Wales Players Put to the Test in Physical Encounter with Wallabies
Following their 25-16 defeat to the Wallabies in the first test of the series, the Wales players were put to the test in a physical encounter in Sydney. BBC Sport provided a detailed analysis of their performance.
Liam Williams put in an assured display as the experienced full-back. He produced a clever 50:22 kick to bring Wales back into the arm wrestle, adding a calming presence to the fresh-faced team. 6/10
Young winger Josh Hathaway showed glimpses of his quality, but the Wallabies did their homework to keep him quiet. He nearly scored a late try from a clever Sam Costelow kick, and seemed to improve after the Scarlets fly-half’s introduction. 6/10
Australia targeted the channel of centre Owen Watkin early on, and he struggled to make an impact in attack. 4/10
Similar to Watkin, the Wallabies went hard at the midfield, which helped them gain momentum. Mason Grady did front up with his one-on-one tackles, but was starved of quality possession to showcase his athletic abilities in the centres. He got more involved when shifted to the wing later in the game. 5/10
Rio Dyr was also starved of genuine possession, limiting his attacking threat, though he showed his natural finishing instincts with a disallowed try. 5/10
Fly-half Ben Thomas distributed well and kicked his goals, but didn’t really threaten the line, while scrum-half Ellis Bevan did his job without setting the pitch alight. Both earned 6/10 ratings.
In the back row, Aaron Wainwright, Tommy Reffell and Taine Plumtree all put in strong defensive and physical displays, with Wainwright and Reffell earning 7/10 scores.
Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza and Dewi Lake were solid in the tight five, while Archie Griffin and Gareth Thomas struggled in the scrum, leading to a 4/10 rating for the latter.
The Welsh replacements, including Kemsley Mathias, James Botham and Sam Costelow, did a good job in the second half, earning a 6/10 collective rating.
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