Wales Player Ratings vs. All Blacks: Louis Rees-Zammit Back On Top
Wales Player Ratings vs. All Blacks: Louis Rees-Zammit Back On Top
Wales pushed the All Blacks in Cardiff before fading late. Tom Rogers hit a hat trick and Louis Rees Zammit shined. Here's the player ratings for Wales.
Scott Robertson’s All Blacks overcame an anxious opening 60 minutes at the Principality Stadium to down a vastly improved Welsh side 52-26.
Steve Tandy’s side put in its best performance in at least 18 months, stressing the fancied hosts with ball in hand, matching them at set-piece and generally frustrating the normally fluid Kiwis.
While Welsh sides of old would’ve been furious with a result that saw them concede 52 points, Tandy’s side showed a clear blueprint of what it is looking to achieve.
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Stealing the show were the wing pairing of Louis Rees-Zammit and hat-trick hero Tom Rogers, who punished the All Blacks on the edges.
Up front, Wales matched the All Blacks at set-piece time and largely contained their power athletes for long stretches in front of a raucous Principality crowd.
Here is how the Welsh players fared:
1. Rhys Carre - 7
It’s clear why Steve Tandy insisted on getting the Saracens loosehead back.
Not only was he solid at set-piece time, but his ability to hit great lines brought a new dimension to the Welsh attack in the tight exchanges.
One blemish was a concession of the penalty that allowed McKenzie to regain the lead after Wales had pulled level.
Defensively, he will be disappointed to have allowed Tamati Williams to slip through his grip in the 38th minute for the All Blacks' third try.
2. Dewi Lake - 8.5
Matched the inspirational drive of Jac Morgan as skipper with a very busy performance.
Leading the defensive line, chasing kicks hard and competing ferociously on the deck, Lake was top-notch.
3. Keiron Assiratti - 7
Dragged Caleb Clarke back in the 35th minute, which just checked the All Blacks' momentum as they hunted a third first-half try.
4. Dafydd Jenkins - 8
While those around him shone, Jenkins was shifting giant All Blacks bodies out of the way at the breakdown.
It cannot be understated how much work the Exeter Chief got through on both sides of the ball at the ruck and in defense with his whopping tackles. His pressure told in the 42nd minute when he dominated an aerial contest and had a charge down that directly led to Wales’ third try.
5. Adam Beard - 7
Marshaled a highly intricate line-out, which frustrated the All Blacks, and the veteran lock gave his side a great attacking platform.
Ripping into the All Blacks with 18 tackles, Beard was a glue player during his 71-minute stint.
At the breakdown, he matched Jenkins in constantly dumping All Blacks out of the way.
6. Alex Mann - 8
Taking on the enforcer role for the Welsh back row, Mann was at the front of every confrontation.
He finished second on the tackle charts with 25 made, going along with his three line-outs won.
Had it not been for a knock-on, he looked to be away for a breakaway score, which would've been the icing on the cake.
7. Harri Deaves - 7.5
This week’s biggest story in Welsh Rugby made his presence felt on debut.
He seemingly was everywhere when a loose ball needed to be picked up or a hard carry was needed. Similar to Jac Morgan in his work rate, Deaves is a mongrel in the best sense of the word in that he is willing to put himself into every situation.
8. Taine Plumtree - 6
Struggled at times to get up to pace with an early penalty concession and a knock-on in the 34th minute, just after Wales scored.
Three minutes later, he slipped the tackle on Tamati Williams. Initially, he had to backpedal, having drifted offside, and that gave Williams the gap to accelerate into.
On the whole, Plumtree was outrageously industrious but was a penalty machine, which on balance, put his side under pressure.
It all came to a head in the 67th minute when he was shown a yellow card for a high shot, closing his account with 26 tackles.
9. Tomos Williams - 8
Exposed the All Blacks around the fringes on a number of occasions.
His perfect grubber for Blair Murray in the 32nd minute set the stage for Wales’ second try.
