Glawio Rugby

Wales vs Fiji Review – Nations Championship 2026

Fiji 24 – Wales 39

Cardiff City Stadium was transformed for the opening game of the Nations Championship, helping to compensate for the lack of a true Fijian home stadium with a brilliant showing of Fijian culture, helping to hype up the opposing players into a match many expected them to win regardless of venue. But Wales’ response was emphatic; leading for most of the game and answering one of the strongest attacks in World Rugby with grit, ferocity and clinical offence to secure back-to-back test victories for the first time under Tandy’s leadership.

It can;t be stressed how important this win was for Welsh rugby; not only did this prove the Italian victory wasn’t a one-off, Wales were arguably even better as they restrained all of their opponents’ best attackers before responding with real weapons of their own. With a weak overall possession, Wales would’ve been forgiven for retreating into a shell of secure, practical rugby. Instead, they played with genuine confidence in their gameplan, perfectly tailored to exploit Fiji’s big weakness; consistent, sustained pressure over 80 minutes. With their opponents tired and low on ideas, it was only a matter of time before the half-time gap widened in Wales’ favour.

That said, Wales do have some work-ons if they are to challenge Argentina and South Africa. While their defence was strong overall, conceding only three tries despite having 10% less possession, there were several moments where Wales lacked the control and foresight they will need to handle stronger opponents; though successful, Wales’ defensive efforts were based on determination and raw endurance rather than accuracy. 

Overall, however, this is nothing less than a brilliant achievement for the team, progressively increasing the scale of opponents they can win against and improving upon their structure with every game. Strong (or at least, improved) showings against Argentina and South Africa will make for an excellent start to their first Nations Championship campaign.

Player Ratings:

1: Rhys Carré 8

One of Wales’ best Six Nations players, and was just as strong here. The scrum was a much improved effort overall, and Carré can certainly claim accolades for his contributions on that front. His trademark try-scoring ability lead to a vital score after the break, too.

2: Dewi Lake 8

The lineout was less consistent, though that wasn’t really Lake’s fault, who made up for his efforts by bringing back the same rolling maul that brought him to worldwide recognition in 2024. Ran into some handling issues, but so did everyone, so his efforts up front take priority.

3: Dillon Lewis 7

Also gets points for the scrum, and helped add to that with a nice haul of 8 tackles, only missing one. Less impactful than Carré, but handled the massive Ernoi Mawi well. Should keep this jersey going forward.

4: Ben Carter 8

14 tackles, none missed. That speaks volumes alone to Carter’s defensive efforts, as Fiji couldn’t get past him no matter what they tried. Did well to control the lineout too, which was one of Wales’ strong points.

5: Adam Beard 5

Beard had a polarising game, overall. One the one hand, 13 tackles, multiple turnovers, and a strong setpiece speak volumes to how he physically bolstered Wales efforts, and those impacts were ultimately the reason Wales won. Then again, he also conceded more penalties than anyone, many of which were needless offside or foul play penalties he gained nothing from. Needs to tidy up his game.

6: Alex Mann 6

Probably his weakest performance so far, not that you can hold it against him with his consistency up until now. Mann had difficulty managing the Fijians’ physicality, as he got turned over on all three of his carries after going off early with a HIA. Could do with a break after that performance. 

7: Jac Morgan 9

Back to his best. Two tries, top of the tackle charts, consistently strong at the breakdown and one of the better carriers. Jac epitomised everything Wales did well, with few errors, though it took him a while to get into it. Once he found his feet, Fiji had a tough time dealing with him, and his workrate deservedly one him Man of the Match

8: Aaron Wainwright 7

Less dominant than he has been in recent performances. A strong carrying threat, but that wasn’t the best approach against a big Fijian side who quickly turned him over. Was clearly targeted and viewed as the prime threat, but he hung in there well.

9: Tomos Williams 8

The primary playmaker in this match, Tomos’ pass selection and kicking game got Wales out of trouble and into an attacking position. Very much an all-court game, though he obviously wasn’t going to stand up to the strongest of the opposition’s carriers.

10: Dan Edwards 5

Edwards did well around the park, throwing himself into defence bravely but largely in vain; slowing down Fiji’s gameplay as much as possible is always the goal, to be fair. From the tee, though, his faults were a lot less forgivable, as he missed most of his kicks and kept Wales under pressure when they really couldn’t afford to be.

11: Josh Adams 9

The wingers didn’t get to shine much, but Adams’ best selling point is his defence, which he showed by claiming a very helpful turnover near the 50 meter line. But the real highlight was his try, with his vision and determination letting him surprise Ravutaumada. A player of his experience and quality will be valuable in this tournament.

12: Joe Hawkins 6

Hawkins drew the short straw in being the first line of defence against the untackleable Josua Tuisova, but he kept his channel largely under control. Worked well to cover Edwards on defence, but couldn’t bring much influence on attack, and Rayesi’s footwork was too much for him on a few occasions.

