Wales's hopes of upsetting South Africa in the Six Nations Championship hung by a thread as the World Cup winners proved physical and dominant in Cardiff. The All Blacks have now extended their winning run against Wales to 34 games, a sequence dating back to 1953.
Damian McKenzie added 17 points with his kicking, while New Zealand scored seven tries despite being 5-0 down at one stage. Wales buckled under the pressure of the All Blacks' relentless attack and made 14 errors in penalty territory as they conceded penalties every time they infringed.
The match statistics told the story of the game - New Zealand's dominance was clear, with the visitors gaining over 1,000 metres from just 167 carries, compared to Wales' 593 from 77. Meanwhile, the All Blacks had one fewer tackle than Wales and were able to cross the gainline repeatedly through powerful wing Caleb Clarke and dynamic number eight Wallace Sititi.
"This victory extended the All Blacks winning run against Wales to 34 games," said coach Ian Foster. "We knew it would take a little while to break them down, but fatigue would set in and we could make the most of that."
Wales have now shipped 127 points in three November games, while South Africa will arrive in Cardiff next weekend after ending Ireland's unbeaten run at home.
The defeat has left Wales facing a tough challenge against the Springboks. The game is scheduled for financial reasons but clashes with a weekend of United Rugby Championship (URC) games, meaning that 13 players who play club rugby in England and France are unavailable for the fixture.
Wales have been without their star players for this tournament, and now face an even bigger challenge against the top team. Despite this, Welsh Rugby Union has managed to retain a glimmer of positivity following the convincing defeat dished out by the All Blacks.
Damian McKenzie added 17 points with his kicking, while New Zealand scored seven tries despite being 5-0 down at one stage. Wales buckled under the pressure of the All Blacks' relentless attack and made 14 errors in penalty territory as they conceded penalties every time they infringed.
The match statistics told the story of the game - New Zealand's dominance was clear, with the visitors gaining over 1,000 metres from just 167 carries, compared to Wales' 593 from 77. Meanwhile, the All Blacks had one fewer tackle than Wales and were able to cross the gainline repeatedly through powerful wing Caleb Clarke and dynamic number eight Wallace Sititi.
"This victory extended the All Blacks winning run against Wales to 34 games," said coach Ian Foster. "We knew it would take a little while to break them down, but fatigue would set in and we could make the most of that."
Wales have now shipped 127 points in three November games, while South Africa will arrive in Cardiff next weekend after ending Ireland's unbeaten run at home.
The defeat has left Wales facing a tough challenge against the Springboks. The game is scheduled for financial reasons but clashes with a weekend of United Rugby Championship (URC) games, meaning that 13 players who play club rugby in England and France are unavailable for the fixture.
Wales have been without their star players for this tournament, and now face an even bigger challenge against the top team. Despite this, Welsh Rugby Union has managed to retain a glimmer of positivity following the convincing defeat dished out by the All Blacks.
so south africa is lookin like a dark horse for the six nations 
wales was crushin it but all blacks came in & brought the heat 
i mean 34 games win streak is insane 
damien mcKenzie's kicking was fire 
but all blacks had that dominant physical presence which u can't deny 
wales got outplayed big time in the stats department 
they gotta step up their game for the south africa match 
! Wales just got destroyed by those All Blacks, I mean, they were always gonna be tough opponents, but 5-0 down and 14 errors? That's just embarrassing 
. And those stats are crazy, like how many meters the All Blacks gained from just a few carries more than half of what Wales did 
... and now look at them, they're just trying to keep up with a team on a 34-game winning streak! 
And to make matters worse, they gotta deal with South Africa next weekend. The odds are not looking good for the Welsh lads, but I guess you can't give up on 'em yet 
Still can't believe Wales got smashed by 30+ points 
. They really got outmuscled and dominated on both ends of the field 
. Not sure how they'll bounce back from this one, especially with some big-name players missing 
. The All Blacks are looking pretty unstoppable right now, and it's hard to see anyone stopping them in the next few weeks 
.
I mean, I knew the All Blacks were good but wow. Now they're gonna take on South Africa next weekend, that's gonna be a tough one too. 
. And those 14 errors on penalty territory? Ouch! 
. Anyway, I'm glad the Welsh Rugby Union is staying positive despite this tough defeat 
. Maybe they can find a way to break through against South Africa next weekend? 
it's like, you can see the pressure building up and they're making mistake after mistake 
. I mean, 14 errors in penalty territory is just crazy! They couldn't even kick the ball straight 
. The stats were brutal - over 1,000 metres gained from just 167 carries? That's dominance at its finest 
. But they just couldn't get it done 
. And coach Ian Foster said it all: they knew it would take time to break Wales down, but fatigue would set in and they could make the most of it 
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. They gotta take responsibility for their mistakes and make sure they're not getting bullied by the All Blacks again 
it's so frustrating.
i mean damian mcKenzie adding 17 points is cute and all but it aint gonna save them 
meanwhile wales just gave away penalty after penalty every time they infringed 
It's like they're trying to drive me crazy! 
i mean 5-0 down at one stage & still managed to concede penalties every time they infringed 
. They're already down by a mountain of points after that game against Ireland last week, and now they gotta face SA without their main players 
. I think Wales needs to regroup and figure out how to stop these New Zealand players. They can't keep getting smashed 
. The fact that 13 players are out due to URC games doesn't help either 
. Maybe they can regroup and come back stronger against South Africa? Fingers crossed