New Zealand vs. Wales: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Tour Test, Game 2
An imperious second-half display saw New Zealand beat Wales 36-22 in Wellington on Saturday, taking an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The two sides were level at the interval following a converted try—from New Zealand's Israel Dagg and Wales' Alun Wyn Jones—and a penalty each. Ben Smith and Beauden Barrett scored early in the first half to take the game away from the visitors, before Waisake Naholo and Ardie Savea added some gloss.
Wales did dig deep late on, with consolation tries from Liam Williams and Jonathan Davies making the scoreline look a little more respectable.
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As both teams sought to establish an early rhythm, the opening exchanges were pretty scrappy. Joe Moody’s over-eagerness in the tackle gave Wales the chance to score first, as Biggar's penalty put them 3-0 ahead in the 16th minute.
It was a kick that seemed to spark the All Blacks into life, as they immediately heaped pressure back on the visitors. Aaron Cruden kicked for the corner after Wales went in off their feet at the breakdown, setting up a driving maul and a neat passing pattern that was eventually finished expertly by Dagg.
Channel 9's Erin Molan was impressed with the deception the full-back, making his 50th appearance for New Zealand, showed to notch the first try of the contest:
A conversion from Cruden gave the hosts a 7-3 lead before a penalty extended the advantage further in the 30th minute, with the Welsh made to pay for a high tackle.
Having enjoyed a fine start to the match, Cruden's involvement was then cruelly cut short. He suffered a neck injury and was stretchered off in the 32nd minute, replaced by Barrett. The delay, not to mention the absence of their playmaker, seemed to affect the All Blacks before the break and Wales capitalised.
A well-worked lineout created a gap for Davies to burst through. After he was initially halted, Davies then flung a brilliant pass out to Jones who touched down; a brilliant Biggar conversion saw the visitors level at 10-10 going into half-time.
Wales international George North was delighted with his side's showing at the halfway point of a breathless Test match:
Holding them to their own impeccable standards, it was a poor half of rugby from New Zealand, who would have been keen to show the Wellington crowd more.
And after some probing early in the second period, the response came in emphatic style. Barrett was growing into the contest and produced a brilliant dummy to escape his marker. The fly-half then fed Smith superbly, who, like Dagg, capped his 50th appearance with a fine try.
Barrett added the conversion to make it 17-10; former New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick was championing his starting credentials:
The fly-half didn't need anyone to do any talking on his behalf, though, as he capped off another rampant All Blacks break.
They spun a scrum deep in Welsh territory before more dynamic footwork from Barrett saw him squeeze through a gap and touch down. A simple kick made it 14 points in two minutes for the hosts and gave Wales a mountain to climb at 24-10.
Having shown stiff resilience in the opening period, the visitors looked downtrodden, and suddenly gaps were appearing alarmingly frequently. Another incisive move down the left scythed open the Welsh defence, allowing Naholo time and space to add the third try of the half.
The conversion was missed, but it didn't sap the momentum of the hosts. And after winning back possession from the Welsh, they broke brilliantly in the 66th minute, with the ball eventually making its way into the hands of Savea. A tremendous step saw him clear of the defence and gave him time to savour a try in front of his home crowd.
As noted by Bleacher Report's Tom Sunderland, it was a score his namesake, Julian, would have been proud of:
With the gap now at 26 points, perhaps the home side did lose their focus a little late on, and Wales, to their credit, finished with a flourish.
First, a long run from Williams saw him run away from the New Zealand defence to score, with the gap cut to 19 points following a successful conversion. Then just a couple of minutes later, great work from Jamie Roberts set up Davies, who held firm under pressure to score the final points of the day.
For the second week running, Wales lacked consistency in their intensity in the second period. There were times in the game when they matched the All Blacks, but once the home side started to build momentum, they had no clue how to stem it.
The All Blacks were devastating in spells. The manner in which they attacked the Welsh defence in the second half was stunning, as was the variety in their play after turning the ball over. The tourists may lament another defeat, but there's no shame whatsoever in losing to a team that so often resembles a force of nature.
Post-Match Reaction
Wales head coach Warren Gatland tried to take the positives from the performance. "I'm pretty proud about that performance," he said, per BBC Sport. "There were two or three key moments in the game, and that's the difference. We're creating chances, and the players are already aware of a couple of things that next week they will do a little bit different because they've already learned from tonight and last week."
New Zealand boss Steve Hansen challenged his side to improve again in the third Test. "There was a lot more clarity about what we were trying to do," he said, per Omnisport (h/t AOL). "There were big improvements across the board, our line out was much better and the scrum as well. You'd still expect a lot of improvement [for the third Test]."
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