Wales vs. New Zealand: Winners and Losers from Millennium Stadium

New Zealand required calm heads and patient build-up en route to a 34-16 win over New Zealand on Saturday, but once again they got the job done to keep alive an unbeaten autumn Test series.

Thirty-one points in the second half saw the All Blacks cap off their tour of the Northern Hemisphere in style. It was another testament to Steve Hansen's side and their ability to grind out results in whatever fashion necessary.

Read on for a breakdown of the biggest winners and losers to emerge from Saturday's Millennium Stadium clash.

Winner: Wales' Defence Deserving of Its Praise

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It may not have ended in the manner they wanted, but Wales managed no small feat in limiting New Zealand to just three points in the opening 40 minutes, as both teams went in at the break tied 3-3.

Holding back the onslaught of the All Blacks' weapons is an achievement that usually follows along with shallow attacking displays, but Warren Gatland's men still found a way to impose themselves, albeit not as fiercely as they wanted.

Of Wales' defensive display, Hansen said in his post-match comments, per Gareth Griffiths of Wales Online:

"

It was the best defensive performance against us this year and really intense. It’s called a Test match because it’s a test of your physical and mental attributes. When you play a good side you expect to be tested for longer than 50 minutes.

I don’t know about being rattled but they certainly tested us. The effort they put in for that 65 minutes was very good and defensively they worked hard. To put us under the pressure they did they had to work hard but at some point you pay a price for that. We always felt that 23 players are needed to win Test matches and the players who came on carried that momentum.

"

With Wales leading by three points with only 18 minutes left to go, that's when fatigue began to show, and the Welsh defence eventually crumbled against an outfit that was displaying its customary depth in bench talent.

However, Wales showed at the 2011 World Cup that their fitness can be among the finest in the world when at its peak, and if a fully fit squad can be called upon, defence may stand the test in future.

Loser: Warren Gatland's Substitutions Are Head-Scratching

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The aforementioned factor of bench options always plays a part in New Zealand's games. The All Blacks are the most well-equipped outfit in the world when it comes to Hansen's squad reserves.

However, as opposed to the talent being inferior in any way, it was actually Gatland's choice of who to haul off that was seen as confusing by some.

Dan Lydiate, Jake Ball and Richard Hibbard were among those to be enjoying terrific displays, and yet their substitutions were made just when the cracks began to show, which was undoubtedly no coincidence.

It may be presumptuous to suggest had the trio been given their chance to continue and finish the 80 minutes, we may have seen a different result. 

However, Gatland's decision to withdraw in-form players at such a crucial juncture assuredly had a hand in seeing New Zealand eventually take stride.

Winner: Kiwi Stubbornness Pays Dividends Yet Again

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They showed it in the last-gasp win over Ireland last year, and once again New Zealand left it late to seal the finishing touches on their final autumn Test series encounter.

It's something the rugby community has become used to seeing, and yet teams can find no formula to combat the Kiwi phenomenon—talent multiplied in vast numbers in addition to some of the toughest mental resolve in sport equals results.

Twenty-four points in the final 18 minutes of Saturday's game ensured that, yet again, the All Blacks will finish on top of the pile. They are a team one can never truly write off without putting one's self at major risk of being shown up.

Loser: Wales Spoil Chance to End Dire New Zealand Streak

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Having now gone 61 years since their last win over New Zealand, Wales will rue this as another missed opportunity to topple the world's best in a fixture that for some time looked as though it could be theirs.

It's not a boast one can often say when coming up against such fearsome opposition, and while one might not suggest Wales were in the driver's seat per se, they had a hand in what direction the game was heading.

After only just getting the better of Fiji last weekend, Wales can certainly take credit for even keeping the All Blacks close for as long as they did, but nearly winning won't be any good to the team in next year's World Cup.

Winner: Welsh Centres in Promising Shape When Fully Fit

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Of all the areas that Wales impressed in, it was highly encouraging to see a fully fit partnership of Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts impressing in midfield once again.

It's a sight that Wales have too often had to go without in recent years, and despite the best efforts of Scott Williams, Cory Allen and George North to fill in, none of them are of the same calibre as their first-choice peers.

Roberts and Davies make up arguably one of the finest centre combinations in the world. Roberts provides an accelerated spearhead, while Davies is the more elusive sizzle in the partnership, and each is defensively reliable for the large part.

Silencing Sonny Bill Williams and Conrad Smith altogether was perhaps too great a task for 80 minutes, but the All Blacks' midfield heroes had no easy time making ground against the Welsh, with Roberts and Davies at their core.