Wales vs New Zealand Review – Autumn Nations 2025
Wales 26 – 52 New Zealand
Following the disappointing outing against Japan last week, Wales desperately needed to show some signs of promise under Tandy, as far too many question marks remained going into two very dangerous fixtures against the All Blacks and Springboks. Fortunately, as that scoreline may suggest, Wales’ attack got firing once again. This is only the second time in their history they’ve scored 4 tries against the all Blacks, and while a weaker team than the New Zealanders typically field, Wales have actually achieved a lot of what they set out to do – instill some hope.
For 60 minutes, this was not a one-sided game. Tom Rogers’ hattrick brought the game to 21-24, and the atmosphere of the Principality could be felt as Wales looked capable of performing what would’ve been one of the greatest upsets in the sport’s professional history. Nevertheless, it wasn’t to be. But after looking dismayed, out-of-focus, and unstructured against Japan, Wales looked a lot more like an international rugby team with an identity and gameplan; moving the ball quickly out of the rucks, chasing the high-ball, and bringing real pace with ball-in-hand.
But inevitably, they were not the team with something to lose, and New Zealand were just too hungry and too experienced for the hosts to handle. Discipline and defence, similarly to the Argentina game, just weren’t on the level of the opposition, and despite Mann, Deaves, and Plumtree’s solid ruck skills, no ruck turnovers were won by Wales as they finished with half the visitors’ possession. The backrow didn’t quite have power to win rucks, and as a result couldn’t slow down the All Blacks’ ball speed, giving them the opportunities to score 7 tries. With the squad now missing their players based out of Wales for the Springboks clash, achieving a similar result with a weaker squad will be Tandy’s goal, but this game has given the team a good foundation to build upon.
Player Ratings
1: Rhys Carré 3
A game to forget for the loosehead, who didn’t hold out defensively as he missed 4 tackles, giving away tries to Ruben Lova and Tamaiti Williams. His trademark power didn’t really shine through, and he struggled in the scrum against the less experienced Pasilio Tosi, though he almost got a try of his own with a strong carry.
2: Dewi Lake 6
Lake has had a weird autumn so far, as in the loose he remains as effective as ever with 20 tackles and some strong carries. But his issues at the lineout haven’t straightened up, and as he matures at test level, you’d expect it to be less of an issue than it has been.
3 Kieron Assiratti 5
A few penalties held him back, but otherwise held out in the scrum against the much larger Tamaiti Williams. Made some strong tackles, but not much else as the hosts’ couldn’t physically impose themselves in this game.
4 Dafydd Jenkins 8
Slightly generous, but one of his best games yet. His signature workrate was as apparent as always, with 21 tackles, but he also read the game very well, with his charge down catching the visitors’ defence off guard. Seems to get better the more he plays, and showed why he needs to be involved with Wales somehow.
5 Adam Beard 5
Did a lot more work at the lineout than he has been, but the lack of notable improvement is beginning to raise questions about his place in the starting XV. Not that he’s a bad player, but he doesn’t bring much that the all-rounder Jenkins doesn’t already, and Wales really needed a stronger enforcer here.
6 Alex Mann 6
Less dominant than in the first two weeks. Still tied for most tackles completed at 21, but also missed 4 and couldn’t make a mark in the ruck. Was one of the players penalised for errors at the breakdown.
7 Harri Deaves 6
With how much power New Zealand threw at Wales and this being his first cap, he made a good account of himself with some very powerful tackles. Still, he couldn’t win anything at the breakdown and was outplayed by Ruben Love for the latter’s try. Has some work to do to surpass other 7s in a competitive jersey for Wales.
8 Taine Plumtree 4
A mixed bag; on the one hand, he made 21 tackles like Jenkins and Mann, which is extra impressive with his more limited gametime, but the reason for that was his awful discipline. Plumtree conceded 3 penalties and was carded at an inopportune time for the hosts, showing he still has some work to do to establish himself as a starter.
9 Tomos Williams 7
His box-kicking has developed a lot since he became the starting 9 for Wales, and his precision helped Wales out tremendously on attack. Controlled the game brilliantly and made a relatively impressive 14 tackles, though didn’t make any carries or assist any tries directly.
10 Dan Edwards 7
Kicked very well, putting pressure on the top-tier All Blacks backline while he set up Rogers’ first try with an excellent offload. His smaller frame didn’t help him on defence, but his aggressive playstyle paid off as he’s very much established himself in this Wales XV.
11 Tom Rogers 9
His best game yet, becoming one of only 4 players to score a hattrick against the All Blacks. Holding up Will Jordan’s try required solid skills, though he hasn’t fully fixed his defensive concerns by moving out of position a little too often. There’s little else he did wrong however, and he can be expected to remain in the starting XV somewhere going forward.
