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Wales player ratings vs South Africa | 3rd Test July 2022
By Will Owen
Wales player ratings: What a test series it has been. With Test One coming down to a dramatic Damian Willemse kick, and Test Two won by a Josh Adams try and a Gareth Anscombe clutch conversion, Test Three was poised to be a belter.
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This ended up being Wales’ toughest score of the tour. There were a few individuals who shone, but mindless discipline was what killed them in the end. Well done South Africa on a deserved test series win.
15. Liam Williams – 5
Dropped his first high ball but soon atoned for his error with a few good takes. Quiet for the rest of the game.
14. Louis Rees-Zammit – 7
Little space for Rees-Zammit today but used his boot well and made his hits. Looked dangerous whenever the ball found him.
13. George North – 8
Excellent in the midfield today. Made two huge breaks in the lead-up to Reffell’s try and was rock solid in defence. Dragged Damian Willemse into touch with a smart piece of D.
12. Nick Tompkins – 5
Instrumental to the setup of Reffell’s try – a huge weapon outside Biggar, playing nicely in the boot of forward groups. Made two huge errors in running the ball from his own line and over-folding for Kolisi’s try.
11. Josh Adams – 8
Typically excellent on the wing. Chased kicks well and made a few huge hits. Made a handful of breaks in the second half that he was unlucky not to finish.
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10. Dan Biggar – 5
Kicked well off the tee and generally made good calls in attack, but lacked the killer instinct he has had in the past to close the game out.
9. Kieran Hardy – 6
Took a tricky high ball early to settle a few Welsh nerves. Didn’t kick quite as brilliantly as the last two weeks, but a good performance.
1. Gareth Thomas – 5.5
Good around the park but struggled a little at scrum time. You can’t knock his work rate though, endless big shots from the prop.
2. Ryan Elias – 6
Under pressure from the emerging Dewi Lake, Elias showed his excellence from the start, making countless tackles and working hard around the park. Was rightfully substituted to give the brilliant Lake a full half.
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3. Dillon Lewis – 2
At the start of the game, it became very clear that the Boks finally had Lewis’ number. Gave away a lot of penalties. Correctly subbed at half-time.
4. Will Rowlands – 6.5
Playing half-lock, half-number 8, Rowlands capped off a good tour today. With a few good carries and consistency at the line-out, Rowlands justified his selection.
5. Adam Beard – 7
The Springbok maul is difficult to stop, but Beard generally did a good job. The Osprey was fantastic at the set-piece, but couldn’t quite hold out Bongi Mbonambi’s try.
6. Dan Lydiate – 5
Was solid for the first few minutes, but went off injured early on.
7. Tommy Reffell – 8.5
It may only be Reffell’s third cap, but it feels like his first try has been a long time coming. Somehow he appears to be getting better with every game, looking comfortable ruffling a few Springbok feathers. Unfortunately came off around the 55 minute mark.
8. Josh Navidi – 6
A late replacement for Faletau, Navidi was solid at the back of the scrum. Fielded his kickoffs well. Didn’t get many opportunities at the breakdown.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Dewi Lake – 8
It took Lake an entire 30 seconds on the field before winning a jackal turnover. Threw one or two squint line-outs once again, but tackled brilliantly. Great tour from Lake.
17. Wyn Jones – 5
Didn’t have much opportunity to make an impact, but not bad by any means.
18. Sam Wainwright – 3
Made a great start by winning a scrum penalty, but gave away three soft penalties himself towards the end.
19. Alun-Wyn Jones – 7
Came on early as an auxiliary back-row and made a big impact when Wales were wavering. Carried excellently.
20. Taine Basham – 6.5
Basham always looks strong with ball in hand, but the Bok breakdown was too strong for him to get much of a look-in.
21. Tomos Williams – 6
Made a break at the end that can only be described as “filthy”. Had good moments, but sadly not enough to get Wales back into the game.
22. Rhys Patchell – N/A
Unused substitute.
23. Owen Watkin – 5
Had little opportunity to make an impact, but had a collision to forget with Siya Kolisi!
