Wales vs New Zealand Preview & Tips - All Blacks to put Wales to the sword
- New Zealand have won four of their last five Test matches
- Wales lost 55-23 to New Zealand in their last meeting
- Preview, stats & head to head
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Ardie Savea of the All Blacks (Getty Images)
- Wales vs New Zealand Preview & Tips
- Head To Head
- Wales Form
- New Zealand Form
Wales vs New Zealand Preview & Tips
Wales limped to a 24-23 win over Japan in their last outing as they barely made it past their spirited opponents at the Principality Stadium.
New Zealand were stunned by England last time out as they lost for the first time in November this year in a 33-19 defeat.
- Wales have never beaten New Zealand (L34, D3, W0)
- New Zealand have beaten Wales by 23 points or more in their last three meetings
Head To Head
In their last 10 meetings, New Zealand have won each clash including a comfortable 55-23 win back in 2022.
Wales Form
Wales may arrive for this one with two wins across their last three matches, but this small snippet of the formbook does not show the whole picture. Indeed, their pair of wins have come over a Japan side that Wales should be beating.
Prior to their pair of wins over the Japanese, Wales had lost 17 consecutive matches in a woeful run for the side. With management changes, player retirements, injuries and upheaval in the club scene, Wales are desperately searching for some form of stability.
Jarrod Evans nailed the match-winning penalty last weekend to see a wave of relief wash over his teammates and the fans, but this good feeling will not take them far against the All Blacks. The last time Wales played a genuine top side saw them hammered 52-28 by Argentina two weeks ago. I expect more of the same in this one.
While Steve Tandy will likely want his players to go out and express themselves with and without the ball, if Wales are loose, they will get beaten handsomely. Outmatched in the forward and backs and without their talisman in Jac Morgan, Wales will more than likely have to take a heavy beating in this one.
New Zealand Form
Scott Robertson and his New Zealand players need a big reaction in this one after they were humbled by a rampant England at Twickenham last weekend.
Leading 12-0 after 20 minutes, it looked like business as usual for the All Blacks as they soaked up a lot of early English pressure before hitting their hosts with two well worked tries. However, they could not push on, with Ollie Lawrence dotting down before George Ford swung the momentum England's way with drop goals in the 38th and 40th minutes.
The second-half then saw a pale-imitation of New Zealand take to the field. Bested with and without the ball, the All Blacks could not match England's intensity as the home team pulled away. While England were superb in the second-half, they were allowed to build up ahead of steam by a New Zealand side that completely lost their way.
The feeling with this side is that a performance and a result like this has been building. While they beat both Ireland and Scotland, neither performance was particularly strong. Indeed, if Scotland had been slightly more clinical, they would have beaten the All Blacks.
This weekend, pride is on the line. This group of New Zealand players will not want to be the first team to ever lose to Wales. 37 matches have come and gone with 34 wins and three draws. While the All Blacks will have to contend with a number of injuries, they should have far too much for their hosts.
Wales struggled to contain Japan when the latter threw the ball around, while the Welsh looked out of ideas when they had the ball. If New Zealand can lay some early groundwork and put the Welsh set piece under pressure, they will crumble.
Verdict
I am backing New Zealand to hit back in a big way this weekend as they make amends for their loss to England last week. Their last two wins over Wales have been by 32 points or more, and I back more of the same this week.
New Zealand 13+
Winning Margin
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New Zealand -28.5
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