Pride of place has to go to the tirelessly splendid open-side flanker, who was a colossus in the three matches he played, making 58 tackles and snaffling six turnovers. He won the ball back no less than four times in a thunderous 21-tackle tour-ending display against Ireland, leaving you to wonder quite how much he had been missed when rested in the defeat against Scotland. "A really quiet achiever, says very little, does lots. No talk about it, just gets it done. One of my favourite sort of players," as coach Joe Schmidt said.
Fraser McReight (centre) was a colossus in the three matches he played for the Wallabies. (AP PHOTO)
HARRY WILSON
If there were any lingering questions about the Wallabies' choice of natural leader on the field, surely there aren't now. The cricket-loving Wilson had a rumbustious, rampaging tour, playing a captain's innings in the opener against England, when he scored a try and banged his head that kept him out of the Wales win with concussion, but that familiar red scrum-cap kept popping up everywhere again in the Ireland battleground areas.
ROB VALETINI
Maybe his relentless up-and-at-'em driving is considered almost routine now, so predictable are his tremendous efforts as the third constantly moving part of a world-class back-row triumvirate. Playing all but about 20 minutes, and carrying like a demon for much of that time, it was once again evident why he has just won the John Eales Medal as the national team's top performer for the second year running. Absolutely key if the Wallabies aren't to be thrown to the Lions.
LEN IKITAU
He started off as "Flick-it-au'' with his delicious pass that delivered the last-gasp Max Jorgensen winner against England, and next they were calling him "Tricky-tau'' as he danced past the Wales defence for a preposterous score against Wales. He may have been a bit quieter in the final two games, but he was still key at inside centre to educating Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, on his outside, about the art of midfield back play.
NOAH LOLESIO
Quietly authoritative and assured, his calmness as the attacking pivot and excellent goal-kicking, capped by his pressure-building marksmanship against the Irish in their Aviva cauldron, meant that, surely, the revolving-door era of Wallabies' No.10s is over. For the moment, at least. An ordinary game against the Scots was quickly forgotten and there was even a bit of Mark Ella-like wraparound magic, fashioning the try against the Irish that hinted at plenty more ambition to come.
Noah Lolesio was a calming presence and provided top-quality goal-kicking for Australia. (AP PHOTO)
TOM WRIGHT
It's true he was stifled by the Scots and, to an extent, Ireland, but there was so much to be excited about in the fullback's opening two tours de force against England and Wales. At Cardiff he made an extraordinary 245 metres with ball in hand while beating five defenders, showing there may be a ring of truth to Eddie Jones' old observation that Wright could become the best 15 in the game.Â
JOSEPH-AUKUSO SUAALII
It wasn't completely sensational, but there were still so many good things about Suaalii's much-hyped reintroduction to rugby union that you had to pinch yourself that he hadn't actually played this game since he was a schoolkid. The no-look, try-gifting pass against England, the hit that left Sione Tuipulotu a bit discombobulated, and a constant, soaring aerial threat from restarts that the game hadn't seen before ... he's only just started, but his next trick really will be worth watching.
