Wales stepped up their preparations for the inaugural Nations Championship with a narrow 33-31 victory against the Barbarians at a sweltering-hot Allianz Stadium.
Dan Edwards brilliantly claimed a brace and was accompanied by further scores from Kieran Hardy, Reuben Morgan-Williams, and Ellis Mee as Steve Tandy’s side continued the momentum gained from the Six Nations ahead of next weekend’s opening match against Fiji at the Cardiff City Stadium.
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Barbarians: 31
Tries: Vincent Koch (8’), George North (48’, 70’), Alex Nankivell (59’), Santiago Arata (80’)
Conversions: Harry Plummer (60’), George North (80’)
Wales: 33
Tries: Kieran Hardy (4’), Dan Edwards (23’, 45’), Reuben Morgan-Williams (57’), Ellis Mee (67’)
Conversions: Dan Edwards (4’, 24’), Sam Costelow (57’, 68’)
15. Blair Murray- 6
With Louis Rees-Zammit looking set to return on the wing for this summer’s Nations Championship, Murray needed a good audition in this uncapped fixture. The fullback was largely a spectator for the majority of the first half, apart from a testing kick in behind, which Harry Plummer calmly gathered.
His best moment was a try-saving tackle on Jeremy Ward before the break, and he looked dangerous in the second half whilst attacking.
14. Tom Rogers- 5
Wing is becoming a very competitive position of late in Wales, with Rogers having his first international start since scoring a hat-trick against the All Blacks. It wasn’t the best of starts for the winger, who lost possession and at times was poor in defence.
Was not the eye-catching performance he would have wanted with the Nations Championship beginning next week.
13. Eddie James- 7
With there being a lot of talk about the potential of the Scarlets player moving to inside centre, that conversation aside, he continued to shine. Running some brilliant, powerful lines in attack. The dependable back showed some great footballing skills before half-time, and along with Hawkins, expertly held up Nathan Hughes over the whitewash late in the third quarter.
12. Joe Hawkins- 7
Starting his eighth consecutive game for Wales in the 12 jersey, the 24-year-old utilised James well on his outside with pretty offloads and timely kicks in behind, which put the Barbarians under pressure. Overall, it was a decent showing for the playmaker, who, along with James, looks set to be Wales’ centre pairing for some time.
11. Ellis Mee- 5
Mee switched wings after his last five caps came at 14, with Josh Adams rested for this weekend, and this led him to build on his Six Nations campaign. He worked well in the wide channels when he eventually had possession and scored late in the contest.
In defence, he allowed fellow Welshman George North to easily score, and he needs to improve for the challenging summer ahead
10. Dan Edwards- 7.5
It’s a monumental summer ahead for Edwards, with Sam Costelow back fit, and this will undoubtedly lead to more pressure on the 23-year-old’s shoulders. But against the invitational side, he orchestrated his side’s attack well and played with great skill. Scored at the start of the second quarter, at the beginning of the second half, and has provided selection headaches for the Welsh coaching setup on who starts at 10.
9. Kieran Hardy- 7
With Wales’ number one selection at scrum-half, Tomos Williams, unavailable for this fixture, this was the perfect opportunity for the Ospreys player to show his worth. He did exactly that in the opening exchanges, keeping his side’s tempo up in attack before scoring.
However, after a positive performance, he was replaced by Reuben Morgan-Williams early in the second half, following assisting Edwards with his brace. He’s an injury concern for next week’s Nations Championship curtain raiser.
1. Gareth Thomas- 6.5
This will very likely be the loose-heads only outing for Wales this summer, with head coach Tandy opting for Nicky Smith and Rhys Carré over the Ospreys player. Thomas worked well with captain Lake in defence and was outstanding at regathering possession from the breakdown.
Had his afternoon cut short after being replaced by debutant Rhys Barratt at the break, who shone on debut.
2. Dewi Lake- 8
With many seeing his announcement as Wales’ captain a shock this summer, the hooker got his side immediately on the front foot after a break following an offload from Aaron Wainwright. He couldn’t repay the same fortune after 31 minutes, as his offload to the back-row forward, unmarked and in line to score, was poor.
With that said, he was immense around the breakdown area and made one notable hit on winger Virimi Vakatawa. One of his better performances for Wales in a long time.
3. Dillon Lewis- 5
Playing his first game for Wales since the 2024 Six Nations, the tight-head on paper is Wales’ best option in this position. He was an injury concern after 15 minutes, and was not reaching the heights expected of Wales’ number one tight-head, along with the rest of the front row; he was replaced during the interval.
4. Ben Carter- 8
The Dragons RFC player has been one of Tandy’s side’s top performers in recent memory; he’s going to be huge for Wales this summer. May not get the plaudits, but Carter was one of Wales’ best performers this afternoon.
He, along with returning Dafydd Jenkins, is a formidable second-row pairing.
5. Teddy Williams- 6
Williams is playing his first game since facing Connacht in the United Rugby Championship after dislocating his right foot. Worked well in defence with his counterpart, Carter, looked like he was playing with a point to prove, with the likes of Jenkins and Adam Beard being back with Wales next week.
From today, it’s a flip of a coin between Williams and Beard on who wears the 19 jersey at the Cardiff City Stadium.
6. Taine Plumtree- 6.5
Plumtree, the last time he was at Allianz Stadium, he found himself on the sidelines for 10 minutes, but this afternoon was a much more disciplined outing. He made the most metres in the first half, and before the 30-minute mark, he made a wonderful break up the touchline, but couldn’t regather possession.
7. Jac Morgan- 7.5
After missing the Six Nations due to an injury sustained in Wales’ first autumn game in November against Argentina, Morgan showed all the attributes that his national side has deeply missed.
Brilliant work rate around the breakdown area, in defence, and made the odd carry. One other positive he came through the contest unscathed, which is a huge confidence boost ahead of facing Fiji.
8. Aaron Wainwright- 9
With Morgan nowhere to be seen in the Six Nations, Wainwright has become Wales’ best player. The Leicester Tigers-bound player made some notable hits, which more often than not got his side over the gainline.
Referee Anthony Woodthorpe missed a clear headshot on the number eight by Hughes, but apart from that, he was yet again one of the top performers in the blistering heat.
Replacements:
16. Ryan Ellias- 5.5
17. Rhys Barratt- 7
18. Ben Warren- 6
19. Ryan Woodman- 6
20. Harrison Keddie- 6
21. Reuben Morgan-Williams- 6
22. Sam Costelow- 6
23. Mason Grady- 5
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