'Feels like you're playing 16 or 17': All Blacks captain Beauden Barrett on loss to Wales

All Blacks captain Beauden Barrett has reacted to his side’s drought-breaking loss to Wales in Cardiff after the side couldn’t convert a number of chances in the final half hour to at least level the game.

The stand-in captain could join a very short list of All Blacks captains with losing records after a superb Welsh performance ended 73 years of misery with a resounding win.

Barrett labelled the result as “tough to take” after the chances to the level game went begging with last ditch efforts to hold up the All Blacks.

The visitors wasted a number of wide open support runners hitting gaps, instead opting for crash and bash rugby which didn’t work.

“It’s tough one to to take, particularly when we were building a lot of pressure and we just couldn’t convert that into points,” Barrett told media post-match. 

“Numerous times we were held up and just felt like we needed one of those to get back right back in the game and level the scoreboard, and the whole game would have changed. So, yeah, frustrating.”

Barrett credited the Welsh defence as a “brick wall” with the team making over 300 tackles and many of their forwards registering over the 30 mark.

The noise of the Welsh support felt like the home side had extra players on the pitch.

“It felt like a brick wall at times. So you have to give them credit. You give them opportunities for the crowd to come into the game.

“We’re well aware of that when we come here. That’s why it’s one of the best places to play rugby when you had that support behind you. It feels like you’re playing 16 or 17.”

Barrett’s message to the team as captain was to find the obvious play and continue the work from the first half recovery.

After the slow start, the All Blacks found it “reasonably straightforward” to score from their 22 entries, crossing the Welsh line three times to level the game 21-all at half-time.

“It was just finding that connection, coming up with solutions, being really assertive around what those are. It was about doing the obvious,” Barrett said. 

“We’re a little bit indecisive or hesitant in our own half, which allowed them to score, you know, easy tries in that first half, and we found in that first half when we got down there, it was reasonably straightforward.

“But that didn’t happen in the second half. Yeah, like I say, three held ups. We’ve got to be better at converting those.”