Wales player ratings: Steve Tandy’s side ‘awful from start to finish’ as Welsh overwhelmed by Springboks

Colin Newboult
Wales players dejected during Springboks defeat and head coach Steve Tandy (inset).

Wales players dejected during Springboks defeat and head coach Steve Tandy.

Following an abysmal 73-0 defeat to the Springboks in the end-of-year Test at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Wales.

15 Blair Murray: Fun to watch when he has the ball in his hands, but Murray was once again exposed under the high ball. If Steve Tandy wants him on the wing then he needs to be moved to the wing. 4

14 Ellis Mee: Came in for Louis Rees-Zammit but it was a difficult day for the youngster, who did not get too many opportunities due to the Springboks’ physical dominance. 4

Dominated by powerhouse Springboks

13 Joe Roberts: Physically overwhelmed by the powerful South African midfield. It was all rather too easy for the visitors to scythe through. 3

12 Joe Hawkins: Did slightly more than his partner but it was still a struggle for Hawkins, who had to deal with the outstanding Andre Esterhuizen. 4

11 Rio Dyer: Similar to Mee, he was never really in the game from an attacking standpoint and was utterly outplayed in the aerial battle. 3

10 Dan Edwards: Has enjoyed a fine campaign but Wales played this entire game on the back foot which rather rendered his contribution moot. 4

9 Kieran Hardy: Similar to Edwards, the pack went backwards so it made it an impossible job for the half-backs. 4

Planet Rugby player ratings key 10 - Career defining performance 9 - Outright blockbuster effort 8 - Significantly influenced the result of the game 7 - Committed and effective outing 6 - Flashes of brilliance outside of executing fundamentals 5 - Fulfilling the role required by position (base level) 4 - Poor execution of fundamentals 3 - Costly errors and/or discipline in the game 2 - Poor performance that directly impacted the result 1 - Grossly ineffective throughout 0 - Should have carried water instead

8 Aaron Wainwright: A difficult day for the forward eight, but the loose trio did put themselves about, including Wainwright. However, they were still massively overpowered by the Boks. 5

Easily Wales’ best

7 Alex Mann: Easily the best of the lot for Wales. Mann was everywhere and was one of the few to stand up physically, finishing the game as the top tackler and with a couple of turnovers. 7

6 Taine Plumtree: A big man who has the ballast for Test rugby but Plumtree concedes far too many penalties and is making a lot of errors at the moment. 2

5 Rhys Davies: Wales were forced to field a makeshift second-row due to the absence of Adam Beard and Dafydd Jenkins, and it showed. Davies was not up to the standard. 3

4 Ben Carter: Similar to Davies, the Welsh lock pairing just don’t have the muscle of their South Africa opponents. 3

3 Keiron Assiratti: Simply blown away at the set-piece with the Springboks doing as they pleased at the scrum. Assiratti and co. did tempt South Africa into giving away some free-kicks, which is to their credit, but that was his their only positive contribution. 3

2 Dewi Lake (c): Like Mann, Lake has the attitude and physicality for Test rugby, which is currently few and far between in this Welsh squad. 5

1 Gareth Thomas: See Assiratti. The scrum was, as expected, utterly dominated by the Boks, who constantly sent them into reverse. 3

Replacements: Wales didn’t get any better when the bench came on quite frankly. It was awful from start to finish with the replacements doing as badly, if not worse, than those who started the game. It is a depressing time for Welsh rugby and its loyal supporters. 2

READ MORE: Superb Springboks inflict another humiliation on woeful Wales in 11-try demolition in Cardiff

Internationals