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Wales battles history

What do Maurice Richards, Keith Jarrett and Jonathan Davies have in common?

Saturday, 26 June 2010

Sportal.co.nz

What do Maurice Richards, Keith Jarrett and Jonathan Davies have in common?

They are the only Welsh players to have scored in the six Wales v New Zealand Test matches played in New Zealand, and they each achieved the feat on Eden Park. That's apart from the fact they all switched to league.

Richards, a superb left-wing, and Jarrett, a prodigious goal-kicker, scored their tries in the 33-12 loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park in 1969, the day New Zealand fullback Fergie McCormick kicked a then world record 24 points.

Nineteen years later it was Davies, who scooted nearly the length of Eden Park to score the third of the tries in the 54-9 loss to the All Blacks.

In the same time the All Blacks have scored 38 tries ahead of Saturday night's game at Hamilton's Waikato Stadium.

Not surprisingly, Dan Carter leads the way as New Zealand's highest points scorer against Wales with 133 points made up of five tries, 22 penalty goals and 21 conversions.

It is a formidable record but as former All Blacks and Ospreys player Filo Tiatia told the South Wales Evening Post this week, Wales cannot go out with the view in Hamilton of just making up the numbers.

"They have a chance, just like any other team," he said.

"The worst thing the Welsh boys could do would be to start doubting themselves after the loss in Dunedin.

"I have played alongside those guys and know they are good players. They shouldn't put question marks over their skills.

"It's about cutting down errors and taking chances. If Wales can do that, there is no reason why they can't give New Zealand a game," he said.

It was about extending the 50-minute effort seen in Dunedin to the full 80 minutes.

"You have to be able to cope when the pressure comes on. That applies not just in Test rugby, but at any level of the game," he said.

Tiatia noted that a key element of the New Zealand game was the unity the players had.

"If they [Wales] produce a big effort collectively, they will give New Zealand plenty to think about," he said.

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