Wales coach Jonathan Humphreys insists that New Zealand remain fearsome proposition despite the struggles of Ian Foster’s men this year.
Following a series defeat to Ireland and a heavy loss to South Africa, Foster was on the brink of being sacked, but they turned it around to win the Rugby Championship.
There was still a historic first home loss to Argentina during that ‘recovery’, but the current head coach is expected to remain in situ until the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Wales’ poor record against New Zealand
The All Blacks are considered vulnerable, however, and there are hopes within Wales that they could beat the three-time world champions for the first time since 1953 this weekend.
Not that Humphreys is necessarily raising his expectations, especially following New Zealand’s improvement towards the end of the Rugby Championship.
“However many people write them off, they still come through and are still a massive threat,” the forwards coach said.
“They can hurt you in two phases, they can score tries in five minutes and put you out of the game. That hasn’t changed.”
Humphreys also believes that there have been slight changes in the All Blacks’ game plan since the start of July.
“They are a little bit different in terms of their mindset about coming at you at set-piece. They are a lot more aggressive now,” he said.
“We don’t see them at all as being vulnerable – we see them as the winners of the Rugby Championship.”
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Mental fortitude
Concentration will also be a key component of this weekend’s clash, with the All Blacks still having the talent to take the game away from their opponents.
“They can put you out of the game in a heartbeat. You feel you are in the game after 60 minutes, then a couple of errors and the game is gone,” Humphreys added.
“We’ve talked about living every moment. You step off for a second against these guys and the game is gone from you. They have threats all over the place.
“They have overcome a lot of odds, a lot of press speculation, and they still managed to perform in the Rugby Championship.”