New Zealand’s Rieko Ioane cuts loose to punish unfortunate Wales

The last time Warren Gatland coached against Steve Hansen it proved impossible to separate the British & Irish Lions and the All Blacks. This time the gap was wider but the team in red again made a vivid impression. While New Zealand will fly home undefeated on their autumn tour of Europe, they can now feel the hot breath of the north on their collars.

The final margin certainly does not reflect the frenzy of the contest, every bit as eye-catching as the Lions’ summer showpieces. For Wales the efforts of Josh Navidi, Rob Evans and Taulupe Faletau deserved better and a darting final-quarter score from Gareth Davies raised further hopes but, ultimately, two sharp tries apiece for the All Black wings Waisake Naholo and Rieko Ioane spared visiting blushes.

How Wales could have done with showing similar ruthlessness. At least they gave it an almighty go from the outset, dominating possession and territory to an almost surreal extent in the first half. Flat to the gain line, cranking up the pace, testing a road-weary All Black side’s resolve ... it was not a million miles away from the manner in which Scotland blew Australia away. The inferiority complex, not to mention the tactical handbrake, that has too often held northern hemisphere sides back in November was nowhere to be seen.

In the end they could not quite sustain it, with the 20-year-old Ioane showing exactly why he is a strong contender for the world player of the year award. At no stage, though, was it a routine afternoon for New Zealand. Without their injured totem Kieran Read to steady things and with no consistent forward platform they could only rely on their wits. The All Blacks’ stunning finishing ability was the only vital thing their hosts could not match.

Sixty-four years have elapsed since Wales won this fixture but at least there were positive signs in attack, if not always defensively, to generate optimism before next Saturday’s meeting with South Africa. The crowd are certainly enjoying their team’s more adventurous approach and the visitors duly took delivery of the full kitchen sink – a Dan Biggar toe-poke forcing Beauden Barrett into a desperate scramble back behind his own line after the ball struck the goalpost padding, a ninth-minute Leigh Halfpenny penalty soon put the home side ahead and the first quarter tide was entirely crimson.

When Naholo inadvertently struck his scrum-half Aaron Smith in the face with a long pass after the whistle had gone it added to the sense of rattled All Black senses. Even under the cosh, though, they remain reliably dangerous. Straight down the middle of the field, out of nowhere, surged Ioane and, with the Wales defence split, Smith and Naholo combined more successfully to allow the big winger to complete a spectacular aerial one-handed finish in the right corner.

Over went the touchline conversion from Barrett and, despite having had virtually no possession, the All Blacks found themselves 7-3 up. It is a trick they pull so often for it not to be remotely a coincidence. By the end of the first quarter Wales had also lost two key men to injury, Rhys Webb failing to return following a head knock and Jake Ball wheeled off in such acute pain from a damaged shoulder he required oxygen.

Without a clutch of Lions already, not least Jonathan Davies and Sam Warburton, it did not bode well but no sinking feeling was discernible out on the field. The all-action Navidi broke clear into the All Black 22 only for Hallam Amos to spill Halfpenny’s long pass with a try looking odds-on. It was the sort of opportunity, sadly, that New Zealanders tend to take in their sleep.

The stats, by now, looked as though they had fallen victim to a cyber hacking attack. In the first half-hour, New Zealand made 88 tackles to Wales’s 11; only thanks to a belated flurry just before half-time did the All Blacks creep up to 25% possession in the opening 40 minutes. They need only the occasional scrap, though, to keep the scoreboard ticking and another sensational finish in the same right-hand corner from Naholo cancelled out a long, raking penalty from Halfpenny.

Most assumed that would be that, only to be confounded again. From a lineout in their own half a short ball on the gainline set Amos galloping clear and this time the Dragons wing did everything right, finding Biggar in support who, in turn, put Scott Williams over for the 11th try of his rollercoaster Test career, trimming the interval score to 12-11.

In past years under Gatland, Wales have hit the front only to falter in the final quarter. Could they cling on this time? History suggested not and when Ioane slipped a couple of tackles and threw a bouncing ball inside to the lurking Anton Lienert-Brown towards the end of the third quarter it was due reward for the impact of All Blacks’ forward replacements. Once Ioane had intercepted Biggar’s pass to score his side’s fourth, there could be no way back.

WALES Halfpenny; Amos, S Williams (Roberts 57), O Williams, S Evans; Biggar (Priestland 63), Webb (G Davies 8); R Evans (W Jones 57), Owens (Dacey 76), Francis (Brown 76), Ball (Hill 19), AW Jones (capt), Shingler (Tipuric 70), Navidi, Faletau Tries S Williams, G Davies Con Halfpenny Pens Halfpenny 2

NEW ZEALAND McKenzie; Naholo (Sopoaga 71), Crotty (Lienert-Brown 19), SB Williams, R Ioane; B Barrett, A Smith (Perenara 63); Hames (Crockett 59) Taylor (Harris 71), Laulala (Tu’ungafasi ht), Tuipulotu (S Barrett 46), S Whitelock (capt), Squire, Cane, L Whitelock (Todd 46) Sin-bin S Whitelock 68 Tries Naholo 2, Liernert-Brown, Ioane 2 Cons Barrett 4

Principality Stadium 74,000

Game rating 9/10 Referee Wayne Barnes (Eng)

‘Execution is the issue – this was a missed opportunity’

The Wales captain, Alun Wyn Jones, admitted his team need to show more “killer instinct” after their latest failure to beat New Zealand. Despite dominating possession and territory in the first half, the home side were outscored by five tries to two to extend their losing run against the All Blacks to 64 years.

Jones and Warren Gatland conceded New Zealand’s finishing ability had been the crucial difference. “The intent was there but that killer instinct to cross the line let them off the hook on three occasions,” Jones said. “We’ve got to be pleased with the heart we showed but we probably didn’t take the opportunities we had in the first half when we had the pedal down. We’ll rue the missed opportunity. The execution is the issue now, not the intent.”

Gatland also felt the ruthless impact of the New Zealand wings Rieko Ioane and Waisake Naholo had decided the contest. The Wales coach said: “I thought it was a great Test match. They’re a good team, aren’t they? At half-time we felt very much in the game but they probably nailed two or three of those moments and we didn’t. Unfortunately that was probably the difference between the sides but the way we’re trying to play is really positive. Our young players will be better for the experience and perhaps learn to be more clinical at times.”

With the Lions having drawn their series against New Zealand in the summer and Scotland having put 50 points on Australia this weekend, Gatland also believes the northern hemisphere is making progress.

“Gone are the days, as I think you saw last weekend, when the All Blacks could put out a second-string side and still comfortably win,” he said. “There’s still a gap but we like to think, from the experiences of some of the players in the summer, that is closing a little bit. We need to continue to be positive.”

Gatland and his New Zealand counterpart, Steve Hansen, were full of praise for Ioane, now a strong contender to be named the world player of the year. “There’s no doubt he’s pretty special and any country in the world would like to have a player of that quality,” Gatland said. “He’s not bad is he? He’s quick, powerful, he’s got good footwork and he scores tries.”

Hansen also predicts a bright future for the 20-year-old: “If he keeps his feet on the floor he can go anywhere. Every time he gets the ball you think: ‘What’s going to happen?’” – and believes Wales could pose opponents problems in 2018 with their more positive style. “Whilst they’ll be disappointed they lost they’ll see some light at the end of the tunnel. It’s good for rugby.”

Hansen added: “The gap between northern and southern hemisphere teams is probably closing. We won’t really know though until the World Cup, when everyone can put out their best team.” Robert Kitson