Wales vs. New Zealand: Score and Report from Autumn Rugby International

Wales once again came close to ending a losing streak spanning over half a century against New Zealand on Saturday, as the All Blacks beat the Welsh 34-16 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff after trailing with just 11 minutes left to play.

The reigning world champions were staring defeat in the face as the clock ticked down, but Beauden Barrett produced two moments of magic to silence the home support.

New Zealand didn't look fatigued after a busy schedule away from home in the past two months, but several mistakes around the breakdown gave the hosts an early advantage.

Leigh Halfpenny put the first points on the board via a penalty, an easy chip bang in front of the posts. Former professional rugby player Andrew Hazell was convinced the All Blacks were none too happy with referee Wayne Barnes, who was quick on the whistle early on:

The visitors looked lively but out of sync, often looking for the miracle pass rather than building toward the Welsh back line. The hosts' defence deserves credit, never allowing New Zealand's athletic wings to exploit even an inch of space.

Julian Savea tried to use his incredible physical gifts, and it took three Welsh players to bring him down into touch after a high pass. Wales kept their organisation tight and aimed for the break, but with nothing but daylight ahead of him, George North completely whiffed on a bouncing ball.

Rugby author Jonny King was none too impressed with the All Blacks, but even less by North's kick:

New Zealand had a chance to tie the match when Barrett lined up to take a penalty, only to hook his effort wide of the post. He made up for it six minutes later, however, converting from a long way out to make it 3-3.

Wales had one more great chance before half-time when the All Blacks gave Sam Warburton acres of space to dash for the line, but his teammates failed to provide ample support to the skipper, and Halfpenny's pass to Alex Cuthbert was deemed forward.

BBC Wales' Dafydd Pritchard was happy with the Welsh performance in the first half, which made him all the more scared for the second, as Wales hadn't beaten the visitors since 1953:

New Zealand had a huge advantage in carries and yards gained in the first half, but with both teams defending expertly, it looked as if the match would turn on the first big mistake either team committed.

The All Blacks looked like an entirely different team when they returned from the dressing room, and Savea scored the match's first try inside two minutes, barging his way into the corner against an overmatched Dan Biggar.

Barrett added the conversion to make it 10-3, but the hosts came right back and tied things up at 10-10 with a try of their own,courtesy of Rhys Webb, as noted by Rugby World:

Halfpenny had the entire Millennium Stadium hoping half a century of sorrow was about to end when Wales reclaimed the lead through another penalty, and the hosts started to press with numbers, looking to put the Al Blacks away for good.

The visitors sucked the air right out of the stadium just minutes later, however, as North was knocked unconscious trying to hold off an attack and New Zealand had an advantage in numbers as a result.

Despite some excellent defending, Jerome Kaino made it 15-13 thanks to a fantastic cross kick from Barrett, who missed the conversion.

Wales fought back and reclaimed the lead with 13 minutes left, as Halfpenny once again came through to make it 16-15. But Barrett was finally able to make one of his chips work, providing the final blow to crumble the Welsh resolve. Newstalk ZB were impressed:

It was 29-16 just minutes later via Kieran Read, as the All Blacks relaxed knowing their dominance over Wales was set to continue. The hosts threw up their hands in despair and allowed Barrett to make matters even worse, putting the final score of 34-16 on the board.

The disappointment among the Welsh fans and players was enormous, and listening to coach Warren Gatland's words before the match, via BBC Sport's live blog of the match, it's easy to see why:

"

Even if history weighs heavily, you want to win against a southern hemisphere team. England beat them two years ago Ireland probably should have beaten them last year. They've been on the road for nine weeks, and we hope they're tired and looking forward to getting home. We've had a good week in terms of preparation and trained really well. We're really excited.

"

Centre Jamie Roberts was understandably downcast after the match:

"

We played very well for 65-70 minutes and in the last 10 minutes they just got away from us. They attack kicked very well and just caught us napping.

They've scored some lovely tries. We knew their attacking kicking game. We've got to keep working. There's no one more disappointed than the players. We've got to take the positives. We played really well for 70 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, the bounce of the ball killed us. But I don't want to take anything away from New Zealand. They're a great team.

"

Wales came agonisingly close to finally beating the All Blacks, but a late loss of concentration turned an exciting match into a blowout in favour of the top team in rugby.

New Zealand deserve a ton of credit for pulling off a win, despite the tremendous pressure and the momentum lying with the hosts for the bulk of the match. But ultimately, Saturday's match will feel more like a Welsh loss than an All Blacks win.

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