Can Wales find hope in 26-point loss to ‘second string’ All Blacks?

After New Zealand defeated a spirited Wales side once more at the Principality Stadium, the story was strange to follow.

On Saturday night, there was undoubtedly a difference in opinion across the social media divide and on the streets of Cardiff.

On the one hand, there was the perception that Steve Tandy’s side’s 52-26 defeat was less bad than many people had anticipated and that there were positive signs.

After all, the majority of Welsh supporters would have taken the ball before a 26-point deficit was thrown.

After Tom Rogers scored the third try of his historic hat-trick, there was a sense that only trailing by three points in the second half should have been seen as a moral victory and evidence that progress was being made under the new regime.

In summary, despite defeat, hope was resurrected.

There was, however, a different viewpoint. One that questioned whether it was ever acceptable to give up more than 50 points at home against what was essentially a second-string New Zealand side should ever be.

That assertion exposed how underwhelming Welsh rugby has become, making it almost impossible to celebrate this sort of outcome.

Just after half-time, the country’s supporters dared to imagine a surprise as Wales only lost by 24-21.

Dewi Lake, the captain of Wales, said, “We believe in our ability.

“We weren’t given a lot of hope from the outside, but we were supported by ourselves inside.”

We believed we could accomplish that because we set expectations for ourselves every week to go prove a point and accomplish a task.

Only the second time Wales have been successful in scoring four tries against the All Blacks.

In Cardiff, Wales also recorded their highest total points scored against New Zealand, as evidenced by one outstanding long pass from returning centre Joe Hawkins.

“A lot of what we want to do and what we’ve been working on has shined through,” Lake said.

Our physicality was evident in the way we attacked.

The first Welshman to record a hat-trick against New Zealand was Wing Rogers.

Following his return from American Football and the NFL, Louis Rees-Zammit impressed as he continued to ease his way back into rugby union.

Rees-Zammit scored a try and a towering high-ball catch that also gave Rogers its first try.

Wales’ Harri Deaves and Morgan Morse and Dragons hooker Brodie Coghlan won three new caps in the back-row, while Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins, who is only 22, won one of his Test matches.

Wales’ recent 22 Test appearances since the 2023 World Cup have resulted in 20 losses, but Saturday’s success demonstrated how unquestionable the character of this squad is.

“The effort the boys put in is incredible proud,” Lake remarked.

It demonstrates the character of this group and how we talked about not giving up.

“We made them work until the very end,” he said. After the match, we discussed how it demonstrates the level of education available to boys. Sometimes you don’t realize until you’re made to go there.

Lake insists that the squad is a formidable force that will push opposing teams.

He continued, “We have expanded on what we promised to do, and it’s time to move forward.”

Wearing a red jersey, “there is always motivation.” You are giving it everything when you wear this badge, and this group clearly shows this.

In international rugby circles, character and combat only lead to character, and New Zealand’s standing in both class and quality.

This victory extended the All Blacks’ winning streak against Wales to 34 games, which dates back to 1953.

Wales conceded 50 points at home for the third time this year, despite having played their 50th opponent for 50 minutes, despite England and Argentina also scoring a 50th.

In Cardiff, the All Blacks also collected more than 50 points for the third straight game.

Although Wales missed 38 tackles, New Zealand still managed seven tries thanks to Damian McKenzie’s kick, which was defiant and steadfast home defense, despite this.

New Zealand dominance was demonstrated by the match statistics. Wales’ 593 yards and 362 meters were accounted for by the All Blacks, who managed 1, 362 meters from 167 carries. Compared to 85 tackles made by New Zealand, Tandem’s team recorded 223 tackles.

Despite all of Wales’ efforts, the All Blacks repeatedly crossed the gainline with imposing winger Caleb Clarke and dynamic eighth-ranked Wallace Sititi, who both emphasized how the visitors appeared bigger, faster, and stronger.

Our power game was strong, said All Blacks coach Robertson.

We are ranked one and two in the world in many different ways, and one of them is our power game.

“We anticipated that their breakdown would take a while, and they would be in it at 50 or 60 minutes,” said one employee. “But fatigue would set in and we could make the most of it.”

Wales eventually conceded penalties for their transgressions, going against the law, 14 times, compared to four New Zealand attacks.

Gareth Thomas and number eight Taine Plumtree were sent yellow cards in the final quarter for Wales.

In the end, Lake said, “We have to evaluate our discipline in this campaign over the last few games.”

It’s difficult to stop the team from succeeding if you give them the same level of talent as the All Blacks in your 22 attempts.

It’s difficult when you have to back that up five or six times in a row, even though we did well in a few defense sets.

When the Springboks arrive in Cardiff, Wales will now face the top team and the world champions after falling to the second-ranked team.

South Africa finally came out in Dublin after a 13-year wait for victory in Wales’ most recent defeat with a 24-13 victory over Ireland.

South Africa is now gearing up for their final Test match of the year in preparation for their subsequent victories against France and Italy on this tour.

Wales will be without 13 of its English and French rugby league counterparts. Next weekend will be the last of no other international competitions.

Non-Welsh based players are not available for the match because the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has organized the game outside of World Rugby’s international window.

Due to financial considerations, the match will clash with a weekend of United Rugby Championship (URC) games, with the four professional Welsh teams playing league games.

Next weekend’s club schedule will be the only international games that are scheduled.

Following the All Blacks’ deft defeat, Welsh rugby managed to maintain a sense of optimism.