Brumbies player ratings: Rob Valetini stands up to Blues muscle men as Aussies bullied in sombre semi-final loss

Brumbies and Wallabies back-row Rob Valetini.
After their 34-20 defeat against the Blues in their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final at Eden Park in Auckland, here’s how the Brumbies squad performed on Friday.
Little attacking impact from the backs
15 Tom Wright: The Wallabies fullback continued with his fine form on attack as he finished with 44 metres gained from 12 runs but, truth be told, it did not really trouble the Blues. He also made little impact in other facets of play. 5
14 Andy Muirhead: Like Wright, he had some good moments with ball in hand, but it had little impact in the bigger scheme of things and despite finishing with 27 metres gained from seven runs, he was fairly quiet in other areas. 5
13 Len Ikitau: Although the Brumbies struggled throughout, Ikitau can be happy with his efforts as he put in a solid shift on attack, gaining 39 metres from nine runs while also making six tackles. 6
12 Tamati Tua: The former Blues and New Zealand U20 representative was kept in check by his former team-mates as he made little headway on attack and was restricted mostly to defensive duties. 5
11 Corey Toole: The former Australia sevens speedster came into this encounter in a rich vein of form and did test the Blues defence on a few occasions, gaining 32 metres from six runs, but, like the rest of the Brumbies backline, he wasn’t very effective on the attack.?5
10 Noah Lolesio: The young fly-half impressed with his accurate goal-kicking, but with the backline receiving the ball on the back foot for long periods, he could not stamp his authority on the game as a playmaker. 6
9 Ryan Lonergan: Like Lolesio, he wasn’t at his best as his forwards came off second best against their counterparts which meant he received scrappy ball. Made few line breaks and his box kicking was also average before being replaced by Harrison Goddard after 67 minutes. 5
Retreating pack come off second best
8 Charlie Cale: Came into this encounter brimming with confidence after a fine performance in the quarter-final win over the Highlanders but failed to replicate that performance. Cale was solid on defence, but the Blues kept him in check on attack as he made little headway in that department. 5
7 Rory Scott: The young tearaway went head-to-head with Blues skipper Dalton Papali’i and gave a good account of himself at the breakdown battle as he finished with a match-high three turnovers won. Scott was also lively on defence as he made 13 hits but fairly anonymous on attack. 7
6 Rob Valetini: Brought the Brumbies back into the game with a crucial try during the latter stages of the first half and continued to toil manfully as the match progressed. Despite a big shift with ball in hand – where he gained 40 metres from 18 carries – and a solid defensive shift – eight tackles made – it wasn’t good enough to trouble the Blues. 8
5 Cadeyrn Neville: The veteran was a late addition to the Brumbies’ run-on side as a replacment for Tom Hooper but apart from the execution of his core duties, he was not very effective in the outcome of this encounter. 4
4 Darcy Swain: Like the rest of the Brumbies’ pack, he came off second best to his counterparts in the forward exchanges. The Wallaby did his bit in the lineouts and impressed on defence with 10 tackles made but struggled to impose imself in other areas. 5
3 Allan Alaalatoa (c): The Brumbies skipper put in a huge defensive shift and finished with a team-high 14 tackles made, but he was on the back foot at some scrums while he did not make much of an impact with the ball in hand.?5
2 Billy Pollard: Like his captain, Pollard made a big contribution on defence and eventually made 13 tackles but he was not as visible as a ball carrier and was replaced by Liam Bowron in the 64th minute. 5
1 Rhys van Nek: Came into the run-on side shortly before kick-off after James Slipper was a late withdrawal, but Van Nek’s introduction did not have the desired effect as he was on the back foot at most scrums.?4
Replacements: There were some fine efforts from Nick Frost, Jahrome Brown and Luke Reimer – who scored a try – when they came on in the second half, but it wasn’t good enough to overpower the Blues, who still held the upper-hand throughout. 6