Player Ratings: New Zealand

OPINION: Wales have secured a famous victory over the All Blacks at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, holding on for dear life to claim a 35-28 triumph.

Steve Tandy’s side were utterly deserving winners, while Dave Rennie’s All Blacks were second best from the get-go.

It’s the first Wales victory over the All Blacks since 1953.

Henry Lee from RugbyPass rates the All Blacks

1. George Bower – 6
Busy around the field, and one of the few forwards not to be penalised heading into the break. Set piece couldn’t get the same dominance it had just a week prior. Like Newell, Bower left the field in the 49th minute.

2. Asafo Aumua – 5.5
Carried brilliantly with ball in hand all night, but the lineout work was poor. Pinged for offside at an All Blacks ruck early, and overthrew two lineouts in the first half. Imposing with ball in hand, but Aumua continued to have lineout throwing issues. Finished the game with 20 carries, mostly in the second half.

3. Fletcher Newell – 6
The All Blacks prop was penalised by French referee Pierre Brousset at the third scrum for pulling down the Welsh loosehead, before not rolling away inside the All Blacks’ 22. Off at 9 minutes with ten tackles and five carries.

4. Scott Barrett – 5.5
Made a couple of solid carries early, but forced an offload on a half-line break. Barrett’s tackle through a first-half rolling maul was high, resulting in a penalty. Spent the whole second half carrying strongly and cleaning rucks, but Barrett didn’t have the same impact as the previous three weeks. Took charge of the All Blacks’ poor lineout, which struggled in Cardiff.

5. Josh Lord – 5
Lord knocked the ball on from the first kick-off, then made two misjudged defensive tackles. Around the field, Lord popped up in and around the ruck, but he lacked the punch of Fabian Holland. Nice soft hands to put Lakai through a gap in the Wales defence. Part of a below-par All Blacks lineout.

6. Anton Segner – 7
Segner was powerful in his first Test start for the All Blacks, and won two pivotal turnovers, one in the ninth minute with his side down 14-0, and the second to get the visitors out of trouble deep inside the 22. Quieter second half, but will remain a solid option going forward, especially as a lineout option.

7. Peter Lakai – 8.5
The All Blacks’ best in a poor performance. Strong hit alongside Wallace Sititi to force the ball free, and was busy around the contact areas early. Lakai is integral to the All Blacks going forward, and he showed his wide-ranging skills in Cardiff. Whenever Rennie’s side looked for go-forward, the ball was in Lakai’s hands. Got the All Blacks back into the game with a try in the 53rd minute, showcasing some nice footwork. Great line to go through off Lord’s short pass.

8. Wallace Sititi – 8
While Sititi’s opening actions were slightly sloppy, once the Chiefs No.8 got into the contest, he was among the All Blacks’ best in a poor first half. Sititi took a Segner pass at his head and crashed over to close the gap to seven. Picked his moment brilliantly in the 36th minute to win a steal at the breakdown. Worked tirelessly in the second half, without much reward as Wales held strong.

9. Cortez Ratima – 5
The Chiefs halfback had a tough job clearing several early breakdowns, but responded with a try off a lineout drive. Ratima took the try well, and backed it up with a couple of accurate contestable box-kicks. Ratima looked to have picked up an injury just before halftime. Poor work at the breakdown inside the All Blacks’ 22, and it gave Wales an easy entry into the red zone. Performance probably saved by a first-half try, but once again it highlighted the gulf between Cameron Roigard and the rest of the All Blacks halfbacks. Off in the 64th minute.

10. Richie Mo’unga – 5
Rusty or poor? In Mo’unga’s first start since Baltimore against the Springboks, the first five started with a loopy pass to Segner, which eventually led to a turnover. It was far from the front-foot ball the All Blacks had against the Wallabies, which made it more difficult to shine, but Mo’unga was still below his best. Kicking, like his captain, was done too often, gifting possession back to Wales. Four turnovers lost and three tackles missed.

11. Josh Moorby – 5
The Hurricanes winger struggled in the air against Gabriel Hamer-Webb, and didn’t impact the game with ball in hand. Couldn’t help the All Blacks break free in the last quarter.

12. Anton Lienert-Brown – 6
In the first half, Lienert-Brown had some effective moments. Ran hard and held onto the ball through contact, unlike other All Blacks. An important breakdown turnover in the final ten minutes of the first half. Struggled in the second half to string any forward momentum for the All Blacks.

13. Quinn Tupaea – 6.5
Worked his way into the contest after a quiet first 20 minutes. Spent his first ten minutes of the second half organising his defence, without much reward. Game-high 22 carries in an incredible effort.

14. Fehi Fineanganofo – 5.5
Watched Louis Rees-Zammit have a field day early down the right-hand side, and had limited impact with ball in hand. Popped up at the right time to cross just on the stroke of halftime, but was replaced shortly after halftime.

15. Beauden Barrett – 4.5
Captaining his first-ever Test match for the All Blacks, Barrett had a shaky first half. With his side under pressure, the playmakers were forced to release pressure, largely with inaccurate kicks during the opening quarter. The 149-Test veteran opted to kick too often, highlighted by his dropped ball in the 26th minute. Opted for a quick throw just before half-time to Ratima, resulting in yet another All Blacks turnover. Weighed up his options inside his 22 after half-time, and his loose pass after a run into contact led to Wales crossing for another try. Slightly better second half, and had one moment of brilliance, regathering a high kick, but this remained a poor performance.

Replacements:

16. George Bell – N/A

17. Xavier Numia – 5
Numia missed an opportunity to put Tupaea through a gap in the Wales defence that could have led to a try. Proved to be a costly moment.

18. Pasilio Tosi – 7
Tosi came on and added some punch with ball in hand. Often found himself at first receiver in the final ten minutes to take the ball up.

19. Jamie Hannah – N/A
Came on and injured himself after one carry off a big run-up.

20. Ethan Blackadder – 6
Tried to add impact but couldn’t get over the gain line.

21. Leicester Fainga’anuku – 6
Attempted to add impact, but like several of the bench replacements, the loose-forward couldn’t break the resolute Wales defence.

22. Kyle Preston – 5
With the ruck slow, Preston struggled to up the tempo.

23. Rieko Ioane – N/A

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