“Big Names, Bigger Blunders” - Six Players Who Flopped in This Weekend’s Autumn Internationals

But for every headline hero, there were a few who had afternoons they’ll want to forget in a hurry.

From costly yellow cards to unforced errors, a handful of big names struggled to find their rhythm as the second round of autumn action produced drama, discipline issues, and some very harsh lessons.

Here are six players who fell flat when the spotlight was brightest — the ones who’ll be desperate to bounce back next week.

Mitchell showed urgency and quick service but was vulnerable under pressure, being stripped by Josua Tuisova and misjudging key passes.

RUCK: "Showed plenty of urgency and delivered quick service, with some strong box kicking. However, he was easily stripped by Josua Tuisova and misjudged a pass out wide. His position could now be under threat, with Ben Spencer waiting in the wings.."

Evening Standard: "Not his best performance. His quick hands kept England moving with pace early on, but he struggled in the tackle."

Rugby Pass: "Had a half-break down the blindside in Fiji’s 22, but popped it to no one when expecting Freeman to be on his shoulder. Embodied how things weren’t quite clicking for England. Left with too much to defend on the blindside as Fiji scored their third try. Solid, without setting the game alight."

Telegraph: "A messy performance for the most part but generally he was dealing with messy ball. England seemed more in control with Spencer on the field."

It was a nightmare outing for Thomas, whose costly errors defined his performance. A reckless forward pass, a needless yellow card for kicking Matera, and a disastrous intercepted pass all contributed to Wales’ struggles. Despite flashes of creativity and one bright link-up with Rees-Zammit, his decision-making and composure deserted him.

Planet Rugby: " It was a day to forget for the Cardiff man. He threw a speculative forward pass under no pressure, early on. Then shortly afterwards, he lost his composure in the tackle, resulting in 10 minutes in the sin-bin. Later, he criminally gave away an interception try when trying to pop the ball out back in his own 22 metre area. Thomas did well to set Louis Rees-Zammit free down the right touchline towards the end of the match, but then aimlessly kicked the ball 20 metres into the Argentina defence’s hands just phases later."

RUCK: "The Cardiff Rugby player seems to have made the No. 12 jersey his own after starting the last six games there, but this was an afternoon to forget. He was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes after kicking Matera—a costly moment, as the visitors scored twice during that period. He also threw the pass that Prisciantelli intercepted to score."

Rugby Pass: "A stupid moment when he lashed out at Matera, who was holding his leg, and only a bad aim spared him a direct hit to the flanker’s head and a likely red card. He has a key role to play as the second playmaker, but you cannot have suspect decision-making under pressure in that role, and his kicking showed he’s still raw."

The Citizen: "He missed 10 minutes of action after taking a knock to his head and then was red carded for a dangerous tackle/clean-out. Otherwise good in the lineouts."

RUCK: "After an industrious first half, a reckless tackle on a dropping Ramos earned him a red card, ultimately costing his team. With no attempt to wrap and excessive force, the referee had little choice. A player of his quality should have known better."

Planet Rugby: "Unfortunate to be sent off, there was enough mitigation for the tackle to be at least sent to the Foul Play Review Officer, but Angus Gardner did not see it that way. Before then, he was actually having a fine outing, making good shots on defence and made a clutch lineout steal. However, we can’t ignore just how impactful his sending off was."

Rugby Pass: "Was harshly shown a red card for a head-to-shoulder shot on Ramos. The French fullback was falling as the South African lock was stooping to tackle. Had Ramos stood upright he would have been hit in the chest. De Jager was handy before that and pinched a French line-out inside his own 22 as the first half drew to a close, though three missed tackles reduced his score."

Ratings: SportsJOE 5.5/10 | Rugby Pass 5/10 | FloRugby 5/10

Summary: A quiet day at the office for the talismanic figure. Beirne’s lineout struggled early, and although Ireland simplified their plan later, he rarely made a definitive impact. Work rate was present, but the game lacked his usual momentum-shifting influence.

SportsJOE: "Needs to put his head together with Paul O’Connell and the other locks and somehow sort out the set-piece before next week."

Rugby Pass: "A less than ideal week for Beirne off the pitch — his disciplinary hearing and six stitches to the face care of an accidental Jack Conan elbow in training — translated into a pretty flat display."

FloRugby: "Front and centre in a lineout that spluttered early before improving once Ireland simplified their plan. Worked tirelessly but rarely shifted momentum with a definitive moment. Busy without being impactful."

Dangerous with the ball but costly errors and a yellow card hurt the team; spent much of the game defending.

Quotes

Planet Rugby 4/10: "As usual, the former rugby league star looked dangerous with the ball in hand, but this will be a game he would want to forget in a hurry. Kicked the ball directly into touch early in the second half and spent some time in the sin bin later on for a dangerous hit on Paolo Garbisi, and Italy capitalised as they scored two tries during his stint on the sidelines."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Showed good defensive qualities when he helped Potter hold up Capuozzo over the line. It wasn’t the free-flowing game that suits the midfielders game-style, which meant he spent most of his evening on defence.

"The second half couldn’t have gone much worse for the star, receiving a yellow card in the 57th minute for a high-tackle in a try-scoring opportunity. The yellow card changed the complexity of the game, as Italy went on a late surge to earn a famous victory in Turin."

Rugby Pass 4, FloRugby 4, Planet Rugby 5, STUFF 3

The wing’s start to Test rugby has been promising, but Carter’s indiscretion proved costly. A cynical trip on Darcy Graham led to a yellow card, interrupting New Zealand’s momentum. His overall involvement was limited, with just four carries and two tackles, making for a quiet and undisciplined outing.

STUFF: " Cut a frustrated figure out on the right wing when he probably should have had a couple of balls his way when unmarked. Maybe it played into his 33rd minute yellow card for a cynical foot trip on Graham."

Planet Rugby: "The wing’s start to Test rugby has been pretty smooth so far, but Carter found himself in hot water after a cynical trip on Darcy Graham, resulting in a yellow card. Had some good moments outside of that, but Scott Robertson won’t like the lack of discipline."

Rugby Pass: "The 5-cap wing was barely on play and still managed to find himself on the wrong side of things, as he was caught tripping Darcy Graham ten minutes before the break, with Nic Berry sending Carter to the sin bin."

FloRugby: "Not quite the vintage performance from the former 7s specialist; his yellow card was an unnecessary error.  On the whole, it was a relatively quiet showing by Carter, who struggled to get up to the pitch of the contest with just 4 carries and 2 tackles."