Valetini named 'alpha of the pack' despite Wallabies' narrow Nations Championship loss to Ireland

Rob Valetini produced one of the performances of the Nations Championship series despite Australia falling 33-31 to Ireland at a record-crowd Allianz Stadium in Sydney, with former Wallabies scrum-half Nick Phipps declaring the backrower “the alpha of the pack”.

Valetini finished with a game-high 19 carries, two line breaks, six tackle busts and a double-digit tackle count — numbers that earned him a place in an All-Star Wallabies loose forwards trio alongside openside flanker Fraser McReight and captain Harry Wilson. Exeter Chiefs utility Tom Hooper was selected on the bench of that symbolic XV.

“He was incredible. 19 carries, two line breaks, six tackle busts, he was a physical presence,” Phipps said. “I think poor [Sam] Prendergast will be having nightmares about Bobby running down his channel this week, but he was running at everyone, he was picking out who he wanted to go at and he was the alpha of the pack and he was awesome.”

Valetini set the tone from the opening kick-off and continued to cause problems throughout, though his efforts ultimately came in a losing cause. Ben Donaldson missed a kick after the final whistle that would have sealed a first Australian win over Ireland since 2018, pushing the difficult attempt wide.

The Wallabies had still given their supporters plenty to celebrate across 82 minutes, at one stage leading by 12 points. Dylan Pietsch, Jock Campbell, Josh Canham and Ryan Lonergan all crossed for first-half tries, while the set-piece was a consistent bright spot — hookers Josh Nasser and Brandon Paenga-Amosa hit almost all targets, and Australia won four lineouts on Ireland’s throw.

Canham, making only his third Wallabies appearance, was another to catch the eye. The second-rower packed down alongside Western Force skipper Jeremy Williams in a new-look lock pairing, with ACT Brumbies lock Lachlan Shaw named to make his debut off the bench. Coach Joe Schmidt has opted for an inexperienced second-row group in his Nations Championship squad, with uncapped prospect Miles Amatosero also in the mix.

“In a week where everyone was probably talking about another second rower that wasn’t there, [Canham] really stood up,” Phipps said. “You don’t always want your second rowers always doing the flash stuff… he really went around the field and made his presence felt. Good game for him.”

Max Jorgensen topped the metres-carried charts with 76, but it was Valetini who dominated the forward exchanges and left the biggest individual imprint on a match that came down to a single missed kick.