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All Blacks turn it on to trounce Wales in Cardiff

By PA
New Zealand's scrum-half Aaron Smith (L) evades a tackle from Wales' Alun Wyn Jones as he runs in a try during the Autumn International rugby union match between Wales and New Zealand at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on November 5, 2022. (Photo by GEOFF CADDICK/AFP via Getty Images)

New Zealand continued their long reign of dominance over Wales by winning a one-sided Autumn Nations Series clash 55-23 in Cardiff.

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The All Blacks made it 33 successive victories against their hosts, who have still not toppled New Zealand since December 1953.

Hooker Codie Taylor, scrum-half Aaron Smith and centre Jordie Barrett each scored two tries, while number eight Ardie Savea and replacement hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho also touched down as New Zealand never lost control after building an early 17-point advantage.

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Fly-half Richie Mo’unga added four conversions and a penalty, and Beauden Barrett booted two conversions, with the All Blacks proving ruthless in terms of gathering points when inside Wales’ 22.

Wales had their moments, notably tries from Test debutant Rio Dyer and skipper Justin Tipuric, with Gareth Anscombe kicking three penalties and two conversions.

But they could never get closer than six points behind the Rugby Championship title holders, even if it was not a vintage All Blacks display.

Wales need to regroup quickly, with Argentina and Australia among their remaining autumn opponents, after another performance that prospered at times, but they had nowhere near enough quality moments.

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For New Zealand, it was the most points they have scored against Wales in Cardiff, eclipsing the 54 they racked up 12 months ago.

Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny’s hopes of a Test match return 16 months after suffering major knee ligament damage were thwarted by a hamstring injury.

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Anscombe moved from fly-half to replace him, with Rhys Priestland starting in the number 10 shirt and uncapped Scarlets back Sam Costelow joining the replacements.

Smith made his 113th Test match appearance for New Zealand, moving above Dan Carter as the All Blacks’ most-capped back, while Sam Whitelock took over as captain from an injured Sam Cane.

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New Zealand settled quickly under the stadium’s closed roof, and Mo’unga kicked them into a fourth-minute lead through a 40-metre penalty.

It was an unsettling opening for Wales, and New Zealand extended their lead seven minutes later when flanker Dalton Papali’i breached Wales’ front-line defence and quickly recycled possession resulted in a try for Taylor that Mo’unga converted.

Wales looked off the pace and were defensively suspect as New Zealand punished them through a second Taylor try – converted by Mo’unga – that opened up a 17-point advantage inside the opening quarter.

The home side desperately needed some inspiration, and it arrived courtesy of new cap Dyer.

Wales attacked strongly from a short-range lineout, and Dyer touched down after cutting a superb attacking angle on receipt of centre Nick Tompkins’ pass, with Anscombe’s conversion making it 17-7.

An Anscombe penalty nine minutes before half-time further cut the gap, and there were promising signs shown by Wales after being run ragged in the early stages.

But New Zealand’s ruthless edge surfaced again when they returned to Wales’ 22, as a brilliant Mo’unga cross-kick saw Jordie Barrett catch it and outjump Dyer before touching down.

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Anscombe then kicked a second penalty just before the interval, as Wales went off nine points adrift when it might have been a whole lot worse, given New Zealand’s initial onslaught.

Wales showed two changes for the second period, with prop Dillon Lewis replacing Tomas Francis and lock Alun Wyn Jones taking over from Adam Beard.

Anscombe completed his penalty hat-trick five minutes after the restart, and Wales were firmly back in contention as a third change saw Nicky Smith replace loosehead prop Gareth Thomas.

Just when questions were being asked of them, though, New Zealand hit back when livewire Smith broke clear from the base of a scrum for his team’s fourth try, and Mo’unga converted for a 29-16 lead.

But Wales displayed admirable resilience, and they chipped away at New Zealand again, this time through a Tipuric try that Anscombe converted, only for Smith to score again, with Mo’unga adding the extras to restore a 13-point gap.

Costelow made his Test match introduction 14 minutes from time, yet New Zealand had already stretched further away through Savea’s try, before Jordie Barrett’s second touchdown inched them closer to 50 points, a figure that was passed in injury time.

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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