Wales player ratings: Taine Basham the standout in poor Six Nations display against Ireland

Colin Newboult

Following their 29-7 defeat to Ireland in their Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, here’s the player ratings for Wales.

15 Liam Williams: Had virtually no opportunities in attack during a long afternoon for Wales. 6

14 Johnny McNicholl: Ran strongly for one of Wales’ few chances in the first half, but it was largely a frustrating 80 minutes. 6

13 Josh Adams: The switch from wing to centre did not really work as Adams found it hard going opposite Ireland’s midfield pairing of Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki, and he collected a yellow card. 4

12 Nick Tompkins: Ineffective in Wales’ midfield on a day when Ireland dominated. 4

11 Louis Rees-Zammit: Scored four tries in last season’s tournament but barely saw the ball as Wales subsided. 5

10 Dan Biggar: Captained Wales for the first time, but it proved an experience to forget, despite showing a couple of nice touches with ball in hand. 6

9 Tomos Williams: Struggled at the heels of his forwards as Ireland took charge from an early stage of the contest. 5

8 Aaron Wainwright: Found it hard going in opposition to a rampant Ireland pack. 5

7 Taine Basham: Wales’ standout performer. Scored a late try and made good contributions throughout. 8

6 Ellis Jenkins: Could make little impact on the contest, with Wales outplayed. 5

5 Adam Beard: Not the Ospreys forward’s day in the lineout as Ireland ran the show. 6

4 Will Rowlands: A tireless first-half effort in adversity, but then faded after that. 6

3 Tomas Francis: Worked hard in the set-piece, but could make little impact in the loose. 5

2 Ryan Elias: Had a strong Autumn Nations Series, but could not reproduce that form. 5

1 Wyn Jones: Performed strongly opposite revered Ireland tighthead Tadhg Furlong in one of Wales’ few highlights. 7

Replacements: Wales head coach Wayne Pivac rang the changes in the second period, but none of the replacements stood out. 5

READ MORE: Five takeaways from Ireland v Wales as Johnny Sexton shines

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