Once again, a Welsh loss. This encounter ended by 26 points, if you weren't tuning in, it will look like simply another in their long list of losses versus New Zealand, a streak that extends 34 games since 1953.
But it’s just possible, too, for the players who coached it and played in it, for the huge crowd in the ground, and viewers worldwide watching on TV, it may yet come to represent a deeper importance than that. While not a complete turnaround, a shift, they managed a little look at what's possible and got a glimpse of potential developments might look like with Tandy at the helm as coach.
On three occasions, the All Blacks stretched ahead with a touchdown, the first of them three minutes in, and each time Wales managed to haul to close the gap into the things by touching down a try themselves right back.
They were all finished by Scarlets’ wing the Welsh flyer, establishing him as the first from Wales to notch three tries versus the All Blacks. However, the efforts just as much to his teammates, notably Tomos Williams, who set up one with a skillful grubber kick, Rees-Zammit, who set up another with a superb catch, and Hawkins, who made the third with a fine cross-field pass.
Five minutes into after halftime, it was 24-21, with just a single penalty from McKenzie between the teams. Two of New Zealand’s three tries were the result of set pieces, the first a straightforward score from Caleb Clarke, the other an even simpler by the forward off the back of a forward push. The other was a brilliant finish by the fullback, who weaved through a gap in the defence using a feint and a sidestep, and sprinted a long distance to touch down.
Key Details
- Welsh Side Murray; Rees-Zammit, Llewellyn, Hawkins, Rogers (Tompkins 55); Edwards (Evans 68), Williams (Hardy 68); Carré (G Thomas 52), Lake (Coghlan 76), Assiratti (Griffin 52), Jenkins, Beard (F Thomas 70), Mann, Deaves (Morse 68), Plumtree
- Sin-bins Thomas 58, Plumtree 68
- Touchdowns Rogers 3, Rees-Zammit
- Kicks points from conversions
- Visiting Team Love (Reece 55); Jordan, Ioane, Lienert-Brown (Fainga’anuku 68), Clarke; McKenzie, Ratima (Christie 55); Williams (Bower 55), Taukei’aho (Bell 65), Tosi (Newell 55), Barrett, Holland (Lord 64), Parker, Kirifi (Lio-Willie 68), Sititi
- Scores a variety of try-scorers
- Conversions perfect kicking record
- Three points McKenzie
Referee the referee was Hollie Davidson
Crowd over 68,000
At this stage that the visitors slipped into top form. They notched three tries in a short burst. Two didn't count, due to a knock-on, another after replays revealed Rogers just succeeded to prevent the score. Yet the next one, initially not given because the referee suspected there had been an infringement from a crossfield kick, was awarded for Rieko Ioane following television review.
After that, the match to unravel. To start, the prop received a to the sin-bin, when he returned, Plumtree also left.
They notched three more late in the game, with two by the winger. Yet the Welsh side to pull another back independently, following excellent play from Murray and the wing. The crowd erupted then, although their team was trailing, they felt pride to celebrate something to applaud, and a sight of initial signs of progress versus one of the world’s best teams.
