RugbyRebels

normanski wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 7:25 pm This is a disaster.

It's kind of what the WRU planned for. Not intentionally, but by their actions.

Hmm. We'll take it. But oh boy.

Fuck me.

I’ll always take a win but that was hard to watch.

We should have been well ahead before half time but the inability to even look like scoring against 13 men is incredible.

Japan looked way more capable in attack. All they lacked was a little patience. They should have won by 10. Our bomb squad did improve the scrum, which helped. But we have zero midfield punch, so the wings get he ball shipped into nothing and not running on well past the gainline. Tomkins was an improvement, but he's hardly the future. Not a game that fills me with confidence.

Sandydragon wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 7:23 pm This is embarrassing. Some players just shouldn’t be there.

As livewire as he is Blair needs to move to the wing.

Buggaluggs wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 7:44 pm Japan looked way more capable in attack. All they lacked was a little patience. They should have won by 10. Our bomb squad did improve the scrum, which helped. But we have zero midfield punch, so the wings get he ball shipped into nothing and not running on well past the gainline. Tomkins was an improvement, but he's hardly the future. Not a game that fills me with confidence.

I agree with these comments.

We had no ideas against 13 men.

Our scrum was OK, but we did not challenge their lineout.

Adams was incredibly stupid. he did not need to do anything.

We still have a centre problem Yes, Tompkins was an improvement but he was only on the field for a few minutes.

It was all round bad, we are still a collection of individuals not a team.
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Blair Murray to the wing and someone else at full back.
Adams out.
Rethink the centres. We saw more of Llewelyn but neither he or Thomas looks quite right.

We had a fair bit of quality possession in that match and did little with it. Can’t blame the pack for that performance.

Buggaluggs wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 7:44 pm Japan looked way more capable in attack. All they lacked was a little patience. They should have won by 10. Our bomb squad did improve the scrum, which helped. But we have zero midfield punch, so the wings get he ball shipped into nothing and not running on well past the gainline. Tomkins was an improvement, but he's hardly the future. Not a game that fills me with confidence.

You’re right about Japan, more cutting edge and sharper around the breakdown. How we won that I will never know.

Thomas and Llewellyn are not the midfield answer.

The bomb squad need to start.

One positive, Tomos Williams’ pass to LRZ for his try. Very nice

Without Tomos' flat passes we'd be dead. And it isn't a tactic we can rely on.

Holy shit, sneaked a 1 point victory over Japan in the 83rd minute. Better than the loss we would have thoroughly deserved but my god. Can't get a point against a 13 man Japan ffs. That's where we almost threw it away, although Adams did his best to ruin things all by himself.

33:67 territory .

At least the scrum was okay.

Lineout faltered - this played a fair part in our pathetic struggles - 82% success vs 100% for Japan (naturally we were unable to pressure their lineout in the slightest). Lake still misses too many - not sure he's good for us, despite everything else he brings.

Cracknell, Jenkins and Mann put in the most tackles (although we did a hell of a lot of tackling). LRZ got our most metres, followed by Cracknell.

Locks were good, very solid. Back row - not Wainwright's best game, the other two went well.

Half backs - very good. I was a bit concerned that Edwards got replaced at all, then terrified when Evans had that last pressure kick, just off the bench. Still at least that worked out (we're still top 12! ).

Centres put in a fair few tackles but little else.

Murray still struggled with hit ball. LRZ needs to consider other players rather than the one-man-miracle option, bit still is far too good not to start. Adams was a liability and needs to be dropped.

This isn't even a bad day at the office, this is where we are now, ecstatic over a last gasp win over Japan at home. The lack of the basics of what's required of an international rugby team is shocking. Accuracy, power, pace, composure - all those things were lacking. If anyone still.has any doubt about the enormity of the task to bring Wales back to challenging at the top level, this game should end those doubts.

pompey-zebra wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 9:12 pm This isn't even a bad day at the office, this is where we are now, ecstatic over a last gasp win over Japan at home. The lack of the basics of what's required of an international rugby team is shocking. Accuracy, power, pace, composure - all those things were lacking. If anyone still.has any doubt about the enormity of the task to bring Wales back to challenging at the top level, this game should end those doubts.

This doesn't feel like ecstasy to me . My god, the next two matches are going to be horrible. But we have no ranking points to lose and no chance of winning, so Tandy is free to experiment.

NB we shouldn't arrange to play SA and NZ at this point. It's a waste of time.

Son of Mathonwy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 9:17 pm

pompey-zebra wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 9:12 pm This isn't even a bad day at the office, this is where we are now, ecstatic over a last gasp win over Japan at home. The lack of the basics of what's required of an international rugby team is shocking. Accuracy, power, pace, composure - all those things were lacking. If anyone still.has any doubt about the enormity of the task to bring Wales back to challenging at the top level, this game should end those doubts.

This doesn't feel like ecstasy to me . My god, the next two matches are going to be horrible. But we have no ranking points to lose and no chance of winning, so Tandy is free to experiment.

