Keiron Assiratti: D
In similar style to Cardiff teammate Domachowski, tight-head prop Keiron Assiratti made his Wales debut by starting in the Cardiff test match against England. Assirati was given the tough task of going head-to-head with England co-captain Ellis Genge in the scrum, and the front-rower struggled as England controlled the set-piece in the first half.
However, Assiratti achieved a strong scrum turnover to kick-start Wales’ tide-turning momentum in the second half. This was the prop’s last impact of his Wales debut, as he was replaced by fellow debutant Henry Thomas, and departed the pitch alongside Domachowski after 49 minutes.
Henry Thomas: C+
After making seven test match appearances for England, Bath prop Henry Thomas underwent the necessary international stand-down period to become eligible for Warren Gatland’s Wales. Similar to front-row teammate Nicky Smith, Thomas played a key role in the Welsh scrum turn-around of the second half in the first Cardiff.
Marking his debut with an off-the-bench appearance against his formerly represented nation, Thomas put in a solid showing both up-front in the scrum and around the park in the loose. Thomas carried well, and reminded England fans what they were missing, as the 31-year-old dented the defensive line. A strong first outing for his new country, Thomas did himself plenty of favours for World Cup contention.
Max Llewellyn: C
Gloucester centre Max Llewellyn took a bit of time to settle in on his Wales debut, with nerves playing a potential factor on his eagerness to fly out of the defensive line. Llewellyn bit in on Marcus Smith in the match’s early stages, and gave the Harlequins fly half the space to play in his teammates through the midfield.
Llewellyn was benefitted by his centre partner George North, who helped the centre learn the ropes on his test match debut. After settling in, Llewellyn linked up with relative fluidity, alongside fellow newcomer Sam Costelow at halfback. He was instrumental in the Welsh phase play in the latter stages, which saw his side take control in Cardiff.