Wales have been urged by assistant coaches Rob Howley and Robin McBryde to go out and ”make history” with a victory over New Zealand on Saturday.
Wales have a disastrous record against the All Blacks, last winning in 1953, but have succeeded in closing the gap in recent years.
New Zealand have made six changes to the side that beat Australia in Tokyo last weekend and Howley and McBryde said the home side needed no motivation come the game at the Millennium Stadium.
”It’s been a great build-up to the game and the boys are really looking forward to it,” said former Wales scrum-half Howley, now the backs coach under Warren Gatland.
There has been, he said, a shared ”history and heritage over many years, 21 games in 57 years and they’ve had the better of us over the last many decades, and the boys are looking forward to a great opportunity on Saturday”.
Howley, who scored an infamous opportunist try to help Wasps to win the European Cup title, added that the Wales team had been studying recent All Blacks defeats, notably to France on home soil and to South Africa three times in the Tri-Nations.
”We’ve looked at those performances in terms of trying to put a game together but we’re also aware that the All Blacks have scored 60-odd points against a very good Australian side so we’ve seen a lot of good in the last two games.
”We’re very well aware what the All Blacks can bring to the table, bearing in mind that Dan Carter didn’t play in those games that the All Blacks lost.
”Dan’s going to be one of those key influential figures, as he’s always been in world rugby, on Saturday afternoon.”
Carter, who has scored an incredible 92 points on the five occasions he has played Wales, has been named in the All Blacks side despite a calf injury picked up in the 32-19 win over Australia.
Howley added that the experience many of the Welsh players garnered from representing the British and Irish Lions on tour to South Africa ”would put them in good stead”.
”The experience which a number of our players have this summer gave them a huge amount of confidence, bearing in mind the national team performed pretty well against South Africa and New Zealand last autumn,” he said.
”We can take some confidence from those performances but disappointed with the results.
”We looked at Tri-Nations performances of South Africa and New Zealand in particular and it gives us good heart.”
Howley acknowledged that additional motivation was not needed when you know you’re playing the All Blacks.
”When, as a Welshman, you play against New Zealand and England, in terms of culture and history, in terms of probably not beating that opposition as often as we would have liked to, it gives you huge incentive and motivation.”
Forwards coach McBryde went further, saying the game would ”mean everything”.
”It’s very rare you get an opportunity to make history in 80 minutes,” the former hooker said.
”The players are all aware of what’s on offer: to go out there and make a name for themselves and put an end to the poor record we’ve got against New Zealand.” — AFP
