Wales player ratings: League convert starts well as Warren Gatland’s blushes spared

Following their narrow 36-35 win over the Reds in Queensland, here are our ratings for Warren Gatland’s Wales.

Wings stand out

15 Cameron Winnett: He was very quiet on attack for most of the game but did contribute with some decent runs down the short side in the build-up to the winning try. Still not a commanding performance. 5 

14 Rio Dyer: As always showed intent and enthusiasm with ball in hand. The speedster bagged a try off a lovely cross-kick and was one of the best players in Welsh black today. 7

13 Nick Tompkins: Really elevated his ball carrying in the second period and was rewarded with a try as a result. The line he ran to score was lovely to watch and it was a decent enough showing. 6

12 Eddie James: Had a lot to do in the middle of the park with the Reds throwing their big men down the middle. James carried satisfactorily without setting the game alight. 5

11 Regan Grace: Encouraging start for the former league man who did not look out of place. He scored a nice try down the short side, defended well and was comfortable around the ruck in general. His running ability could make a great wing pairing with Dyer going forward. 7

10 Sam Costelow: The player of the match from a Welsh perspective as the fly-half used what ball he had fairly efficiently. His kicking out of hand was brilliant at times with the cross-kick to Dyer on a postage stamp and a 50:22 in the second period underlined this. Costelow showed Gatland what he might have missed against Australia. 8

9 Gareth Davies: A late withdrawal saw him being handed the captain’s armband and it looked like he relished it. Played with a lovely tempo on attack and made a couple of clever reads on defence. 6

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8 Mackenzie Martin: A star for the future. He is big and powerful as shown by his carries, particularly in the first half. Martin is also a breakdown threat and in time he could be an important player for Wales. 7

7 Taine Plumtree: Solid on both sides of the ball but faded off slightly in the second half. Still, one would think he has to be in the Welsh back-row going forward whatever number is on his back. 6

6 Christ Tshiunza: Showed how easily he can slot into the blindside role and scored a try in his 45 minutes on the park. However, he was forced off just after the break with a concerning-looking injury. 6

5 Dafydd Jenkins: Moved into the line-up late on and handled that fairly well. He was not at any major fault during the game but in the same breath did not have as big an impact as expected. 5

4 Matthew Screech: Worked hard all game long but like his second-row partner did not set the world alight in a tough game. 5

3 Archie Griffin: Continued his rise with another lung-busting outing where he scored a try amongst his inevitable defensive contributions. Gatland has found a mainstay tighthead. 7

2 Evan Lloyd: Copped a yellow card for repeated infringements and did not massively impact the game otherwise. 5

1 Kemsley Mathias: Less busy than his propping partner with not much headlining his performance besides an average scrumming effort. 5

Replacements: Gatland is breathing a bit lighter thanks to his substitutions and Kieran Hardy in particular, who scored the decisive try late on. Harri O’Connor, Tommy Reffell and Dewi Lake also added impetus off the pine. 7

READ MORE: Wales survive almighty scare against second-string Reds as Warren Gatland ends nine-game drought