Wales Tour To New Zealand - The Rugby Pod Preview

The last time a Wales team toured New Zealand, the home side won the test series with an aggregate score of 71 to 19 over two matches. Ryan Jones captained the side whilst Will Harries, Rob McCusker and Gavin Thomas were members of the touring party.

Since that Summer, Warren Gatland has led Wales to a World Cup semi-final & Six Nations Grand Slam. One thing he hasn’t achieved with his squad, is beating one of the three ‘big’ southern hemisphere teams away from home.

Apart from the win in Cardiff over South Africa in 2014, Wales haven’t managed the best record against the Wallabies, the Springboks or the All Blacks under Warren Gatland’s reign. The record against the world’s top five (England and Ireland according to World Rugby’s ranking) in recent years also makes for tough reading. Only ten victories in 43 matches since November 2009. The defeat to Eddie Jones’ England was defeat number 33 to the ‘in-form’ teams in world rugby in almost seven years.

The one consistency over the past few years, has been a well organised blitz defence masterminded by Shaun Edwards. But even this usual ‘strength’ was under par in Twickenham. The Welsh players were sluggish coming off the line and we haven’t seen such a weak performance since the World Cup warm up game at home to Ireland. Was this a case of Wales being over trained with a view to peaking in New Zealand? Perhaps, but an improvement is certainly desperately needed.

If Wales want to challenge New Zealand, two areas they may hold a slight advantage, are in the halfbacks & and centers.

Biggar’s big chance

The squad picked for New Zealand is as close as the coaching staff could have hoped for at the end of a busy season. Fourteen test matches, pre-season trips to the Middle East and the Swiss Alps and a World Cup campaign. Dan Biggar has played all but two of those games.

Biggar’s place in the starting line-up for the test matches against the All Blacks is all but guaranteed. His display against England was far from his best, but he is still the number one choice at outhalf. His flawless kicking and big match temperament, should offer Welsh fans a glimmer of hope.

The 26 year-old will be partnered by Rhys Webb. Webb and Biggar (until the scrum-half’s knee injury last September) have been partners for both club and country for more than five years. The pair will be coming up against Aaron Smith and one of Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Cruden or Beauden Barrett in a black jersey. Steve Hansen is yet to make his decision on who’ll be the long term replacement for Dan Carter.

Sopoaga’s a completely different beast to Biggar at fly-half. He attacks the gain-line, tries over-head backward-facing chip kicks and only has one international cap to his name - the Ospreys outside-half has 45.

Aaron Cruden also bears very little similarity with the Welshman, not least because of his kicking ratio of 52.4% in Super Rugby this season. Beauden Barrett has only slotted two successful penalty goals from 14 attempts for the Hurricanes this season. Neither option will fill Hansen with confidence whilst kicking for goal. Menawhile Biggar scored more than 120 points from the boot for the Ospreys this season and established himself as one of the most reliable kickers in World Rugby.

Midfield Advantage?

The Lions pairing of Roberts and Davies should reunite for this tour and will be a major strength for Wales. Hansen meanwhile, will have to find replacements for Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu. His primary choices being Malakai Fekitoa & Ryan Crotty. Crotty & Fekitoa have never started a test match alongside each other in the centre. Davies & Roberts on the other hand have been Gatland’s go to men for more than five years. This is a battle that could give Wales a slight advantage.

A Lions Tour one year away…

Gatland’s one of the best bets to be named as the next Lions coach - for the tour to New Zealand this time next year. Is the Waikato man set to stake his claim for the Lions gig by guiding Wales to their first ever test win in New Zealand? The odds are not stacked in his favour, but Wales have been known to cause an upset. Just ask any English fan!

Illtud Dafydd - Writing for www.The RugbyPod.com