🔗 Share this article

For the second week in a Welsh loss. The most recent match ended with a 52-26 scoreline, for those who didn't watch, it will look like simply another on their lengthy record defeats to New Zealand, which now stretches back 34 encounters since 1953.

But it’s just possible, too, that, for the men in charge and played in it, for the huge crowd in the ground, and viewers worldwide tuning in remotely, it may yet come to symbolize a deeper importance beyond the scoreline. They didn't quite make, a breakthrough, they achieved a brief glimpse into the future and got a glimpse of potential developments may appear with Steve Tandy in charge.

Repeatedly, the All Blacks stretched ahead by scoring a try, initially just three minutes into the game, and three times Wales managed to haul to reduce the deficit back into the match with a try their own points right back.

Each try was completed by the wing from Scarlets the Welsh flyer, making him the first from Wales to score a hat-trick versus the All Blacks. But they belonged also to the squad, especially Tomos Williams, who set up one with a skillful grubber kick, the speedster, who created another with an excellent grab, and the center, assisting the final try using a accurate long pass.

Five minutes into the latter period, it was 24-21, separated by a sole penalty by Damian McKenzie dividing the sides. Two of New Zealand’s touchdowns came from throws, the first a straightforward touchdown by Caleb Clarke, the other an even simpler by the forward following a forward push. The other was an impressive effort by Ruben Love, darting through a gap in the defence aided by a feint and a sidestep, and sprinted 30 meters to score.

Match Summary

• Home Team 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
• Disciplinary issues penalties for infringements
• Touchdowns three from Rogers, one from Rees-Zammit
• Kicks three successful kicks

• All Blacks 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 Clarke 2, Reece 2, Love, Williams, Ioane
• Conversions seven successful kicks
• Three points a penalty goal

Official the referee was Hollie Davidson

Attendance over 68,000

Around this time that the All Blacks shifted into another level. They scored three touchdowns in a short burst. Two were disallowed, for a forward pass, another after review indicated Rogers just succeeded to hold the ball up. Yet the next one, which wasn’t awarded since the ref thought there was an infringement from a kick across, was given to Rieko Ioane after replays on TV.

Subsequently, the game began to fall apart. To start, the prop was sent to the bin, then just as he returned, Taine Plumtree also left.

The All Blacks added another three in the final quarter, with two by Sevu Reece. But Wales did manage to respond once more themselves, thanks to brilliant efforts by Blair Murray and Louis Rees-Zammit. The crowd erupted then, despite the fact the score was against them, they felt pride to celebrate something to cheer for, and a view of initial signs of improvement against one of the world’s best teams.