Player Ratings: Wales v England

Player Ratings: Wales v England

Wales secured top spot in the world rankings for the first time in their history as they managed to overturn 33-19 loss to England last Saturday to win the rematch in Cardiff 13-6.

We rate every starting player out of a possible 10 from the clash:

Wales

15. Leigh Halfpenny - 7

Had one or two moments where he showed some of his rustiness but other than that he was positionally brilliant, contested well and kicked well.


Solid, strong and put in a great 80-minute game that will bode well for the World Cup.

14. George North - 7


Did a lot of chasing as Wales employed a very heavy kicking game. He contested well and got on the end of Dan Biggar's cross kick to score the only try of the game.

13. Jonathan Davies - 6

Did very little wrong, was solid on defence, shifted the ball on attack and got stuck into rucks stifling the England attack.

12. Hadleigh Parkes - 6

Distributed and carried well and was just as effective on defence. Got the job done with little fuss.

11. Josh Adams - 6.5

Kept the width well and was also very good in the air. Got limited opportunities with ball in hand but made the most of his chances when he did.

10. Dan Biggar  - 8

A shaky start with two overcooked kicks early on in the game but recovered well to put in a man of the match performance.

He kicked superbly in the build-up to the only try of the game and was simply superb under the high ball.



9. Gareth Davies - 7.5

Kicked much better than he did just six days go with most of his kicks being contestable for his wingers and flyhalf.

He tested the fringe defenders well before he made way for Aled Davies with 20 minutes to play.

1. Nicky Smith  - 6

Was dominated in the first scrum of the game but responded well in for the remainder of time on the pitch as the Welsh pack fought back.

Did well in the rucks and got around the pitch well.

2. Ken Owens - 7

Sorted his lineout troubles this week hitting his jumper in all 15 of his lineouts and got around the pitch really well making 10 carries and 11 tackles in a busy 80-minute performance.

3. Tomas Francis  - 6

Gave a silly penalty away after his side was monstered in the first scrum of the game but the Welsh pack responded really well after that first scrum with Francis stepping up.

4. Jake Ball  - 6

A strong game without really standing out. Made his tackles and gained little metres with his carries.

5. Alun Wyn Jones - 7

His usual busy self. Excellent lineout option and called the set-piece well after a disastrous time in the lineouts last week. 


6. Aaron Wainwright - 6

Played just 40 minutes but was prominent in the lineout making an early steal and was called upon to secure possesion for his side.

Missed four of his 8 attempted tackles but was a pest at the breakdown.


7. James Davies - n/a

Left the field with a head knock after 23 minutes.

Josh Navidi 6.5/10: A pest at the breakdown and got through a ton of work.

8. Ross Moriarty - 7

Got stuck into the nitty-gritty of the game and got through a ton of work making 10 carries and 11 tackles.

England 

15. Elliot Daly - 6

Covered the backfield well and looked to spark the counter attack with little success. Was better in the air today than he has been in other games but Wales did get an advantage in this department.

14. Anthony Watson - 4

Will feel hard done by for the yellow card but he looked to make amends with his work on the pitch.

Topped the metres made with 50 and was often trying to get over the ball and win a turnover. However his infringement did lead to the converted try that was the difference between the two sides.



13. Jonathan Joseph - 6.5

Chased kicks well, caused a few problems for the Welsh defence when he did get the ball and put in relative good performance overall.

12. Piers Francis  - 4

Couldn't spark the England attack into live and make the most of their opportunities. Managed to beat 5 defenders before Eddie Jones looked for a different approach with Farrell and Tuilagi.

11. Joe Cokanasiga - 4

Had an excellent run and chip and chase in the first 10 minutes and cleaned up a partially charged down kick soon after.

Largely ineffective and quiet thereafter.

10. George Ford - 6

Looked sharp and tested Wales with some good kicks but was unable to get England in a place to really pressurise the Welsh defence.

9 Willi Heinz - 6

Hardly put a foot wrong. Passed and kicked well with a head knock preventing him from playing more than 40 minutes.


1. Ellis Genge - 6

Had some troubles in the scrum but was busy around the park making 10 tackles, two carries and showed some nice touches with his passes.

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie - 4

Forced to make a number of tackles, faltered a bit in the lineouts and was substituted soon after the break.

3. Dan Cole - 6

Set the tone in the scrums with a huge shove early on, however, Wales bounced back in this department. Solid in everything else he did.

4. Joe Launchbury  - 4

Another below bar performance by his high standards. Busy on both sides of the ball but was just not as effective as he would have liked with Wales also getting the upper hand in the rucks.

5. Maro Itoje  - 7

Busy for a full 80 minutes and one of England's best today. Still seems to give a few too many penalties away but was a menace to Welsh attack.

6. Courtney Lawes  - 6

Got stuck into the rucks and mauls on defence and was strong in everything he did. He also got England some good go-forward ball.

7 Lewis Ludlam - 7 

Top tackler in the encounter with 18 tackles, without a single miss. Had a few nice carries and won two turnovers.

8 Billy Vunipola - 6

Not as effective as he was last week. He was busy with 13 carries and 10 tackles but far from a vintage Vunipola performance.

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