Getting pinpoint accuracy on his long passing game, Williams allowed Dan Edwards and the Welsh back line to target Rieko Ioane’s channel time and again.
10. Dan Edwards - 8
Pulled off an offload that Sonny-Bill Williams would’ve been proud of to set up Tom Rogers' try before adding the touchline conversion.
Beating Will Jordan for a high ball in the 26th minute highlighted his desire to dominate the match.
His continued development has been the biggest highlight of this November window for Wales.
11. Tom Rogers - 7
Two tries inside the first 34 minutes is as good as Rogers could’ve dreamt up.
While he initially was found wanting early for Caleb Clarke’s try, the Scarlets winger shored up his defense.
Completing his hat trick two minutes into the second half will ensure that this is a day he will never forget.
12. Joe Hawkins - 8
Stepping in for Ben Thomas, the former Exeter Chief, reiterated why so many had called for his return to the No. 12 shirt.
His distribution, kicking and defensive game released a ton of pressure on Dan Edwards. His sharp little kick through in the 31st minute pinned back the normally unflappable Will Jordan back and forced him into a poor clearance.
Llewellyn's out in the 42nd minute, one of the best passes you’ll ever see, ensured his side started the second half in the perfect way.
13. Max Llewellyn - 8
Uber physical in the outside center channel, the Gloucester center had a really strong showing.
His quick hands ensured that Rogers scooted over untouched for his second try.
He started the second half as he ended the first half - with the final pass to Tom Rogers on the way to the tryline.
Defensively, Llewellyn brought plenty of bite in what was arguably his best overall showing in a red shirt to date.
14. Louis Rees Zammit - 8
Back-to-back big moments in the seventh and eighth minutes, first with an interception and then a brilliant win in the air against Damian McKenzie, set up Wales for its opening try through Tom Rogers.
Understandably, every time he got the ball in his hands, the fans in the stands fizzed with anticipation.
While it didn’t break open for him as much as he would’ve hoped, he did make really good yardage and facilitated platforms for those around him.
Securing a moment he would’ve dreamt of when he returned from the NFL, Rees-Zammit pulled off a world-class finish to ensure Wales scored more points against the All Blacks than on any other occasion at the Principality Stadium.
15. Blair Murray - 7.5
He was targeted from the off in the air and had a mixed bag early on.
Covering low or long kicks, he did well with a brilliant clearance kick in the sixth minute, which was a nice touch.
On the whole, he grew into the aerial contest, which limited the All Blacks' entries into the Welsh 22.
Gaining chunk yards whenever a gap appeared, the fullback was instrumental in the build-up to the Welsh tries.
Replacements
16. Brodie Coghlan - N/A
Came on for three minutes, so not enough time to rate.
17. Gareth Thomas - 4
Shown a yellow card just six minutes after entering the action for a no-arms tackle.
One minute later, the All Blacks scored the try that ended the match as a contest.
18. Archie Griffin - 7
Given he is firmly the third choice at Bath, Griffin didn’t miss a beat in his ability to get up to pace in what was a rapid-moving encounter.
19. Freddie Thomas - N/A
Came on for the final nine minutes, giving him too little to rate accurately.
20. Morgan Morse - 6
The latest young Welsh backrow prodigy didn’t look at all out of place during his 13-minute stint on the park with a handful of carries and tackles.
Still just 20-years-old, the future of the Welsh No. 8 shirt has arrived.
21. Kieran Hardy - 7
Matched the tempo set by Tomos Williams, whipping out 24 passes in his 13 minutes on the park.
During that period, his side scored a try and nearly crossed for a second.
22. Jarrod Evans - 5
Had a few nice moments, albeit he will not want to watch back his one-on-one with Sevu Reece, where the All Blacks winger left him clutching at shadows.
23. Nick Tompkins - 5
Overall, the veteran center was relatively quiet but did have a couple of nice touches that got his side moving forward.
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