So into the 70th year we go, still waiting for Wales to beat New Zealand.
There were one or two optimistic noises beforehand in a year that has proved uncharacteristically problematic for the All Blacks.
There were the usual murmerings about “having a feeling deep down” and “if Wales believe, they can do it”.
But ultimately we were left with a painfully gruesome scoreline.
Yet again New Zealand pulled away in the final 20 minutes to make the score look manifestly worse than perhaps the balance of play suggested it should be.
But that’s another thing we’ve seen before.
Eight New Zealand tries told their own story, as did the superior power and intensity we have seen account for Wales so many times down the years.
The magnificent try-scoring New Zealand No8 Ardie Savea epitomised the gulf in class, but veteran scrum-half Aaron Smith, who scored twice, wasn’t far behind him for the man of the match honours.
There was a sparkling debut try from Dragons wing Rio Dyer for Wales, but while a personal highlight it meant little in the context of the game.
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One step forward, two back
So often, monitoring the scoreboard as a Welsh fan when Wales play New Zealand is an exercise in watching your team take one step forward followed by two back.
Déjà vu struck most forcefully in the 47th minute of this encounter.
After a promising start to the second half, Wales got themselves back to within six points at 22-16 through an Anscombe penalty.
What you hoped would be a launchpad, merely proved to be a cue for scrum-half Smith to almost immediately produce a piece of individual brilliance to slalom away for New Zealand’s fourth try.
Then, after the TMO awarded Justin Tipuric a try four minutes later that on another day might have been scrubbed for a knock-on, Smith was at it again from the restart, grabbing his second and his side’s fifth.
Wales were never able to take the sting out of the All Blacks for any appreciable length of time, which in turn nullified any influence the Principality Stadium crowd might have had. Instead, Pivac’s side undid so much of their best work.
Or maybe the All Blacks are just too good. The latter most likely.
Whatever, Savea’s 65th minute try rendered such ebb and flow irrelevant because it made victory certain.
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Clinical All Blacks no surprise
How often have we waxed lyrical about New Zealand’s ability to be deadly off turnover ball?
We saw it yet again with their first try in the 11th minute. Savea won the turnover ball in his own half, flanker Dalton Papali’I took the move on with a searing break and Taylor finished it off after 11 phases spent battering an extremely harassed Welsh defence.
The try was indicative of how clinical the All Blacks were. After Taylor’s opening score, the hooker was going over the line again on New Zealand’s very next visit to the Welsh red zone.
It stemmed from a deep penalty to touch after scrum-half Smith robbed opposite number Tomos Williams at the base of a scrum.
New Zealand harvested three tries in the first 40 minutes – Beauden Barrett’s leap above Dyer and subsequent touchdown off Richie Mo’unga’s cross-kick providing a superb third – simply by making almost every visit to the Welsh 22 count.
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New Zealand’s gain-line supremacy
While not a team of complete giants, New Zealand’s ability to get over the gain-line, to make a precious extra metre when carrying the ball into contact was a key difference between the two sides.
Size isn’t everything in this game, and New Zealand don’t rely on sheer brute force, never have. Technique, skill and intensity are the important characteristics that grind inferior teams like Wales down.
Savea was masterful in these departments, but where he led, the likes of blindside flanker Shannon Frizzell, lock Sam Whitelock and hooker Taylor followed.
It just gave New Zealand more dynamic, more momentum whenever they attacked.
Wales by contrast, though George North and, more noticeably Nick Tompkins, made some yardage with back-line breaks, couldn’t really make any damaging progress through the forwards.
Only Ken Owens on his welcome return from injury gave them go-forward in the arm-wrestle.
This has been a problem for Wales for some time, but generating size and power is not something Wayne Pivac can easily fix.
Wales disrupt All Black lineout
Whatever homework Wales did on the All Black lineout was time well spent – they disrupted it to great effect, especially in the first half.
It wasn’t that they stole the ball, but they ensured the supply line was scruffy, which prevented New Zealand from launching the sort of slick attacks for which they are renowned.
The visitors were clearly rattled in this department and Wales clawed back three points just on the stroke of half-time because of an overthrow by hooker Taylor which was seized by Ken Owens, who won a penalty Gareth Anscombe converted.
Familiar autumn opening for Wales
Was any of what unfolded here a surprise? Of course not.
Without sounding overly cynical, autumn wouldn’t be autumn in Wales without Wales being spanked by a southern hemisphere nation in their first November Test match.
There have been worse Wales defeats at home to New Zealand, far worse.
Wales never gave up the ghost, and there were unquestionably positives in some individual displays for Pivac and his coaching team to extract from this.
Wing Dyer showed glimpses of his quality, it was good to have hooker Owens back and scrum-half Williams enjoyed a classy afternoon.
But the most depressing takeaway is that a Wales victory against New Zealand looks no closer – even in a year that has seen the three-times world champions toppled by Ireland and Argentina.
Wales will likely improve as this block of games progresses throughout the month, but whether they will do so enough to beat Australia in their last game – or Argentina next week for that matter – is very much up for debate.
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