Wales produced a performance that perfectly summed up their outing in the sweltering heat at Allianz Stadium. Gruelling.
One of the few positives from an underwhelming spectacle in front of a modest turnout was that Steve Tandy’s side made it back-to-back wins.
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Albeit it was an uncapped match, it was a first under the 46-year-old head coach. Ahead of facing Fiji in their Nations Championship opener, it’ll be another first for Tandy.
He needs to whittle down his extended squad, which started off at 48, but more have been training at the Vale Resort, and they have lost three players due to injury.
That number will be considerably lower before that contest at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Interestingly, when Wales selected their side to face the Barbarians, Tandy resisted the temptation to experiment from the off.
Instead, he selected four uncapped players on the bench, all of whom eventually had their chance to show their worth. Arguably, they shone brighter than those who were awarded the starting jerseys.
Cardiff’s Rhys Barratt, Ospreys’ Ben Warren, and Dragons duo Ryan Woodman and Harrison Keddie all made their debuts, and did so with the intentions of adding their name to the slimmer travelling squad.
On the debutants, who will be vowing for a first international cap, Tandy said: “I thought Rhys Barratt had some really good moments.
“Harrison was straight into the game, Ryan Woodman’s athletic, and Ben Warren had moments.
“It’s great for us. We need more competition.
“The way they trained, the way they’re coming in every day to be better, is exciting.”
International caps aren’t handed out they are earned, and all four had respectable performances. All worthy of an illustrious international cap.
With Keiron Assiratti sidelined through injury and Tomas Francis (rested) and Archie Griffin (injured) not available, out of the four, Warren looks set to claim international honours.
After an uninspiring performance by Dillon Lewis, who, on paper, is Wales’ most experienced and next best option at tight-head, Warren had the better of the 30-year-old.
Wales will likely name three tight-heads for the summer, but Warren, after Saturday’s performance, has most certainly put his name in the hat of starting this summer.
Sam Wainwright is the other tight-head officially confirmed in Tandy’s initial squad, but the likes of Chris Coleman, Rhys Henry, and Cameron Jones are also in contention as Tandy has a tough decision ahead of him.
Three will be selected. The question now is: will he stick with the three he has selected, or add another and drop one? Has Lewis lost his starting position? I even said he was Wales’ best option.
I also said it’s dangerous to read too much into performances in a low-stakes match.
But, for many, they were playing with a point to prove, and Lewis didn’t do that. He’s opened the door for Warren now.
Both should be selected, and it’s fascinating now to see who starts against Fiji. But, how does Tandy get to the desired “32” or “34 players” for the Nations Championship?
“That’s what we’re looking at,” added Tandy, whose side will also face Argentina and South Africa this summer.
“It’ll be done over the next few days. We’ll make sure we get everything through the physios now, see how the boys are and make sure everyone pulls up after the game.”
Tandy will release more than 12 players from his squad, and there will be transitions as Wales’ English-based players join the squad.
The competition that Tandy talks so fondly about will be greater, with the added flair of some key individuals returning to key positions.
“There are a lot of boys back home who have been with their English clubs; they’ll be in training this week,” continued Tandy.
“The competition gets a little bit higher, and we’ve got to continue to do that. We’ve got to find ways to give young guys opportunities with an already young team.
“You look at the backline that started (today) it’s pretty young, and then the boys that are coming on, it’s exciting for the future.
“But ultimately, we have got to go and experience more rugby.
“The more games we get, there’ll be lots of lessons along the way, but there’ll be lots of opportunities, and there’ll be a lot of growth in this team.”
Tandy won’t be afforded a great deal of time with the English-based players, along with Top 14 finalist Adam Beard, a handful of sessions before tackling the flamboyant Fijians.
But will that limited time put Wales at a disadvantage this summer? “Not a lot if we’re being honest,” admitted Tandy.
“We’re going to have to be thinking about that now, but again, we’re watching them every week and again.
“We’ve got to have an eye on an opportunity as well. These three Test matches are massive for us.
“But we’ve got to have one eye on the future as well as to where we can give maybe a young guy an opportunity on this summer tour, that’s without giving out caps (like today’s match against the Barbarians).
With one eye on the future for these uncapped stars, it seems bright. Saturday, they shone.
The question is now whether they get further opportunities this summer with the English-based players back in contention.
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