NB we shouldn't arrange to play SA and NZ at this point. It's a waste of time.

It’s utterly stupid to play either team at the moment. Better to play the USA or Canada and at least have a competitive game. It’s not education to get utterly shafted.

Son of Mathonwy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 9:17 pm

pompey-zebra wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 9:12 pm This isn't even a bad day at the office, this is where we are now, ecstatic over a last gasp win over Japan at home. The lack of the basics of what's required of an international rugby team is shocking. Accuracy, power, pace, composure - all those things were lacking. If anyone still.has any doubt about the enormity of the task to bring Wales back to challenging at the top level, this game should end those doubts.

This doesn't feel like ecstasy to me . My god, the next two matches are going to be horrible. But we have no ranking points to lose and no chance of winning, so Tandy is free to experiment.

NB we shouldn't arrange to play SA and NZ at this point. It's a waste of time.

Sadly it’s where we’re at. The pain that’s coming in the next two weekends is going to be horrible to endure. We’re at rock bottom. I can’t see any redemption this year or next.

That was a horrible watch. We have regressed.
Josh's red card was harsh, but his actions were stupid.

Max is increasingly looking like a liability. Everything improved when the front row changed. Dewi is not doing what he's paid for; he's definitely not captain material, and only passes muster as a hooker by the skin of his teeth. Beard was pretty much average, but he did okay in the set piece. Daf was poor. Wainwright was poor. Adams was poor. Murray was poor. LRZ was okayish, but not particularly effective. Edwards was very good, and confirmed my opinion that he is our ten for years to come. Ben was poor. Griffin was shit. Tomas was okayish. Mann was good tonight. Playing out of position, he did all the tough stuff, while Cracknell show-ponied and got all the credit.

Of those that came on, Assiratti was the pick, but Carre was fine, as were Plumtree and Tomkins (like the new look). Didn't see enough of Thomas or Belcher. Evans won us the game with a daring kick that could have gone anywhere when he is behind the T.

We desperately need a 13, and Josh should be retired. He's not going to play for a few weeks anyway.

My key takeaway is that development is a process, not a light switch. These players need experience playing against the best to harden up, and understand what is required of them. Next week is going to be something of a shock. They will benefit from it if the coaches prepare them for a torrid time. I honestly don't think we'll win a single 6N match, and I'd be surprised if we weren't nilled by England, possibly France, and maybe Ireland. Scotland may stick fifty on us, they may not. It depends on which Scotland turns up. Italy will outmuscle us, out-strategise us, and outskill us.

What happened to Mason Grady and that other youngster you had coning through in the centres?

Cameo wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 10:38 pm What happened to Mason Grady and that other youngster you had coning through in the centres?

Grady is injured and likely to become a wing when he comes back.

Wales online ratings.

Wales player ratings vs Japan as two stand out amid some awful performances
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This 24-23 win was a million miles from perfect but Steve Tandy's side showed huge character to get over the line. Tries from Dan Edwards, Louis Rees-Zammit and Nick Tompkins, along with nine points from the boots of Edwards and Evans sealed victory for Wales.

Here are the player ratings.

15. Blair Murray 4

Dangerous with ball in hand but struggled under the high ball again and fell off a few tackles.

This Wales team has heart but there's no hiding from how far we've fallen

Ugly Josh Adams incident sees Wales star sent off amid little sympathy

Wales' back-three failed to click into gear as an attacking unit, while Murray also lost four turnovers.

14. Louis Rees-Zammit 7

Wales' biggest threat with ball in hand.

Made one 60-metre break from inside his own half and squeezed in at the corner for his first try since returning from American football.

Never stopped trying and will get better.

13. Max Llewellyn 4

Some nice distribution and made some good defensive reads.

But he lacks a point of difference at this level and needs to show more with ball in hand. Only carried the ball three times and that needs to improve moving forward.

12. Ben Thomas 4

The Cardiff man is a nice footballer but the attack struggled to click into gear. Showed some nice touches with ball in hand but the centre partnership of Thomas and Max Llewellyn needs to show a lot more if Wales are to kick on.

11. Josh Adams 3

The Cardiff man was solid enough prior to his red card but lacks the x-factor in attack of his younger days.

Adams' recklessness in giving away a needless penalty at the stroke of half-time which resulted in a 20-minute red card let his side down.

10. Dan Edwards 7

The Ospreys playmaker is confidently growing into his role as an international outside-half.

Edwards did well to evade two Japanese tacklers to claim his side's opening try while he made one excellent break during the second-half.

9. Tomos Williams 6

Williams was one of Wales' better players and linked well with outside-half Edwards.

Kept his composure throughout and his experience was vital in getting Wales over the line.

8. Olly Cracknell 7

The Leicester Tigers backrower finished the game as Wales' top carrier with 13, while he also ruled the roost when it came to tackles putting a whooping 24.

Worked tirelessly throughout and was one of Wales' better players.

7. Alex Mann 8 (Star man)

Arguably Wales' best player.

It was always going to be mission impossible to step into Jac Morgan's shoes, the Cardiff backrower made a good fist of it.

