Wales player ratings vs All Blacks | Quilter Nations Series 2025

Wales player ratings: Wales were unable to register their first win over the All Blacks in 72 years, falling 52-26 in Cardiff.

The hosts may have come away losers, but they were very much in the match in the first-half, only trailing by three points after 35 minutes and 24-14 at the break.

The visitors may have pulled away in the second half, but there are many positives that Steve Tandy can take heading into their clash with South Africa next week.

Here’s how the players rated:

15. Blair Murray – 5
A long evening under the high ball. Showed bravery but was frequently isolated as the All Blacks turned the screw.

14. Louis Rees-Zammit – 7
Left with far too much space to defend for the All Blacks’ opening try, but was the catalyst for Wales’ response with a wonderful kick chase. Rarely got the ball in promising positions, but stood up and beat Caleb Clarke in a rare bright run in the second half. His consolation try in the corner was of the top order.

13. Max Llewellyn – 4
Had some bright flashes, including his pass to Tom Rogers for the winger’s second try. But penalised a couple of times as the All Blacks attacked the fringes.

12. Joe Hawkins – 6
Making his Test return and filled it with some bright touches, particularly his fizzed pass for Tom Rogers’ hat-trick try.

11. Tom Rogers – 8
Took his try well with a nice pick-up from the floor and added his second 20 minutes later with an easier finish. His hat-trick came early in the second half, showing his pace down the left flank. Held Will Jordan up over the line in a standout moment defensively, although it was fairly limp defending in the first place to let his opposite man near the line.

10. Dan Edwards – 6
Masterful offload to Rogers for Wales’ opener, although not pinpoint accurate, but Wales needed to take risks in attack and it paid off. Covered the back field well at times as the visitors rained down kicks and was able to exert a lot of pressure with kicks of his own. That influence died out as the match progressed, but that was in no way his fault.

9. Tomos Williams – 6
The Lion’s threatening box-kicking was the foundation of Wales’ gameplan, and allowed them to score their opening try. His deft grubber shortly before their second try was an example of his world-class skillset. Like most backs, however, barely saw the ball in the second 40.

1. Rhys Carré – 3
Missed a tackle on Ruben Love for the All Blacks’ second try. He did have a bit of space to cover, but he will be disappointed with the effort he put in. At fault for the All Blacks’ third try as well – this time he was just outmuscled by Tamaiti Williams.

2. Dewi Lake – 5
Led with commitment but spent the match firefighting. Threw himself into collisions but lineout came under strain, with a fluffed throw when Wales were in a promising position in the first half.

3. Keiron Assiratti – 5
Stood strong in the scrum, although it did at times look as though it were on the verge of creaking. Penalised early on for being offside, but did his part in defence.

4. Dafydd Jenkins – 7
As ever, emptied the tank – the way he chased his own charge-down early in the second half embodied his attitude. Tackled everything – 21 tackles – but couldn’t halt the black wave on his own.

5. Adam Beard – 5
A physical presence but struggled to shift the momentum.

6. Alex Mann – 6
Busy in defence and competed hard at the breakdown with little success, and was pinged by referee Hollie Davidson. A return of 21 tackles cannot be sniffed at.

7. Harri Deaves – 6
A tough debut, but showed glimpses of what is to come, topping Wales’ tackle count with 20 when he temporarily left the field. Like the entire Welsh pack, came off second best at the breakdown.

8. Taine Plumtree – 5
Plenty of effort but not much gainline success. Guilty of a few penalties when Wales were under duress, including a yellow card for a high tackle, but another big defensive shift otherwise.

22m Entries

Avg. Points Scored

3.2

8

Entries

Avg. Points Scored

5.4

9

Entries

Replacements
16. Brodie Coghlan – N/A
Made his debut, but only played the final three minutes.

17. Gareth Thomas – 4
Yellow carded minutes after coming on for a no-arms tackle.

18. Archie Griffin – 5
Worked hard in defence but came on when it was effectively an All Blacks onslaught. Penalised at one scrum as well.

19. Freddie Thomas – N/A
Only given a handful on minutes at the end.

20. Morgan Morse – 5
A 12-minute cameo at the end for the 20-year-old in his Wales debut, but the match was just about defending at that point.

21. Kieran Hardy – 5
Tried to lift the tempo but Wales were severely on the back foot for his 10-minute cameo at the end.

22. Jarrod Evans – 4
Won’t want to watch the way Sevu Reece beat him for the All Black wing’s try.

23. Nick Tompkins – 6
Added directness and enthusiasm on both sides of the ball, though Wales were hanging on when he entered the fray on 54 minutes.