WINNERS

WALES will return from their summer expedition down south carrying two hard-earned Test victories over Tonga and Samoa and valuable experience for a rookie squad.

Hit hard by Lions absentees and injury withdrawals, a makeshift party have dug deep against physical opponents in difficult conditions in Auckland and Apia.

ROB LLOYD picks out the winners and losers from the tour. ROBIN MCBRYDE WALES’ caretaker coach might have thought about packing his tin hat along with the waterproofs considering the amount of flak that was flying around in the build-up to the tour.

So to return with two creditable victories is a feather in the North Walian’s new cap.

The roll call of missing players, coupled with the four who were invited to link up with the Lions after the Tonga win, meant this trip was always going to be a patchup mission, but McBryde and his coaching team of Matt Sherratt and Gareth Williams deserve to be applauded.

After all, vastly more experienced Welsh sides than this have come unstuck against the islanders in the past.

With both Tests played in difficult conditions, there was never any danger of champagne rugby being uncorked, with the wins based on an intelligent kicking game and some strong contact work from the backrowers in particular. They also had to overcome a sickness bug in Samoa.

After enduring the embarrassment of defeat in Japan four years ago, McBryde will be justifiably delighted with how the last couple of weeks have panned out. THE CAP MAKERS A TOTAL of 11 players made their international debuts on this trip — nine against Tonga and the Ospreys second-row pairing of Rory Thornton and Adam Beard against Samoa.

In the Far East in 2011, the ‘development’ tour failed to deliver what is said on the tin, with only a couple of players going on to become regular members of Warren Gatland’s national squad.

However, this time, you sense a large number who featured against Tonga and Samoa will be involved when Gatland and his back-room team sit down to discuss the makeup of their autumn series party.

The likes of Scarlets hooker Ryan Elias and Cardiff Blues prop Dillon Lewis have shown they possess the physical stature for the Test arena; while Steff Evans is a hugely exciting talent that Wales will look to harness.

Add in Aled Davies as understudy to Rhys Webb and Gareth Davies; Thomas Young and Ollie Griffiths to complement a strong back-row pool and Seb Davies, Rory Thornton and Adam Beard as back-up locks and this tour has served its purpose in blooding the next generation.

As for that stat that Wales have only capped three players since the 2015 World Cup — it’s been blown out of the water. AARON SHINGLER Just a few months ago, the athletic Scarlets flanker admitted it was now or never in terms of his Welsh ambitions.

The last of his eight previous caps had come on tour in South Africa in 2014 and with four back-rowers involved with the Lions, he admitted that if he didn’t make the squad this summer, having played some of the best rugby of his career for the Scarlets, he was unlikely to pull on the three feathers again.

After the disappointment of his initial omission, the door was opened by James King’s withdrawal and Shingler has come charging through.

He has been at the heart of a dogged Welsh forward effort, leading the defensive line — as he did so effectively in his man-of-thematch performance in the Guinness PRO12 final — while also underlining his status as one of the best line-out operators in the Welsh game. CORY ALLEN ANOTHER player reborn after a frustrating couple of seasons since the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The Ospreys-bound centre scored a hat-trick of tries as a wing in the warm-up match over RGC 1404 in Colwyn Bay, providing McBryde with a useful option should injury occur.

As it turned out, Allen proved a valuable asset out wide.

After replacing the injured Alex Cuthbert against Tonga, he somehow managed to peel himself off the turf following a bone-rattling collision with full-back David Halaifonua and was a strong presence on the flanks against Samoa.

Steve Tandy will be welcoming a player to the Liberty with confidence firmly restored. KEELAN GILES ONE of only two players on tour (Rhys Patchell was the other) not to be involved in either of the matchday 23s.

Last November, the 19-year-old speedster, on the back of a headlinegrabbing run of form for the Ospreys, came within touching distance of his first cap against Japan, but was kept on the bench by Rob Howley. A hamstring injury then ruled him out of the Six Nations.

Judging by his lack of involvement on this trip, it appears the Welsh management believe he still has plenty on his to-do list.

Alex Cuthbert and Steff Evans were preferred out wide for the Eden Park opener against Tonga with Cory Allen providing cover.

Then, following Cuthbert’s shoulder injury, the physicality of Allen earned him the nod against Samoa.

When asked about Giles’s lack of involvement at the post-Samoa press