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Wales player ratings vs Italy - Autumn Nations Cup
Wales player ratings: Well, they got there in the end. The scoreline flattered the Welsh and you fancy they’ll be relieved to limp out of 2020, the long finally ordeal over, with an ugly win against the Italians.
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Here are our Wales player ratings:
15. LIAM WILLIAMS – NA
If fit, you feel the 2021 Lions jersey is his to lose, but that’s a big if at this stage. Sadly, he limped off after just 17 minutes.
14. JOSH ADAMS – 5
Yellow carded for killing the ball and then acting like a silly little lad after it. Also nearly scuffed a late George North try by giving it too early. One to forget for Adams.
13. GEORGE NORTH – 7
You felt watching the game that is was a chance for North to prove that he still had real value to offer Wayne Pivac, who seems unsure what do with the aging superstar. He certainly didn’t have to worry about seeing ball and was happy to truck the ball up. Rubbing his nose on an Italian player’s sleeve was entertaining. The best Welsh back on the park.
12. JONATHAN DAVIES – 4.5
The 32-year-old Lion is starting to lose his grip on a place in the Wales’ squad and you could see his knee was heavily strapped for this outing. Doesn’t seem himself.
11. LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT – 5
Taking the ball back into his 22 was a schoolboy error, but he will be truly haunted by being gassed by Johan Meyer, albeit with a yard or two to make up on the angle. Managed a few breaks up the pitch but we’re still waiting to see him truly open up in Welsh jersey.
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10. CALLUM SHEEDY – 5
The Bristol boy is full of adventure and he clearly enjoys bringing the ball to the line, but this was a Test match, not touch rugby. Sometimes it felt like this Welsh team were rudderlessly staggering about around the park. You hate to say it but Wales needed him to kick more. Getting flung into touch at the end summed up a scatty outing for Sheedy.
9. KIERAN HARDY – 6
A bright performance and good value for his try. The game descended into terminal scrappiness but you suspect he’ll be happy with his contribution. Snappy.
1. NICKY SMITH – 6
With Wyn Jones stealing a march on the loosehead jersey, you forget just how effective Nicky Smith can be. He has a baby face but by the gods he is strong.
2. SAM PARRY – 5.5
Well, there’s the big lineout issue isn’t there. It’s not all Parry’s fault of course, as it’s been a curse for the Welsh throughout the Autumn Nations Cup and its origin is presumably systematic rather than the fault of any given hooker. Pivac and co sorting their set-piece issues must be close to the top of their epic snag list. That aside, Parry was useful in flashes.
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3. TOMAS FRANCIS – 5
An increasingly rare start for the big Chief. Fired up and got involved, but you suspect it may soon be the end of the line for big man, SPSP or not.
4. WILL ROWLANDS – 5
Getting smashed in contact by the Italians and then penalised for not releasing was a poor start for the hulking Wasp, who needed to do something, anything, to stake a claim to the red jersey. Carried competently thereafter.
5. ALUN WYN JONES – 5.5
His nuisance factor can’t be underestimated and it was dialed right up today. He’s still the heart and soul of this Welsh pack, but this Welsh team are a shambles right now, and he too is performing under par.
6. JAMES BOTHAM – 6
His fourth straight start and what’s been a productive series for the Cardiff Blues backrow. He hasn’t hit too many ‘sixes’ but he’s had plenty of ‘runs’ all the same. Cricketing puns aside, he’s been Pivac’s most significant breakout player this series.
7. JUSTIN TIPURIC – 8
What a line and dummy from Tipuric to put his 9, Kieran Hardy, in for his first Test try. He and Faletau are the only Welsh players who would be part of a world XV conversation at the moment.
8. TAULUPE FALETAU – 8.5
A rock of excellence in the sea of Welsh mediocrity around him. Makes metres and wins collisions, and deservedly won his MOTM award.
REPLACEMENTS:
22. IOAN LLOYD – 4
Completely out of position for Italy’s 33-minute try after coming on for Willams. Missed a tackle on Italian nine Vardy as he slalomed his way up the pitch minutes later. One to forget for the young man, who looked unsure of himself.
21. Gareth Davies – 7.5
Great try when he came on. Why don’t Wales play him more? Someone should tell Wayne.
Comments on RugbyPass
Both 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.
1 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.
3 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.
28 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 commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to comments