Wales player ratings versus Georgia
Wales player ratings v Georgia
A ruthless first-half from Wales, who were up and running within minutes and had the bonus point before half-time. They lost intensity for the third quarter but rallied to score twice more before the end to secure a comfortable win.
There was plenty there to give the players confidence but enough to work on to prevent complacency setting in before the clash with Australia.
We rate the full squad below.
15. Liam Williams – 8
Sparkled. One try on the board, another disallowed, and some lovely footwork as well as his usual assuredness under the high ball. World class.
14. George North – 7
Quiet in the first half although he went looking for work. Lovely grubber to set up Tomos Williams’ try in the second half followed by a trademark surge through the line for his own score.
13. Jonathan Davies – 7
Started powerfully, got himself on the scoresheet, and continued to impress. Made 53m, three clean breaks, and beat five defenders. Unselfish assist too. Missed a couple of tackles.
12. Hadleigh Parkes – 6
Not quite his best, with a few errant passes, but good support lines and carrying, as always. Will want to improve against Australia but, even when below par, is so important to the Welsh midfield.
HIGHLIGHTS: @Welshrugbyunion v @georgianrugby at Rugby World Cup 2019 #RWC2019 #WALvGEO pic.twitter.com/VgnlQ7ZsCo
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 23, 2019
11. Josh Adams – 9
Another excellent showing. If more casual fans weren’t aware of him, they may well be now. Made 113m and looked good both in the air and on the run.
10. Dan Biggar – 7
Some lovely passes and a few nice kicks but his intercepted pass, with the try-line begging, was a bit too telegraphed. Was noticeably willing to run.
9. Gareth Davies – 6
A mixed bag. Glorious pass for the first try and sniped as threateningly as he always does but lucky not to be yellow-carded for a knock-on and then immediately repeated the error. Strong in defence.
1. Wyn Jones – 7
Was picked for his scrummaging ability and didn’t disappoint. Helped combat the supposedly fearsome Georgian scrum.
2. Ken Owens – 7
The sigh of relief from Wales fans when he got back up from injury showed how important he is to their hopes. Put in a typically strong all-round performance.
3. Tomas Francis – 7
Scrummaged well if not brilliantly and made his tackles. One of Wales’ most improved players over the past few years.
The Welsh midfielder is still coming to terms with being in Japan 🤯https://t.co/5gci7AYbz5
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 22, 2019
4. Jake Ball – 8
There were other contenders for Man of the Match but it would be slightly churlish to argue with Ball’s selection. Physical, relentless, and excellent over the ball. Likely to start against Australia, on the back of this.
5. Alun-Wyn Jones (capt) – 7
Gave away a few penalties in the second half but he was everywhere in the lineout and at the breakdown. Rallied his troops well after a poor third quarter to finish strong.
6. Aaron Wainwright – 8
Showed why he is being discussed as the starting blindside. Ferocious in all his interactions and came off better against the monstrous Mamuka Gorgodze.
7. Justin Tipuric – 9
Superb. The focus recently has been on Wales’ other star players but Tipuric reminded everyone why he is so loved in Wales. Starred in attack, in defence, in the lineout, and at the breakdown.
8. Josh Navidi – 8
Highest tackle count on the pitch, putting in 14 and stood out as Wales struggled in the third quarter. So good at No8, not his usual back-row spot, that he stayed there even when Ross Moriarty came on.
(continue reading below…)
Replacements
Elliot Dee – 6
Won his first cap off the bench against Georgia and was comfortable, if unspectacular, again here.
Nicky Smith – 6
Didn’t make much impression but no howlers either.
Dillon Lewis – 6
Had time to make a couple of carries and tackles but not a big impact.
Aaron Shingler – 6
Came on in the second row, where he is competent but hasn’t played much. Two offloads showed his approach.
Ross Moriarty – 6
Made some significant carries but didn’t outshine Navidi or Wainwright. May have to settle for a bench spot in the next game.
Tomos Williams – 8
Electric. There are many in Wales who would like him to start and he showed why. Kicked when he could have passed to Josh Adams, who was free, but otherwise excellent. Deserved his try.
Rhys Patchell – 7
Only got 15 minutes but helped spark Wales’ improvement in that time. Wasn’t asked to kick.
Leigh Halfpenny – 6
Added some defensive stability and made his conversion. Nice to see him running with the ball again.
Read criticised for neck hit
Comments on RugbyPass
What a dagg in more ways than one
5 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
5 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
4 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
38 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to comments