The All Blacks head into Saturday’s Test in Cardiff carrying all the pressure, despite having won as many matches on their autumn tour as Wales have managed since the 2023 World Cup.
Scott Robertson’s side arrived in the UK with hopes of completing a rare Grand Slam, but their 33-19 defeat to England last week has ramped up scrutiny on the head coach.
New Zealand sit second in the world rankings, having narrowly lost the Rugby Championship title on points difference – although it included an all-time record defeat to the Springboks in Wellington – and claimed hard-fought wins over Ireland and Scotland. Yet, by their own lofty standards, they are falling short.
Now, with three losses already in 2025, the All Blacks are expected not only to beat Wales, but to do so emphatically.
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Wales, by contrast, enter with nothing to lose. Ranked 12th, having conceded 50-plus points to England and Argentina this year, and only recently snapping a 10-match losing run with a last-gasp win over Japan, the hosts face minimal expectation.
But Robertson insists his players aren’t rattled by the external noise.
“You are really talking this up,” he joked to a New Zealand journalist in Cardiff Bay. “You’re quite dramatic, aren’t you? We focus on what we could have done better last week and get on with it. We won every stat, but the scoreboard is the most important one.”
A loss to Wales – their first since 1953 – would trigger a full-blown crisis for Robertson. But he remains wary of a side liberated by low pressure and fuelled by Welsh passion.
“Put them under a roof, they sing the anthem and will dig deep,” he said. “Put a black jersey against them and they will find their best. Their backs are against the wall and they’ve got nothing to lose.”
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