Wales player ratings vs England | 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations

Wales player ratings: No one gave Wales a chance going into this at Allianz Stadium and that turned out to be charitable. England were 29 to 0 up after 36 minutes with the bonus point wrapped up and still looked capable of scoring every time they decided to pull the finger out, with a final score of 48 -7.

The first half was a horror show for Steve Tandy’s men. Two yellow cards inside 17 minutes, a pack going backwards, and sloppy decision-making that made damage limitation feel like a long-term project rather than a matchday objective. The second half was much improved, mainly because it could not realistically get worse, but there was at least a bit of fight and one well taken try to show for it.

Here’s how we rate the Wales players:

15. Louis Rees-Zammit – 6
Playing out of position and it showed, even if the talent is obvious. Got into the game with a solid early carry, then was charged down a minute later by Sam Underhill and England clearly fancied the contestable kick route. Looked unsure under the high ball but survived relatively well. Kicking out of hand was not quite at Test fullback standard, but without being dreadful, did enough to suggest he can muddle through there.

14. Ellis Mee – 4.5
A rough day and it started early. Could do little to stop Henry Arundell for England’s first try but there was not much resistance after that either. Lacked urgency in defence and looked like his head dropped early and never came back up. Slight-framed and did not have the stopping power to halt runners when Wales were fractured.

13. Eddie James – 5
A couple of carries and one or two moments where he got beyond the gainline, but bordering on anonymous for large patches. Wales did not give the midfield much to work with, especially in a first half where possession was scrappy and territory was being conceded by the minute.

12. Ben Thomas – 4
One awful pass that Louis Rees-Zammit had overrun and it turned into the gift that sealed Henry Arundell’s hat-trick. Yellow carded later too, with Wales already in a hole so deep it had a postcode. A day to forget in a position where Wales needed someone to take control.

11. Josh Adams – 6
Barely touched the ball in the first half as Wales were camped in their own half and hanging on. Took his try well when it finally arrived, latching onto the crossfield kick from Dan Edwards and finishing like a winger who knows his job. Not much else was available, but the one clear chance was nailed.

10. Dan Edwards – 6.5
Kicked decently out of hand and, in the middle of the mess, at least looked comfortable executing a plan. Put in the crossfield kick for Wales’ try and added the conversion. The bar was low, but there was composure here, even if the game was already long gone.

9. Tomos Williams – 7
Made the most of scrappy Welsh possession from a pack that was going backwards. Produced a great tackle on Ollie Chessum and kept trying to inject tempo when Wales were struggling to string phases together. One of the few who looked like he was still playing rugby rather than enduring it.

8. Aaron Wainwright – 7
Fought hard to slow England down on the deck and was game as a carrier. Made a couple of strong dents when Wales finally found a bit of front-foot ball after the break. The first half was survival mode for everyone, but he kept working and was one of the main reasons Wales were at least more competitive in the second.

7. Josh MacLeod – 6.5
Has been in fine form for Scarlets but faded into the background early as Wales were being steamrolled. Improved as the game wore on and won a penalty just before half-time, which says a lot about how few small wins Wales had. Never stopped fighting, even when the scoreboard was laughing.

6. Alex Mann – 5
Got into it with Ellis Genge, which at least showed some edge, but influence on the game was limited. With Wales under siege, it was a long afternoon for the back row and he was one of several who struggled to make a consistent impact.

5. Adam Beard – 7
Showed a bit of fight when plenty around him were drowning. Put in two dominant tackles and even threw an offload as Wales’ pack fought a losing battle. It was not a one-man job, but he did as much as anyone to make the second half look vaguely like a contest.

4. Dafydd Jenkins – 5
Lack of discipline hurt Wales early. Gave away a brainrot offside at a lineout and Wales were immediately marching backwards again. In a game where Wales could not afford free metres, those moments were costly.

3. Archie Griffin – 5
Made a poor penalty a minute after Jenkins’ and the two combined to cost Wales about 80 metres. Came under the pump at scrum time from Ellis Genge before the replacement picture changed, and Wales never looked settled up front.

2. Dewi Lake – 4
Yellow carded a minute after Nicky Smith, bringing Wales down to 13 men and effectively ending the contest as a contest. Forgetting to tap the ball on a quick tap just before half-time was criminal and summed up where Wales are right now. Leadership moments were needed, and they did not arrive.

1. Nicky Smith – 4
Yellow carded for cumulative penalties in the 16th minute, setting off the collapse that followed. Also struggled to deal with Joe Heyes at scrum time. When discipline goes and the set-piece creaks, everything else quickly follows.

Replacements – 7
Rhys Carre and Taine Plumtree added real energy when they came on, which at least shifted the tone after a dire first forty. Carre brought some punch and Wales looked more willing to carry into contact. Plumtree was excellent in his stint, then ruined it with a yellow card for a high shot on Henry Pollock, and England cashed in with the penalty try. Tomas Francis and Ben Carter were thrown into a game already beyond saving, while Harri Deaves, Kieran Hardy and Mason Grady had limited time to make a dent in a match that had turned into an England points parade.