DAN Lydiate announced himself on the global stage with a prominent World Cup debut against defending champions South Africa last weekend.
The Abbey-cwm-hir raised 23-year-old (left) was singled out for praise by pundits in both hemispheres despite his side losing 17-16 in their Pool D opener.
Leading the praise for the Newport Gwent Dragon flanker - dubbed the ‘White Samoan’ for his tough tackling - was international skipper Sam Warburton.
Warburton dubbed Lydiate and fellow World Cup debutant Toby Faletau as “fantastic” following their hard work in the back row against the Springboks.
“I thought Dan and Toby were fantastic,” said Warburton. “I am thoroughly enjoying playing with Dan and Toby at the moment and hopefully those two can keep up their performances for the rest of the tournament.”
The match was marred by a controversial refereeing error, which saw Wales not awarded the points despite James Hook’s successful penalty.
Even South African coach Peter de Villiers questioned the referee Wayne Barnes following a controversial display against the Welsh in Wellington.
“Referees get it right sometimes and sometimes they get it wrong. And sometimes you sit in the coaching box and think ‘What the heck?’ when you see something, but then you look at it the next day and think ‘Okay, maybe it was not that bad,” he said.
Wales must now forget about their opening group defeat and look to complete three victories to cement their place in the knock-out stages.
Defeat at the hands of old rivals Samoa on Sunday, or against minnows Namibia and Fiji would spell the end of the road for Warren Gatland’s squad.