reason England now respect him more, and his stock has risen.
Tomas Albornoz:
Another player who has had a great year in general and continued his form through the Autumn, Albornoz has established himself not just as Argentina’s best player, but also in the elite level of global rugby.
Even in their defeat against France, Tomas was arguably the best player on the pitch, notching up some simply incredible stats, such as 94 metres gained and 29 passes.
He had some clutch performances, and although their only win came against Italy, they managed to mix it with the best, and this is largely thanks to Albornoz.
Joseph Sua’ali’i:
Although he has not lived up to the hype following his debut against England, that game alone put Sua’ali’i on the map for many rugby fans.
After switching codes from league, the Australian was arguably the best player on the pitch in his professional union debut.
Having burst onto the scene, and becoming a household name overnight, Sua’ali’i has been a huge success story for the Wallabies so far.
Cam Roigard:
Another young All Black who has had a quality year in general and continued through the Autumn, Roigard is fast becoming a contender for consistent starts in the jersey.
Most now see him as one of the best 9s in the world, with some believing he is the best, and although he missed out on a place in the Team of the Year, if Autumn is anything to go by then he will continue to rise.
The outrage that followed his substitution against France, after outplaying Antoine Dupont, says all you need to know about how well regarded Roigard is.
Stock Fallers:
Warren Gatland + Steve Borthwick:
The two head coaches have had similar fortunes this Autumn, with most fans losing faith after some less-than-impressive results, and some less-than-impressive decisions from the sidelines.
Gatland has continually been criticised for being behind the times, and his position as Wales head coach is currently under review so his time may be up soon.
Borthwick has tried to implement ‘The blitz’, which keeps getting torn apart by opponents, and his unwillingness to change tactics paired with some subpar substitutions have left many questioning his judgement.
Both of them will be lucky to still be in a job in the next few weeks, and it has been an Autumn to forget for them.
George Ford:
While it is slightly harsh as a lot of what went wrong for Ford was out of his control, big moments going against him means that many have lost faith in his experience.
The main moment came against the All Blacks, where he squandered two very good chances to win the game after being on the pitch for the last 15.
While they weren’t entirely his fault, with fresh legs often being seen as a disadvantage for kickers, and a below-average pass to him that led to him rushing his final drop-goal attempt, the fact is that this win may well have been a turning point for England.
Players will always be judged on moments, and sadly for Ford this Autumn he has been judged on a couple of negative ones.