13: Eddie James 6

Also made some big interventions on defence despite the quality of Fiji’s carriers, but also made some big errors. Generally, Eddie’s job was to organise the defence of the backline, and it stood strong for most of the game, but his own contributions fell short next to some of his teammates.

14: Louis Rees-Zammit 3

Not good. Mostly silent on attack and was stuck with the unenviable task of containing Wainiqolo on defence, which he didn’t. Struggled under the high ball, and generally went anonymous when Wales needed go-forward. From a player of his quality, you’d expect a lot more.

15: Blair Murray 7

Still struggled under the high ball, but made up for it on defence and with the ball in hand. Murray was elusive as ever, making very impactful carries and kicking well to gain space. Has done himself a lot of favours showing that he’s a Test-quality fullback where Wales need to develop options.

BENCH

16: Ryan Elias 8

Kept the scrum and maul working well, picking up where Lake left off and scoring a try for his efforts. Brought his workrate to the Fijian pack well.

17: Nicky Smith 8

Weirdly, less impactful scrummaging than Carré, but was still strong. Much better around the field, being a constant breakdown annoyance.

18: Ben Warren 6

Not much to write about, but also held on well with the scrum, which is definitely an achievement for a Welsh tighthead, especially on his first cap.

19: Taine Plumtree N/A

Not a lot of gametime at 8 to make an impact, but looked up for some big carries. Will probably get more opportunities later on.

20: James Botham 8

Big work at the breakdown, could’ve easily started with how well he threw himself at the rucks. A nice turnover helped wrap up the game for Wales.

21: Kieran Hardy N/A

Here we go again…

22: Sam Costelow 7

Wales needed direction and control in the late game, and Costelow brought a lot more of it than Edwards. Only one kick, but was solid at the tee and helped close out the game.

23: Ellis Mee 6

Better defensive work, though less strong under the high ball and quiet on attack. Looked hungry to get some work done, and he may be one to watch as the tournament goes on.

My Team for Argentina:

1. Rhys Carré
2. Dewi Lake
3. Dillon Lewis
4. Ben Carter
5. Adam Beard
6. Jac Morgan
7. Tommy Reffell
8. Aaron Wainwright
9. Tomos Williams
10. Sam Costelow
11. Josh Adams
12. Eddie James
13. Max Llewellyn
14. Louis Rees-Zammit
15. Ellis Mee

BENCH

16. Ryan Elias
17. Nicky Smith
18. Sam Wainwright
19. Teddy Williams
20. James Botham
21. Reuben Morgan-Williams
22. Dan Edwards
23. Mason Grady

Following Scotland’s win over Argentina, Wales’ next opponents will be desperate to right wrongs before facing a more intimidating England side. Luckily, the match provided a helpful blueprint; Scotland were dominant in collisions and at the breakdown, retaining possession and carrying with intent to wear down the opposition. Tandy has already stated his intention to alter the team to cope with the travelling, so some players have been replaced to give them a rest following the gruelling physicality of the Fiji test.

Up front, the pack is largely the same; with only three locks, there isn’t much more to be done to stabilise the setpiece. Sam Wainwright should at least get an opportunity to show his scrummaging credentials, to best assess Wales’ options ahead of the Springboks test. The backrow has also been reshuffled, as Tommy Reffell’s jackaling skills will be helpful in slowing down Argentina’s ball and regaining possession. Tandy usually prefers a lineout-taking 6, so Mann or Plumtree are viable options, but Reffell has been a solid lineout taker for Leicester in the past.

The backline has seen a more significant shift; Costelow brings stronger game management than Edwards, as Wales will need to be more controlled than they were against Fiji. His centre combination has also shifted to give him more familiar options outside him; Eddie James can bring a similar carrying threat to Sione Tuipulotu, while Max Llewellyn can make consistent linebreaks when the Argentinian defence opens up, and both are physical enough to put pressure on Tomas Albornoz.

Both wingers are retained, as they have proven test credentials and are solid under the high ball, though Louis Rees-Zammit will need a stronger performance on both sides of the ball. Ellis Mee replaces Blair Murray at fullback, as while the latter performed well against Fiji, Argentina are far more reliant on their aerial game through Rodrigo Isgro and Lucio Cinti, who got away with putting pressure on Murray’s weaker high ball skills last time. Mason Grady should also bring some energy and power in the lategame, as his size can dominate collisions against Argentina’s smaller backs.

Wales will need to be a lot more structured and clinical against Argentina, as they are in turn a lot more structured and clinical than Fiji, and have a wider spread of experienced and world-class players. Argentina will want to open the game up with tactical kicking, but if Wales are competitive at the setpiece, they have the carrying threats to gain territory. Who concedes more penalties will likely be the deciding factor, as both teams tend to struggle with discipline. Wales’ improvements in this area against Fiji are promising, but they’ll be under a lot more pressure next week.