Rhys Patchell was called up on Saturday following the injury, while Gatland has brought in 18-year-old Keelan Giles from the Wales Under-20s squad now competing in the Junior World Cup in Manchester.
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The midfield of Ryan Crotty and Malakai Fekitoa, despite being cut open a little too much in general play during the first half, settled in the second period as they went forward and held the defensive line together.
“We were hosted fantastically well by the people of Waikato in the 2011 RWC, so it’s great to be back and to give something back to the region”.
“It’s hard at the end of a season and even more so when you have to play half your squad again on Tuesday”.
As the game morphed into a frantic period of attack and counter-attack, marred by handling lapses, it was Wales who broke the deadlock.
Wales led the world champions 18-15 at half-time after a breathless opening 40 minutes, with Taulupe Faletau and Rhys Webb both scoring while Dan Biggar kicked 11 points as they threatened to pull off a shock.
They went close to extending that on the stroke of half-time when Jonathan Davies nearly latched onto Biggar’s clever kick through with the outside of his boot. We knew we couldn’t come to a place like New Zealand and be conservative and hope to win by edging it with penalties.
“It doesn’t matter what we do on the training field as coaches, you’ve got to be out in the middle and experience that relentlessness the All Blacks bring and keep playing for 80 minutes”, he said.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen had spoken before the game of starting a new era after the worldwide retirement of six stalwarts following the World Cup, but the rustiness that has blighted the first match of previous seasons returned.
In the first diagram, I have shown Webb and Biggar passing the ball without engaging the defence, which puts pressure on Roberts and Davies.
Hansen says they were troubled by Wales’ outside three in particular, particularly George North.
In another result, Ireland have won for the first time on South African soil after defeating the Springboks 26-20 in their test match this morning. “What happens next will be interesting to watch”. They ran it right, then span it left through the backs to No 8 Faletau, who charged over in the corner.
Gatland said: “We will have learned a lot from that game and be better for it next week”. “I’m just trying to be Aaron Cruden”.
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New Zealand still trailed, 21-18, until the 62nd minute when winger Waisake Naholo scored the second of his two tries from a tapped penalty to put his team ahead and prolong New Zealand’s 63-year winning streak over Wales.
