Wales player ratings vs South Africa | 2023 Summer Nations Series
Wales player ratings: In a painful encounter against the Springboks, Wales put up a valiant fight early but ultimately succumbed to the raw power and experience of the reigning world champions, and their own error-strewn performance.
While the final scoreline may not have favoured Gatland’s me, there were a handful of moments of tenacity and promise to be taken away from the proceedings, even if they’ll be disappointed not to have mounted a stiffer challenge.
1. Corey Domachowski – 5
Domachowski had a challenging day at the coalface, dealing with the ferocity of the Springbok scrum. Despite his best efforts, he found it tough to gain a foothold against a formidable pack.
2. Elliot Dee – 6
Dee showcased his reliability in the lineout and his unwavering commitment in the loose. He made his tackles count and offered some spark with ball in hand.
3. Keiron Assiratti – 5
Assiratti was thrust into the fray against a seasoned Springbok scrum, and while he held his own in patches, the pressure exerted by the opposition soon took its toll. He will undoubtedly learn from this experience.
4. Ben Carter – 5.5
A bright prospect in the second row, Carter showcased his potential with some robust carries and solid defensive work. However, even his youthful exuberance couldn’t entirely counteract the seasoned might of the Springbok locks.
5. Will Rowlands – 7
Rowlands exhibited his aerial prowess and physicality in the tight exchanges. The Racing 92 man worked hard to disrupt the Springbok lineout and provided some stability in the set pieces, but it was a tough ask against such a formidable opponent.
6. Dan Lydiate – 6.5
Lydiate, the seasoned campaigner, led by example in terms of his sheer defensive commitment. His trademark tackling technique and work rate were invaluable in slowing down the Springbok attack.
7. Jac Morgan – 8
Morgan exhibited flashes of his potential with turnovers and aggressive carries and even showcased his kicking abilities with a remarkable clearing kick in the 27th minute. He was a constant nuisance for the Springboks at the breakdown and is doing a fine job filling the boots of Justin Tipuric.
8. Aaron Wainwright – 6
Wainwright’s work rate and physicality were commendable throughout the match. He was a tireless presence in both attack and defence, offering glimpses of his versatility, but failed to really make a mark here.
9. Kieran Hardy – 5.5
Despite being on the back foot, Hardy provided quick service from the base of the ruck and showcased some sniping runs that kept the Springbok defence on their toes. However, he struggled as the Springboks pressured him hard and his intercepted pass just after effectively finished Wales just after halftime.
10. Sam Costelow – 6
Costelow had his moments of creativity, but he found it tough to unleash his full repertoire against the relentless Springbok defensive line. He was under consistent pressure and will look to grow from this experience.
11. Rio Dyer – 5
Got a bizarre yellow card from Andrew Brace after being adjudged to have purposefully knocked the ball into touch, even after the ball had gone beyond the Bok attacker’s grasp. Displayed glimpses of his electric pace and footwork, but those opportunities were few and far between. Found himself in noman’s land for the Boks’ try in the 68th minute.
12. Johnny Williams – 5
Williams fought hard in the midfield, engaging the Springbok defenders with his direct running lines. He was often tasked with breaking through a stout defence, and while he made some inroads, it was an uphill battle. Overplayed his hand on occasion when trying to make something happen.
13. Mason Grady – 4
Met with a brick wall of Springbok defence whenever in possession. He worked tirelessly, but a reckless pass when chasing back that directly lead to a South African try in the 35th minute will sadly be his biggest takeaway from this match.
14. Tom Rogers – 5
Struggled to make a case for himself on the wing despite some impressive defensive interventions. His failure to hunt down Jesse Kriel on his way to the try line will surely haunt the youngster.
15. Cai Evans – 7
The standout player in the Welsh division, he showed bravery under the high ball and attempted to ignite the counterattack whenever possible. He found himself under immense pressure from the Springboks, but he held his own.
REPLACEMENTS – 5
The substitutes injected fresh energy and impetus into the Welsh lineup, but they were up against a Springbok side that was firmly in control. While they brought their own intensity to the field, it was a challenge to shift the momentum. Former England prop Henry Thomas was an improvement at setpiece when he came on.
Comments on RugbyPass
The first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
31 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
31 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
31 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to comments