Wales 12 New Zealand 19:New Zealand extended their domination of Wales with a 19-12 victory at the Millennium Stadium today to make it 21 successive victories against the Principality going back to 1953.
There was little between the teams in a cagey first half as two penalties apiece for Dan Carter and Stephen Jones saw them reach halftime level at 6-6.
New Zealand took command after the break and, after another penalty for Carter, they pulled clear when hooker Andrew Hore charged over for the only try of the game.
The conversion and a further penalty for Carter took New Zealand 19-6 ahead and left the outhalf one point behind Andrew Mehrtens (967) as the All Blacks' all-time leading scorer.
Two more Jones penalties brought Wales back within seven but, despite a late flurry, New Zealand held on.
There was little between the teams in a cagey first half as two penalties apiece for Dan Carter and Stephen Jones saw them reach halftime level at 6-6.
New Zealand took command after the break and, after another penalty for Carter, they pulled clear when hooker Andrew Hore charged over for the only try of the game.
The conversion and a further penalty for Carter took New Zealand 19-6 ahead and left the outhalf one point behind Andrew Mehrtens (967) as the All Blacks' all-time leading scorer.
Two more Jones penalties brought Wales back within seven but, despite a late flurry, New Zealand held on.
Wales captain Ryan Jones said: “It was a fantastic Test, but we paid the price for a couple of errors in key moments.
“We didn’t help ourselves; we were the makers of our own misfortune today, but at 80 minutes we were still in with a chance, and on another day it might have gone our way.
“I’m thoroughly enjoying my rugby again and it’s good to be part of a special team.
Stephen Jones, who scored all Wales’ points with four penalties, added: “New Zealand are very clinical - they put us under a lot of pressure.
“From our perspective, a few errors allowed them to get on to the front foot. But we have to give them a lot of credit.
“I would love to have played in a game with a bit more width but New Zealand are very well-organised defensively.
“We are bitterly disappointed we lost. It’s the first game we’ve played in a long time, but we are going in the right direction.
“We keep improving and raising the bar and hope we’ll get there.”
Shane Williams added: “It was such a tough game; you don’t get many opportunities against New Zealand and you have got to make them count.
“We felt we could win this game today and we came off the field thinking we should have. They’re one of best teams in the world, and there’s a reason for it.”
