Following a 31-17 victory over Italy in the Six Nations clash at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Wales.
15 Louis Rees-Zammit: Playing at full-back still isn’t allowing him the space to break free from defenders, while he is fallible under the high ball, but there was plenty of good things from Rees-Zammit. His decision-making changed the momentum, put Italy under pressure and earned penalties. 6
14 Ellis Mee: A defensively excellent performance, but there were not too many opportunities to attack and he was tested in the aerial game by Italy. However, it was a net positive contribution from Mee. 7
13 Eddie James: Has finally been given a consistent chance in the team and James has taken it. The powerhouse centre was once again a focal point and gave the Wales half-backs a supply of front foot ball. 7
12 Joe Hawkins: The other half of an improving centre partnership. Has the playmaking talent but Hawkins is also physical and against one of the best combinations in the world they stood up well. 6
11 Josh Adams: Part of a back three which is working well in tandem. Not the attacking threat he once was but Adams had a couple of surges in the second period. He is also a spiky character and that attitude has rubbed off on his team-mates. 7
Composed half-backs
10 Dan Edwards: The playmaker must be enjoying it much more playing behind a pack which is getting better ball. Edwards was composed and controlled, and took the right options, being reward for a try in the process, and kicked superbly. 8
9 Tomos Williams: A truly classy operator who has been able to show off his skills in this year’s Six Nations. Williams’ kicking and decision-making was outstanding, while he kept the tempo high. 8
8 Aaron Wainwright: Another outstanding display from the number eight, who showed excellent power for his first try before grabbing a brace soon after. Wainwright was simply superb in all departments. 8
7 James Botham: Massive in defence, with a big hit in the second half the highlight, as the Welsh loose trio dominated their opposition back-row. A big performance from Botham, who is starting to show his Test credentials. 8
6 Alex Mann: Has shown up better than most during Wales’ struggles, but his influence is now even greater with a better platform. Like his flank partner, Botham did the dirty work at close quarters. 7
Brilliant front five
5 Ben Carter: Another player to have grown during this tournament, suggesting that he can mix it at this level. Despite the initial lineout issues, that was rectified, while Carter’s work rate is exceptional. 7
4 Dafydd Jenkins: Similar to Carter, Jenkins has developed nicely this year and did his job excellently. Not a huge physical presence, but his fundamentals are strong and he has a great engine. 7
3 Tomas Francis: Against a loosehead in Danilo Fischetti who has scrummaged superbly, Francis held up his end and allowed the other two front-rowers to attack the inexperience Italian tighthead. Unfortunately had to go off before the break, however. 6
2 Dewi Lake (c): The lineout was a real worry early on but, once that was sorted, Lake thrived. Powerful in the carry, excellent in defence, which included a couple of turnovers, and deserved his try. 8
1 Rhys Carre: He’s always had the tools to play at this level and Carre was absolutely fantastic yet again. The loosehead was immense in the loose and also dominated Muhamed Hasa in the scrum. 8
Replacements: The replacement front-row wasn’t quite as effective and Italy started to get a bit of success when the Wales bench came on. While the game was pretty much over by that point, they will be disappointed that they couldn’t build on the work of the starters. 5