Wales vs Barbarians Review – Nations Championship 2026
Barbarians 31 – 33 Wales
The first back-to-back Wales victories since the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Which isn’t the most flattering benchmark, but it’s been a long time coming in preparation for the Nations Championship. Prior to this match, the Barbarians lost to the Springboks 80-31, so if the takeaway from this game is that the Springboks, the world Number 1s, are 47 points better than an away-player-less Wales, it’s a fair cop.
Generally, this was a step down from Wales’ performance against Italy, notably in the first half where the score ended 5-14. Wales’ defence held firm against a constant stream of powerful carries from the likes of Nathan Hughes and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who channelled frustration at missing out on international honours, but Wales found plenty of answers to the challengers’ questions. Wales were the more controlled and measured side, making linebreaks when given the opportunity, though not always being clinical enough to finish them.
Only when George North entered the field, did things start to heat up. Wales’ attack elevated when their own replacements came on, but North’s carrying presented a formidable challenge as he claimed two scores to keep the gap close for the rest of the game. With Harry Plummer’s two missed conversions and Dan Edwards’ one, this would’ve been a dead even game – a fitting warm-up for the upcoming tour.
Overall, Wales will take the win, though question marks may remain over areas such as the scrum and defence where they had more difficulty. The more structured national sides they will be facing over the next three weeks will pose a lot more competition to Wales in these areas, so Tandy has a lot to consider in preparation for those games.
Player Ratings:
1: Gareth Thomas 4
Wales’ scrum had a very poor start, and Thomas was the prop most frequently penalised. At the same time, his around the field contributions were notable, making 9 tackles and 2 turnovers, but his faults were more costly. This kind of performance is becoming a concerning theme, but his discipline has improved from last time.
2: Dewi Lake 7
His low pass to Wainwright was a black mark, and he has to be marked down for the weak early scrum, but otherwise Lake was solid here. Influential on both sides of the ball, he closed the gap on the Baabaas physicality, and looked a fair bit faster than usual in the carry.
3: Dillon Lewis 4
Not the return to the Wales jersey he’d have wanted, though he was the stronger of the starting two props in the scrum, and helped win a penalty towards the end of the second half. Lewis is more renowned for his work around the field than in the scrum, but it was more of the opposite here.
4: Ben Carter 7
Strong defensive performance as always, tying with Jac for most tackles completed. Missed a couple, but he’s been the model of consistency since the Six Nations, so expect him to start against Fiji
5: Teddy Williams 6
Didn’t look like someone who hasn’t played since October. Teddy’s workrate was just as high as Ben’s, though he obviously played fewer minutes. Will bring more impactful efforts in attack when he’s fully recovered.
6: Taine Plumtree 6
This looked a lot closer to Plumtree’s Scarlets efforts than his usual Wales ones. For one, he didn’t get carded. But generally, he was a constant thorn in the Baabaas defence in the first half, with multiple effective carries and handled the brunt of Wales’ strong lineouts. Still, one feels he has some work to do before he’s pushing Mann or Botham out of the 6 jersey.
7: Jac Morgan 7
Jac tied with Ben Carter for most tackles made, but this felt like a step back from his typically influential performances. Optimistically, this may be a sign that the team isn’t as reliant on him to carry them anymore, though his defensive workrate remains at its usual standard.
8: Aaron Wainwright 8
Another game, another performance where Waino is one of the best players on the pitch. Made the bulk of Wales’ carries, throwing himself into larger players and coming out on top, and being generally unlucky not to score a try. Just as strong in defence too, making 13 and missing none. Hopefully, he’ll be raring to take on Fiji with the same energy.
9: Kieran Hardy 7
His best performance for Wales in a while, as he worked well with Dan Edwards to pull the strings of Wales’ attack. His efforts didn’t all field results, but he was involved with all 3 of Wales first tries before leaving. Given Tandy’s tendency to leave him benched until the end of a game, this was a statement of intent that he can more than hold his own at this level.
10: Dan Edwards 8
Another of Wales’ best. Two tries, a solid series of kicks whether at the tee or across the field, and read the opposition very well. Edwards played with complete confidence whenever he got his hands on the ball, though it was a tougher showing for him on defence. Wales had a few issues in general under the high ball, but when Edwards clicked, he was excellent.
11: Ellis Mee 5
A tough one to rank; in another timeline, he would’ve scored a hattrick, and he beat more defenders than anyone else. However, under the high ball, he struggled to make an impact, and couldn’t help out much on defence either.
12: Joe Hawkins 7
Good with ball in hand, struggled without; this will be a common theme among the backs. Hawkins missed 6 tackles, which sounds poor, though he did well to shepherd attackers into difficult spots. His carrying and passing efforts were effective, though, so Tandy will probably stick with him at 12.
13: Eddie James 6
Not really an improvement on his Six Nations’ outing. James made some good carries, but got outplayed by Nankivell and Ward, who targeted his channel a lot. His handling will need to improve if he’s to stay ahead of Max Llewlleyn in the pecking order.
