Wales Player Ratings v South Africa - Test 2

July 09, 2022
2616
Ultimate Rugby

Wales secured their first away win over the Springboks in 12 attempts after Adams went over in the corner with Gareth Anscombe converting with just over a minute remaining at the Toyota Stadium.

With the Series now squared up, the two sides meet in Cape Town next weekend.

Here is how we rated Wayne Pivac's victorious side.

15 Liam Williams - 6.5

Williams made a big hit on Kriel in the first half and enjoyed a solid 80-minute performance. He kicked well and was sound under the high ball.

14 Louis Rees-Zammit - 6.5

He got his hands on the ball on two occasions on attack and was quickly wrapped up by the Springboks, who saw what he could do in space last week. He popped up all over the pitch and contested the high balls well. Solid performance considering what he was presented with.

13 George North - 6

North was shut down by Kriel and Esterhuizen when he got his hands on the ball. Quiet game but no significant errors.

12 Nick Tompkins - 7.5

Another busy performance from the Saracens' centre as he got stuck into the Springboks. Industrious as he defended well and piled into the rucks while mixing it up with 12 passes and six carries.

11 Alex Cuthbert - 6

Beat Pollard in the air to get his first touch of the game. He did well in the air and looked to make inroads with the ball in hand but was superbly marked by Kurt-Lee Arendse, forced off the pitch after 16 minutes.

10 Dan Biggar - 5

A shoulder injury cut Biggar's performance short, and it was one filled with highs and lows.

He struggled for consistency from the tee, nailing one and missing two. He managed to pull a rampaging Dweba down and had some nice touches with the ball in hand.

9 Kieran Hardy - 8

Hardy's box kicks in the first half were outstanding as he created all kinds of problems for the inexperienced South African outside backs.

He was replaced at halftime after a stellar outing.

8 Taulupe Faletau - 8

Did the job of tidying up anything and everything before it became an issue for Wales.

When his pack struggled to contain the Bok front row, he got the ball out quickly and made ground. He made more metres than any other Wales player (27) and weighed in with a joint second match-high of 10 tackles.

7 Tommy Reffell - 8

Named man of the match and deservedly so, he was a nuisance at the breakdown, winning some key turnovers in the first half and tackled superbly. He has looked extremely comfortable in his first two tests.

6 Dan Lydiate - 8

Lydiate thrives in these matches as he thundered into tackles throughout the game. He made a match-high of 18, eight more than the next best tally.

5 Adam Beard - 6

A quiet game from the second-rower, who did well to stall the Springbok maul again.

4 Will Rowlands - 6

Rowlands was replaced by Alun Wyn Jones after 55 minutes after producing a tidy shift hitting rucks and making his tackles.

3 Dillon Lewis - 7

Another substantial shift from the tighthead. The Springboks put him under pressure in the scrums, but he held his own for most of the match.

2 Ryan Elias - 6

A game filled with swings and roundabouts for Elias as he had a few skew lineouts, won a crucial turnover and was driven back in a carry.

1 Gareth Thomas - 7.5

Thomas was put under pressure in the early scrums, with Trevor Nyakane getting the upper hand. His scrummaging improved as the game progressed, and he won a penalty against Vincent Koch.

Replacements:

16 Dewi Lake - 6

Some good carries and sturdy defence.

17 Wyn Jones - 6

He played a crucial role in holding the final scrum together.

18 Sam Wainwright - 6

Like Jones, Wainwright was crucial in the last scrum of the game, and the one before that, he won a penalty. Baptism of fire-making your test debut in Bloemfontein against a Springbok juggernaut, fair play.

19 Alun-Wyn Jones - 4