12 Joe Hawkins 6
Needed a good game to show how he could surpass Ben Thomas, though it was more of a mixed bag as he missed 6 tackles on his first international game since 2023. On attack, however, his distribution skills were best shown with his excellent pass to Max Llewellyn to set up one of Rogers’ tries, and he kicked well for the most part too. Should be trusted with this jersey against South Africa.
13 Max Llewellyn 6
Did well to assist 2 tries and made some good defensive reads, but his discipline held him back and even his frame couldn’t make a physical impact against the All Blacks. Has ended the Autumn with extra credit overall, however, and other 13s will have work to do to supplant him.
14 Louis Rees-Zammit 8
A big improvement after last week, with his one try being very deserved with his contributions on attack throughout the game. Kick chases, three line breaks, and 82 meters carried gives a good account of his attacking prowess, and while gaps remain in his overall game, will be a crucial player going forward.
15: Blair Murray 5
Still struggled under the high ball, but was protected a lot better. Beat 3 defenders and looked as dangerous as ever with ball in hand, but also missed 3 tackles. With how much he’s contributed throughout the year, it’s a shame the majority of talk will be about his waning future at fullback, and Tandy will have to re-consider his place going forward.
BENCH
16 Brodie Coghlan N/A
Dewi Lake played a lot of rugby today, and for the Gwent man’s first cap, he barely had any work to do in the 4 minutes he was given.
17 Gareth Thomas 2
2 penalties for the same tackle infringement and a yellow card within the first 5 minutes of coming off the bench are simply not acceptable errors from a player with Thomas’ experience and usual class. Given he’s likely to start the next test, he needs to turn around his performance drastically against a very dangerous Springbok pack, as being sent off had a visible impact on Wales’ structure in the second half.
18 Archie Griffin 4
Also a weak performance, as he struggled to handle the experienced George Bower in the scrum and was stood up. Put in a solid defensive effort though.
19 Freddie Thomas N/A
Not much gametime, which has been an unfortunate theme for him given he’s played all 3 tests. Clearly has something to give the Wales squad, with his more effective carrying game, but is usually only brought in when the game is wrapped up.
20 Morgan Morse 6
Made more carries-per-minute-played than any other player, and he’s clearly a more physical influence in 7 than Deaves. Didn’t have much time to show this however, though the few meters he made helped give Rees-Zammit his try.
21 Kieran Hardy 5
Didn’t pass the ball to the other team. It’s hard to look effective as a scrum-half replacing Tomos Williams, but Hardy did his job well when the team was on the back foot and will likely start next week as a result.
22 Jarrod Evans 4
Harsh score, but was outplayed by Sevu Reece for the latter’s second try and missed his conversion attempt. Will miss the next game unfortunately, but this game showed his struggles when his team are behind.
23 Nick Tompkins 6
The only bench player to really contribute positively, which is impressive given he replaced Wales’ best player at that point. Effective on both sides of the ball, but not enough to really turn the tide by himself. Another breakdown specialist who couldn’t handle the All Blacks’ power.
My Team for South Africa:
- Gareth Thomas
- Dewi Lake (C)
- Kieron Assiratti
- Rhys Davies
- Ben Carter
- Alex Mann
- Morgan Morse
- Aaron Wainwright
- Kieran Hardy
- Dan Edwards
- Blair Murray
- Joe Hawkins
- Joe Roberts
- Rio Dyer
- Tom Rogers
BENCH
- Evan Lloyd
- Danny Southworth
- Christian Coleman
- James Fender
- Harri Deaves
- Taine Plumtree
- Reuben Morgan-Williams
- Jacob Beetham
With some new call-ups added to the squad following the departure of outside players, I’ve picked a team that can prioritise physicality and limit the Springboks’ influence at the breakdown as much as possible. Experience determines the front-row and lock combinations, as Carter and Davies are both comfortable in physical contests against South African teams. Assuming Aaron Wainwright is fit, there isn’t enough room for James Ratti, as Deaves is trusted to come off the bench and provide a solid defensive performance as he did against the Stormers and Bulls in the URC. I’ve also selected Evan Lloyd ahead of initial squad member Brodie Coghlan, as while there isn’t much in it, Lloyd is larger and a bit more dynamic in his carrying, making the bigger difference with the more limited minutes the 16 jersey is likely to have.
Joe Roberts joins the XV as the only out-and-out 13 in the squad, while Tom Rogers moves to fullback and Murray moves to the wing for the aerial contest. Jacob Beetham and Ellis Mee are good options too, but experience is the deciding factor against a more well-honed Springbok side. I’ve opted for a 6-2 bench as well to prevent the forwards from being too exhausted by the Springboks’ physical contests, and Beetham can play everywhere except 9 anyway.
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