Peter Breen 6.5/10: Reasonably tidy in trying conditions. Kicking wasn't amazing but was good enough to keep the game at the right end in the second half. Made a couple of half breaks on the counterattack.
Matt Faddes 6/10: Made a couple of very good kicks in behind in the second half. Did not get much ball in space, but had a couple of nice touches. Missed the tackle on Barrett which led to the first try.
Jayden Spence 6/10: Another who was pretty tidy. Had a couple of okay runs in the first half and did not do a lot wrong.
Tei Walden 6/10: Similar to Spence. Did not get much ball to work with, but was solid in what he did. Had a bad missed tackle on Barrett up the left wing.
Jack Wilson 6/10: Did not see much ball and made a couple of mistakes, but chased hard and did well with what he got.
Fletcher Smith 6.5/10: Defended well and looked dangerous when he did decide to run. Kicked well for the most part, although had one glaringly bad one which Taranaki eventually scored off.
Josh Renton 6/10: Passed well enough and was safe on defence. Kicking was a mixed bag, with going out on the full, but finding space on others.
Charlie O'Connell 7/10: It was a game that suited him and he made the most of it. Tackled well in the first half, then was never far from the action in the second, always close by in support to protect the ball at the ruck.
Theo Commassaris 6/10: Made a few tackles and got to plenty of rucks.
Josh Dickson 6.5/10: Did well in the lineout, providing a good target in the middle and contested the Taranaki ball well. Struggled to stand out around the field in such a tight game, although was solid enough.
Tom Franklin 7.5/10: Was the go-to lineout jumper, particularly throughout the second half. Got through plenty of work and added another dimension with his offloading ability.
Blair Tweed 6/10: Got really involved in the tight, hitting rucks, making tackles and adding physicality in general play. Loses half a mark for a missed tackle which initiated the sequence from which Taranaki scored their second try.
Hisa Sasagi 6/10: Had one good carry, made a few tackles and was generally pretty solid.
Liam Coltman 8/10: Really flourished in such a scrap. Just got stuck in, whether it be in tackling, cleaning up loose ball, taking the ball up, or supporting the ball carrier in contact. Threw well in tough conditions too.
Craig Millar 7.5/10: Another who was very prominent throughout. Showed his mobility by getting around the field at pace, made more tackles than anyone and was never far away in support on attack.
Sam Anderson-Heather (No Rating): Came on and made two accurate lineout throws, both at key moments. Was part of the monumental effort in the tight at the end.
Donald Brighouse (No Rating): Came on at the same time as Anderson-Heather and he too was part of the good finish.
Aki Seiuli 7.5/10: Made an impact for the second week in a row. Showed good vision to score his try, then ran the dummy line to suck in the defence for the winning try. Was active around the field and initiated a good counter ruck after having already made the tackle.
Mika Mafi 6.5/10: Played the last half hour, got involved and worked hard, making a few tackles and getting his hands on the ball.
Naulia Dawai 7/10: Came on at halftime and brought plenty of energy. One of the most prominent defenders while he was on and ran into contact hard. Scored two tries, although they were both really team tries from the rolling maul.
Kaide Whiting 7/10: Showed great patience towards the end and directed play around the ruck well, before reacting well to take the gap when it presented itself to score the match winning try.
Michael Collins 6/10: Got virtually nothing to work with, but did not do anything wrong.
Tony Ensor (No Rating): Another who had little to do. Ran the ball once and took it fearlessly at the defence, although lost the it in the process. Tried to put an up and under and kicked it off the side of his boot, resulting in the ball going 15 metres or so sideways.
