Wales Player Ratings v New Zealand
- 2250
The All Blacks have not lost to Wales in 69 years, a remarkable spell of dominance that was maintained as they scored at least 33 points in a 10th straight edition of this fixture.
Here is how we rated Wayne Pivac's men in defeat
15. Gareth Anscombe - 5
A quiet game from Anscombe who shifted to fullback before kick off following the injury to Leigh Hlafpenny.
He was targetted by the All Blacks and managed to hold his own for most of the match without standing out.
14. Louis Rees-Zammit - 5
He went looking for work early on but the ball didn't come his way. He had one promising moment with ball in hand but nothing came of it.
Beaten by Smith as the scrumhalf scored a wonderful try.
13. George North - 6.5
He got his hands on the ball far more often than he did in South Africa. North made good decisions both defensively and with the ball in hand.
12. Nick Tompkins - 6.5
Set Dyer up superbly from a set move, timing his pass to perfection. He carried strongly into contact and tackled superbly.
11. Rio Dyer - 7
A memorable debut for the young speedster. Dyer took his chance excellently, running a stellar line to score in his first appearance for his country.
He troubled the All Blacks with his kick chases putting the New Zealanders under pressure.
10. Rhys Priestland - 6
Priestland was outplayed by his opposite number but kicked well out of hand.
Couldn't quite replicate his form with Cardiff but not a terrible game overall.
9. Tomos Williams - 7
Williams did well to create a try for Justin Tipuric while his service through the game was sharp and accurate.
1. Gareth Thomas - 4
Guilty of conceding penalties around the park but held up his end of the scrum.
2. Ken Owens - 7
Classic performance from Ken Owens on his return to test rugby. Big strong ball carries, strong defence and good set pieces.
3. Tomas Francis - 4
Good in the scrums but another who conceded silly penalties.
4. Will Rowlands - 6
Busy around the park with tireless work in the rucks. He contested the lineouts well.
5. Adam Beard - 5
He hassled New Zealand's maul in the first half but was guilty of missing a straightforward tackle on Papali'i that resulted in Taylor's try.
He was put under pressure at the lineout but was otherwise solid.
6. Justin Tipuric - 6
A poor tackle attempt on Papali'i lead to the All Blacks first try but Tipuric had bright moments throughout the game including a try on the day that he lead Wales for the first time. Plenty to build on for the flanker but far from his best.
7. Tommy Reffell - 5
Reffell made a costly error that Aaron Smith pounced on to score from. He got through a ton of work around the pitch but hardly as impactful as he was in South Africa in July.
8. Taulupe Faletau - 8
A tireless work ethic throughout the game, he topped the tackle count making 17 in the first half.
His kick chase early in the second half resulted in three points and cut New Zealand's lead to six.
Comfortably Wales' best player.
Standout Replacements:
19. Alun Wyn Jones - 6.5
Brought on at half time and Jones got stuck right in on defence and carried strongly.
20. Christ Tshiunza - 7
Made a notable impact from the bench with his powerful ball carries and excellent lineout work.