ABERYSTWYTH’S Rhys Norrington-Davies put in another solid shift for Cymru as they were defeated 2-1 by Belgium, the number two ranked team in the world, last night.

Cymru’s solitary point to date in UEFA’s Nations League came at the expense of Belgium in the 1-1 draw in Cardiff back in June.

Former Ysgol Penglais pupil Norrington-Davies was entrusted with a place on the left of the back three on his 12th senior international appearance as manager Rob Page picked an experimental starting line-up with Gareth Bale on the bench.

With one eye on the World Cup the Cymru manager, who recently signed a new four-year deal, was once again forced to play the long game in terms of his team selection.

With Poland next in Cardiff on Sunday evening to complete the UEFA Nations League campaign, Bale was named on the bench despite the absence of injured quartet Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies, Joe Allen and Harry Wilson.

With the opening match of the World Cup less than two months the focus now is to ensure Cymru head to Qatar at full-strength.

Page spoke highly of Rhys Norrington-Davies in his press conference on Wednesday and his decision to pick the Sheffield United defender was vindicated as he showed once again that he is a more than capable understudy to Tottenham Hotspur’s Ben Davies.

A superb challenge on Michy Batshuayi when the striker appeared through on goal after 17 minutes offered a snapshot of his overall contribution and why he can be considered a serious option for Page in that position.

One match remains for Cymru to avoid relegation from League A, but they will now face Poland in Cardiff on Sunday without Chris Mepham and Ethan Ampadu through suspension.

Norrington-Davies, 23, said after the game: “We came up against a very good team this evening. It’s always difficult to get back into the game after going two down, however, second half we did just that.

“Changing the formation meant we were a lot more compact and difficult to break down.

“We’ve got to look at the positives, recover well and go again on Sunday with all of the Red Wall behind us at Cardiff City Stadium. It’s a massive game. Must win to stay in the league.”

Rhys’ father Patrick added: “It was a solid performance by Rhys and the score line would have been very different was it not for some essential blocks and clearances especially in the first half.

“They go again Sunday and a must win game.”