Following their 19-17 defeat to England in their Rugby World Cup warm-up clash at Twickenham on Saturday, here’s the player ratings for Wales.
15 Liam Williams: The veteran full-back was safe at the back, and although Wales’ game-plan didn’t allow for much attacking play, he did try to take on the defence on a few occasions and finished with a team-high 77 metres gained. Unlucky not to be awarded a try after good follow-up work, but Wales eventually received a penalty try. 8
14 Josh Adams: Made a bad start in his 50th Test appearance when he dropped a teasing up-and-under from Owen Farrell early on, but that incident did not define his game as he improved as the match progressed. 6
13 Joe Roberts: The Scarlets centre will be happy with his debut as he looked dangerous with ball in hand while also doing his bit on defence. Finished with 52 metres gained from seven runs which included one clean break and a defender beaten. 7
12 Nick Tompkins: Not a day the Saracens centre will remember fondly as he made little impact on attack and defence. He was eventually yanked off on the hour mark, with Keiran Williams coming on to replace him. 5
11 Tom Rogers: Although he did not get much of the ball in the opening half, the Scarlets flyer was continuously looking for work and made a bigger impact after the interval. 6
10 Owen Williams: The 31-year-old failed to get the Welsh backline firing and apart from a low-key attacking performance, he was also quiet on defence. 5
9 Tomos Williams: The Cardiff scrum-half delivered a crisp service to his outside backs but also impressed with his box-kicking and had some good attacking moments. Rewarded with a well-taken try in the second half. 7
8 Taine Plumtree: The young back-row was keen to impress in his first Test start and did just that when he launched a perfectly executed 50:22 kick early in the opening half. He was lively in other areas as the match progressed but conceded two penalties in the process. Eventually forced off with an arm injury in the 48th minute. 6
7 Tommy Reffell: The Leicester Tigers tearaway was his usual busy self at the breakdowns and also put in a huge shift on defence where he made 17 tackles, but all that good work was undone when he received a yellow card early in the second half. 6
6 Dan Lydiate: Like Reffell, the veteran back-row caught the eye with a huge defensive shift as he too, completed 17 hits during his stint on the field. However, he had little influence in other areas and conceded two penalties. 6
5 Adam Beard: The British and Irish Lion was expected to be prominent in the lineouts, but it wasn’t to be as Wales struggled at the set-piece where they lost six balls on their own throw-in. Also received a yellow card when the game was evenly balanced in its closing stages. 5
4 Rhys Davies: The 24-year-old was busy throughout, especially on defence, where he completed 13 tackles, but apart from that, he wasn’t very visible in other areas. 6
3 Tomas Francis: Did what was expected of him in the execution of his core duties, but it did not have the desired effect, and he was replaced by Dillon Lewis after 50 minutes. 5
2 Dewi Lake (c): His first match as skipper of his country did not go according to plan as he was forced off the field in the 27th minute with a knee injury, with Sam Parry replacing him. Up to that point, Lake had done nothing spectacular. 6
1 Gareth Thomas: Not much to report here. Like his fellow prop Francis, he was solid, although he conceded a scrum penalty and was eventually replaced in the 50th minute by Kemsley Mathias. 5
Replacements: After battling during the opening half, Wales head coach brought on reinforcements early in the second half, and they nearly pulled off the win. It wasn’t to be, however, as England fought back for to steal a late victory. For the visitors, the likes of Taine Basham, Keiran Williams and Christ Tshiunza had some good moments on attack. 7
READ MORE: England player ratings: Ben Earls stands tall in a disjointed win
The article Wales player ratings: Liam Williams back to his best in loss to England appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
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