Wales player ratings v Barbarians as best performer surprises absolutely nobody

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Wales got their summer campaign off to a winning start with a 33-31 victory over the Barbarians at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Tries from Kieran Hardy, Dan Edwards (twice), Reuben Morgan-Williams and Ellis Mee, along with a combined eight points from the boots of Edwards and Sam Costelow got Wales over the line.

Wales legend George North scored twice for the Barbarians, with Vincent Koch, Alex Nankivell and Santiago Arata also claiming tries.

Here are your player ratings.

15. Blair Murray 7The diminutive full-back had a tough first half but got better as the game wore on.

Murray may be small in stature, but he put in a crunching try-saving tackle to deny Jeremy Ward in the closing stages of the first half.

The Scarlets man cut the Barbarians open in broken play on a number of occasions after the break and was denied what would have been an excellent try by the bounce of the ball.

14. Tom Rogers 5Struggled under the high ball and was too erratic at times, making too many errors.

Looked threatening with ball in hand at times but struggled to get into the game.

13. Eddie James 6There were a couple of strong carries from the Scarlets centre, who ran some nice angles from first phase, but this was a quiet game by his standards.

James did very well to save a try by getting his body underneath Nathan Hughes.

12. Joe Hawkins 6The 24-year-old was a threat with ball in hand, with one clean break laying the platform for Dan Edwards’ try.

Hawkins looked good with ball in hand with some nice touches, but he did fall off a couple of tackles in the first half.

11. Ellis Mee 6The Scarlets wing struggled to get into the game during the first half and was a bit too loose at times, but he was decent under the high ball.

Both Mee and Dan Edwards will be disappointed they were not able to stop George North out wide.

But he did well to claim Wales’ fifth try and also had one chalked off.

10. Dan Edwards 7Edwards was a threat with ball in hand throughout the game and claimed two tries for his side.

The Ospreys man kicked well out of hand and opened up the Barbarians defence on a number of occasions.

But he will be disappointed not to have done better to stop George North’s try.

9. Kieran Hardy 8The Ospreys scrum-half made the perfect start, snipping over from short range for a try after just four minutes.

Hardy’s service was sharp and his pass put Dan Edwards over for Wales’ second try.

Edwards should also thank his Ospreys team-mate for his second try because it was Hardy’s vision and perfectly weighted kick behind the Barbarians defence that did the trick.

8. Aaron Wainwright 8 (Star man)The Leicester-bound No. 8 carried well, getting his side over the gainline.

It was his charge forward which allowed Edwards to score his first try, while there were two clean line breaks from the 28-year-old.

Wales’ best player yet again.

7. Jac Morgan 7Morgan may not have been as prominent as we are used to seeing, but he put in a lot of hard graft, finishing as the joint-top tackler with 21, although he did fall off two in the first half.

Carried well and was strong at the breakdown.

6. Taine Plumtree 7The Scarlets back-rower showed his worth with his athleticism and X-factor with ball in hand.

Plumtree burst straight through the Barbarians defence to go from inside his own half to the opposition 22 and was always a threat. The Scarlets man was also extremely effective at the lineout.

But at times he lacks accuracy.

5. Teddy Williams 7A workmanlike performance from the Cardiff lock, who was playing his first game of rugby since dislocating his foot last October.

Williams made 10 tackles and six carries, while he was also very effective at the lineout.

4. Ben Carter 7Another workmanlike performance from the Dragons lock, who finished as the game’s joint-top tackler with 21, but he did miss one on Yoan Tanga which resulted in a try.

Wales’ lineout has also operated far more efficiently with Carter calling it.

3. Dillon Lewis 6Struggled at the scrum against Georgian powerhouse Giorgi Kharaishvili but got better as the first half wore on and won a scrum penalty.

The Dragons tighthead was busy around the park, putting in five tackles, and added a jackal threat at the breakdown.

2. Dewi Lake 8The Wales skipper carried well, making significant post-contact metres through his eight carries to get his side over the gainline.

Lake was also effective at the breakdown, while the lineout ran smoothly.

1. Gareth Thomas 6The experienced Ospreys prop found it difficult at the scrum in the first half, getting penalised twice.

Worked hard around the park with one neat tip-on pass, with one sending Dewi Lake charging through a gap in the Barbarians’ defence.

Replacements

16. Ryan Elias 6Carried well upon entering the fray and found his man at the lineout.

17. Rhys Barratt 8The Cardiff prop made a big impact on his Wales debut with a couple of powerful carries and one clean line break.

Promising.

18. Ben Warren 6The Ospreys tighthead locked out the scrum and went well around the park.

19. Ryan Woodman 6The Dragons forward got through a lot of work.

20. Harrison Keddie 6Keddie has had to wait a long time to get into a Wales shirt at senior level, and he did not disappoint.

He made three carries and eight tackles.

21. Reuben Morgan-Williams 7The Ospreys man showed what he’s all about as he sliced open the Barbarians defence to score soon after replacing Kieran Hardy.

22. Sam Costelow 6The Scarlets playmaker looked assured with ball in hand and through his kicking game.

23. Mason Grady 6The big Cardiff wing made some headway with ball in hand but cost Wales a try after he took a Barbarians player out off the ball.

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