All Blacks head coach Ian Foster said his team are preparing for a “battle of inches” when they take on Wales in Saturday’s Autumn Nations Series clash in Cardiff.
Despite coming into this encounter on a four-match winning streak, which helped them to silverware in this year’s Rugby Championship, New Zealand have delivered a mixed bag of results as they have won just six out of 10 Tests played in 2022.
Unbeaten against Wales for 69 years
However, the All Blacks have been dominant against Wales over the years as they have won 33 out of 36 Tests between these countries, with the last Wales victory registered in 1953.
But, despite New Zealand’s dominance of this fixture over the years, Foster is wary of his opponents.
“They (Wales) are a team that know their game, they play high-tempo,” he said.
“They are very confident in what they do and very physical, a lot of strong ball-carrying and also they quite like the aerial game, so there is a good mix.
“It is always a battle of inches against them if you don’t do well in that close-carry area, otherwise you open up real opportunities for the backs and they will be excited to take it.
“We love playing here, and we are really up for what we know will be a really physical encounter.”
Foster has rung the changes to the All Blacks’ run-on side after claiming a narrow win over Japan last weekend, and stars like Beauden Barrett, his brother Jordie and Aaron Smith are all set to start.
It will be a momentous occasion for scrum-half Smith as he will make his 113th Test appearance, taking him past legendary fly-half Dan Carter as the All Blacks’ most-capped backline player.
Sam Whitelock takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Sam Cane sustained a tour-ending injury against the Brave Blossoms. Meanwhile, Scott Barrett will partner Whitelock in the engine room after Brodie Retallick was suspended for foul play against Japan.
“There is a passionate rivalry, there is a lot of respect between the two countries,” added Foster.
Close encounters
“There have been some massive occasions where the games have gone down to the wire, and I remember some very close games over the years.
“We look forward to playing here, it’s a special place with the stadium and the Welsh fans, and the Welsh players play for the right reasons.”
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