Stock Watch for Australia Players in the 2014 Rugby Championship

Australia won just two matches in the Rugby Championship, defeating South Africa with a late try at home and narrowly squeaking through against Argentina on the Gold Coast.

They battled to a draw at home to New Zealand in sopping-wet conditions and were battered in Auckland, rounding off their campaign with gallant defeat in South Africa and that historic loss to the Pumas in Mendoza.

The signs on the field have not been encouraging, while off the field they have also sailed into choppy waters, with player discipline coming under the microscope.

Let’s have a look at the fluctuating fortunes of their key men.

All statistics used are courtesy of the New Zealand Herald's Opta-powered Stats Centre

1. Kurtley Beale: Plummeting. Get Rid of It.

Ross Setford/Associated Press

A triumphant campaign with the New South Wales Waratahs for Kurtley Beale should have translated into a star turn for the utility back in this year’s championship.

But the faith shown in him by his franchise coach Michael Cheika was not shared by Wallabies chief Ewen McKenzie, and Beale had only a bit part to play.

That may have been a contributing factor to the controversy that surrounded his alleged behavior on the team’s flight to Argentina, that ended with Beale packing his bags and going home.

He has had a chequered past when it comes to his off-field conduct, and the latest chapter could be the end of him in Australian rugby union.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Rupert Guinness reports Beale is set to face a code of conduct tribunal:

"

ARU chief executive Bill Pulver said on Thursday the allegation was Beale distributed 'inappropriate and deeply offensive text messages and images to a number of people in June, referencing an ARU staff member.'

Pulver would not say who that staff member was, but it is understood to be (Di) Patston, with whom Beale had a heated argument early in the flight from Johannesburg to Sao Paolo in Brazil last Sunday week enroute to Argentina…

With Beale off contract, it is possible that he may have played his last professional game of rugby in Australia, with suggestions that he is seriously considering a future playing rugby overseas or pursuing a career in the NRL where there is interest in him.

"

2. Michael Hooper: Buy, Value Set to Soar

Tertius Pickard/Associated Press

Michael Hooper has had a lot on his plate this season.

The Wallabies’ year was but a few minutes old when skipper Stephen Moore limped off with a long-term knee injury. Hooper got the gig and has lead by example ever since.

Even when his team was being hammered by New Zealand in Auckland, Hooper kept on going, and got his rewards with a well-taken try. In all he scored three tries and made 73 tackles.

In the Rugby Championship he has not had a single poor game, and has spoken well in his new role as the team’s leader.

For a 22-year-old, it is mightily impressive stuff.

3. Israel Folau: Buy, Buy, Buy

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The Australian full-back didn’t quite rip teams apart the way we have seen him do previously, but his contribution to the Wallaby effort is well-illustrated by his stats for the Championship.

A modest two tries is supplemented by 27 defenders beaten—the most by any player in the tournament—69 carries, the second highest number, 498 metres gained, which puts him second in that league table and the joint–highest number of offloads with 13.

Simply put, Folau is the Wallabies’ deadliest weapon and will be for some time to come.

4. Tevita Kuridrani: Fast Riser

Tevita Kuridrani continues to impress as an international centre.

He scored one try in the tournament but made another two, and his physical presence kept defences busy whenever he was given the ball.

Defensively he had a tackle success rate of over 90 percent, but more importantly, he gives Australia more than one way to play, as former Aussie centre Dan Herbert told the Courier Mail:

"

I get excited about seeing some size in the Wallabies backline because if you haven’t got it you can only play one way (with fancy ball play)… Israel Folau is a big guy but more of a glider not your punch-through-a-brick wall type like Tevita.

I can tell you the Wallabies forwards would love playing with Kuridrani. They pull their heads out of a ruck and they are always marching forward because of the momentum he creates with the ball.

"

5. Will Skelton: One to Watch

Will Skelton is another who brings greater size than Australia have traditionally had.

He is simply enormous, and showed what he could do on his debut against France in the summer when he scored a try and created more havoc than a typhoon blowing through a model village.

But he was restricted to cameo appearances in the Rugby Championship, Ewen McKenzie preferring the experience of the likes of Rob Simmons and lineout smarts of Sam Carter.

Skelton may not have the lineout functionality of these two thanks to his gigantic bulk, but he can do serious damage with ball in hand.

If his condition is up to speed he could eventually become undroppable, but for now the jury is out until he gets run in the team.

Keep an eye on this stock.