Put in 20 tackles and nine carries, while he also won two turnovers and played a pivotal role in the final passage of play, which sealed victory.

6. Aaron Wainwright 4

Started well enough with a powerful carry in lead up to Dan Edwards' opening try but struggled thereafter.

Dropped the ball in contact on a couple of occasions and missed a tackle on Japan full-back Yoshitaka Yazaki.

Replaced by Taine Plumtree on 49 minutes.

5. Adam Beard 4

The Montpellier second-row is the type of player who gets through a mountain of unseen work.

But Wales struggled to impose themselves physically for large periods of the game and has to take some of the blame for the lineout malfunctioning.

This second-row partnership does not carry enough ball.

4. Dafydd Jenkins 6

Jenkins is a work horse.

The Exeter Chiefs second-row put in a huge defensive shift making 21 tackles and five carries.

But he did give away a soft penalty after Nick Tompkins' try which allowed Japan to go back into the lead.

3. Archie Griffin 5

The Bath prop did ok in the scrum and did put in 14 tackles.

Work rate is never an issue for Griffin but did lose the ball in contact on a couple of occasions.

2. Dewi Lake 5

The Wales skipper put in 18 tackles and carried the ball five times.

One of Wales' better players around the park but lineout did not function as well as it should have and this is an area that needs to improve.

1. Nicky Smith 5

Put Japan under pressure in the scrum which was the strongest aspect of Wales' game.

The Leicester Tigers loosehead put in eight tackles and four carries.

Replacements

16. Liam Belcher 6

An extremely late cameo appearance but found his man in the lineout and carried well.

17. Rhys Carré 7

Made a big impact with some very powerful carries to get Wales on the front foot, while he also scrummaged well.

Perhaps his best role is as an impact sub.

18. Keiron Assiratti 8

The Cardiff tighthead made a real positive impact which helped change the game.

Took Japan to the cleaners at the scrum and carried well during the crucial last passage of play.

19. Freddie Thomas 6

A very late replacement but carried well during that final passage of play.

20. Taine Plumtree 6

The Scarlets man made a decent impact with ball in hand and helped give Wales some go forward.

21. Kieran Hardy N/A

Unused replacement

22. Jarrod Evans 8

Showed huge bottle to nail the last minute penalty under enormous pressure.

Only entered the fray as a 79th minute replacement but his late penalty was just what Wales needed.

23. Nick Tompkins 7

There was far more punch in Wales' midfield when Tompkins took the field.

Did well to claim Wales' third try and deserves to start against the All Blacks.

I know he is not the long term future, but i do believe we must play Tompkins now.

Morgan would have made a big difference to today's team.

The next two weeks are going to be horrendous, even for the props who were good today.

Who decided we were going to wear white?

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Graigwen wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 11:33 pm I know he is not the long term future, but i do believe we must play Tompkins now.

Morgan would have made a big difference to today's team.

The next two weeks are going to be horrendous, even for the props who were good today.

Who decided we were going to wear white?

.

WRU rule number one. We never wear our change kit, it always makes us play shit.

Sandydragon wrote: ↑Sun Nov 16, 2025 2:45 am

Graigwen wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 11:33 pm I know he is not the long term future, but i do believe we must play Tompkins now.

Morgan would have made a big difference to today's team.

The next two weeks are going to be horrendous, even for the props who were good today.

Who decided we were going to wear white?

.

WRU rule number one. We never wear our change kit, it always makes us play shit.

Japan confused us too, we thought we were playing the Cardiff Blues.

Graigwen wrote: ↑Sat Nov 15, 2025 11:33 pm I know he is not the long term future, but i do believe we must play Tompkins now.

Morgan would have made a big difference to today's team.

The next two weeks are going to be horrendous, even for the props who were good today.

Who decided we were going to wear white?

.

I don’t see the point in playing Thomas and Llewelyn together again. Is Tompkins the answer? He probably is an improvement in n fairness. But what other alternatives could we play? On the one hand they are going to have to tackle like crazy for the next two weekends but there’s nothing to lose either. No one expects us to win and heavy losses are priced in.

We haven’t seen Hawkins Hennessey or Beatham yet. I suspect Tandy will stick with known players for the next two games but he will never get such a free pass.

Feel more pissed off after that win than I did last weekend when we lost by 50.

Forwards workable. Back line is atrocious. Centres are not working. LRZ needs to learn to pass. Blair should never be full back. Every team will launch bombs and pick up the scraps


Half backs are ok too. Who else we got. Who can play under the high ball. Is LRZ any good at FB

It is the end of the road for Murray as a full back. His vulnerability under the high ball will be known to all future opponents. He is fast, elusive and committed, he can inherit Adams vacant slot.

It is rather basic to play a full back who can catch the ball. It would help if we gave our full back, whoever that is, more support.

Thomas is very talented but is not delivering at the moment. I really don't think there is any point in playing him. Would Llewellyn be more effective with another partner. I have always found Tompkins difficult to judge but he seems to make our team better.

It is a shambles.
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