14: Tom Rogers 4
Not great; outside of the typical defensive issues the backline suffered with, Rogers also couldn’t handle his opposing numbers in the air, even though it’s usually one of his stronger areas. May be rested going forward if he wants to play fullback for Ospreys, as he will need time to find his best position.
15: Blair Murray 7
One of the scarier calls going into the game, Murray wasn’t challenged much in the air, allowing him to show the rest of his abilities to the fullest. Showed his impressive strength in stopping a try from a close-range restart, and constantly dazzled defenders with his footwork and kicking. May have earned his starting spot, though the airgame will be a concern against more organised teams.
BENCH
16: Ryan Elias 7
Bolstered the scrum, and generally picked up where Lake left off, though he was less noteworthy around the park. The clear choice for the 16 jersey against Fiji
17: Rhys Barratt 7
Easily the best of the debutants. His scrummaging wasn’t perfect, but he held on well overall, which will stand him in good stead given his very impressive carry. Barratt’s workrate is a real selling point among the selected front rowers, and he may have done enough work to avoid being dropped.
18: Ben Warren 6
Didn’t collapse a scrum, so he gets a point for that. Otherwise was fairly quiet.
19: Ryan Woodman 5
Also pretty quiet, though matching his fellow locks’ workrate was never going to be easy.
20: Harrison Keddie 5
Looked strong, but faded away pretty quickly. Lacks the sheer dynamism of other backrowers, and tried to compensate with physicality against a side that relishes contests of brute force; not the easiest gamble.
21: Reuben Morgan-Williams 7
One of the most underrated players in the squad, and showed why as he arguably outplayed Hardy. He sped up the ruck service considerably, and brought his own threat with ball-in-hand with a brilliant dummy pass to set up his own try. Even after both scrum halves put in such great performances, RMW has made a particularly strong case to be drafted into to the 23 against Fiji.
22: Sam Costelow 6
Costelow was fine, which was all he really needed to be after Edwards did so much work. He made his conversions and led the attack well, though he got overshadowed by those around him
23: Mason Grady 5
Not particularly impactful, and made some weird defensive errors. Also didn’t really get to touch the ball, limiting his main strength. If he’d started, he’d likely have a similar impact to Mee or Rogers.
My Team to face Fiji:
- Rhys Carré
- Dewi Lake
- Dillon Lewis
- Ben Carter
- Teddy Williams
- Alex Mann
- Jac Morgan
- Aaron Wainwright
- Tomos Williams
- Dan Edwards
- Josh Adams
- Joe Hawkins
- Eddie James
- Louis Rees-Zammit
- Blair Murray
BENCH
- Evan Lloyd
- Nicky Smith
- Ben Warren
- Adam Beard
- James Botham
- Reuben Morgan-Williams
- Sam Costelow
- Max Llewellyn
I wanted to wait until Tandy trimmed down the squad for the rest of the campaign before trying to work out what approach might be taken against Fiji. While Dafydd Jenkins’ injury is an unwelcome surprise, the following team looks well-equipped to handle the Flying Fijians’ typical gameplan. Like the Barbarians’, Fiji appreciate an open, chaotic style of gameplay, so physicality and a focused defence will be needed to restrain their biggest threats.
The return of English-based players helps with this a lot; in addition to their experience, it helps deepen the squad as Tandy has stated he wants to rotate players throughout the campaign to help ease the physical pressure of travelling. This first fixture will still be in Cardiff, but it’s something to keep in mind when building future teams.
Fiji’s weakness is usually their discipline and struggles asserting control over a match, but Wainiqolo and Ravouvou can score from anywhere, so Hawkins and James will need to improve considerably from their defensive efforts last weekend. Murray at fullback is a risk, but while targeting him with high balls could be an option for Fiji, Tuisova and the aforementioned wingers are also a significant threat to Ellis Mee’s awkward defence; Tandy will probably choose the one who’s more used to the role.
The pack is composed primarily of high-work rate tacklers than powerful carriers; Wales can’t compete with some of the Top 14’s biggest powerhouses, but players like Ben Carter and Alex Mann could outwork the Fijians instead, who often make mistakes when pressured hard enough at the breakdown. If they can hold back Ireland’s phase plays, they should be able to do the same here. James Botham is another option at 6, and probably starts if Mann isn’t up for it, but on the bench he brings a good blend of physicality and versatility, with his breakdown skills giving him an edge over Plumtree.
If Evan Lloyd fits any of the Championship’s matchups, it’s this one, as the setpiece is less of a concern here than against the Pumas or Springboks. I’ve also rewarded Reuben Morgan Williams for his bench performance against the BaaBaas, as he’s more of a solo threat than Hardy, while Llewellyn should provide the adequate bench coverage while bringing a strong late-game carrying threat.
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