Wales vs. New Zealand: Key Battles to Watch at Millennium Stadium

Wales face the All Blacks in Cardiff on Saturday, still without a win over a Southern Hemisphere opponent since 2008 and winless against New Zealand since 1953, per ESPNScrum.com.

Warren Gatland’s side struggled to beat Fiji in their second Test of the autumn, going down on the opening weekend of their programme to Australia.

No one expects the Welsh to upset the odds against the World Champions, who have so far done little more than the necessary to beat England and Scotland and had a good look at most of their squad in the process.

Wales are looking, on paper at least, much more like a first-choice line-up, with the return of Leigh Halfpenny and Richard Hibbard at full-back and hooker, respectively, while George North reverts to the left wing as Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies reunite in midfield.

On their best form, these five Lions can propel Wales to a level of performance that would threaten New Zealand. But we haven’t seen that quality—probably since they last sported the Lions badge on their jerseys.

Now would be the ideal time to recapture that sort of form.

Here are the key battles.

When Richie McCaw runs out at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, it will mark 10 years since he first led the All Blacks as captain on the same ground and 100 times that he has done it.

That he is performing at the same level with more than a decade on his clock as an international is a staggering feat.

In Sam Warburton, he faces a No. 7 who received the captaincy of Wales at a young enough age to equal McCaw’s achievement.

The sad thing in Warburton’s case is that there have been too many injuries to afford him a long run as leader of this Welsh side. He is back in good form now, and his captaincy skills will be required on Saturday. McCaw was spoiler in-chief at Twickenham as he frustrated and slowed England’s attacks with impressive regularity.

Warburton would do well to emulate his opposite man in order to slow down New Zealand’s tempo in attack.

They thrive off fast ruck ball, so Warburton must strive to dilute that supply as best he can.

Stopping McCaw doing the same to Wales? Sam might need some help there. Maybe from the man with the whistle.

You could forgive Dan Biggar for sparing a thought during the heat of Saturday’s battle for events in Edinburgh 24 hours later.

For while he attempts to steer Wales to a famous win over the All Blacks, in the Scottish capital the next day Gareth Anscombe will be making his debut for the Cardiff Blues in a PRO12 fixture.

The Welsh–qualified, New Zealand–born Anscombe had been plucked from Super 15 stardom with the Chiefs to throw his lot in with the country of his mother’s birth.

Such haste was made of Anscombe’s defection that many a smart pound note has gone on his appearance in a Welsh national shirt sooner rather than later. As if facing one New Zealand fly–half wasn’t enough to worry about for Biggar.

The one he will be up against at the Millennium Stadium is not Dan Carter, rested for being rusty according to Steve Hansen.

Instead, Beauden Barrett takes the reins with Colin Slade on the bench. Such are the riches at No. 10 for New Zealand that The New Zealand Herald’s Gregor Paul has been crowing this week over the embarrassment of options there: 

The All Blacks have done what many other sides would consider impossible and ended up with four test quality No. 10s. That's selling them a bit short—they have got the best one the world has known, another who is definitely world class, a third who is on the cusp of being there and a fourth who would walk into pretty much any other test side.

So Biggar has his work cut out against Barrett, but he also has his best weapons available to him in the shape of Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies, George North and Alex Cuthbert.

Taking the ball flat to the line and putting these monsters through holes will be the key to giving Wales a chance.

For Barrett, he must ensure his kicking from hand is up to scratch.

Poorly placed kicks that give the likes of North, Cuthbert and Leigh Halfpenny time and space to counter will make it a difficult afternoon.

As far as goal-kicking goes, both men can blow hot and cold, but Barrett probably has more to prove at this level.

Much was made of Richard Hibbard’s appearance off the bench for his club last week.

He was stood down from Welsh duty through injury, but a fitness crisis in hooking stocks at Gloucester meant the He-Man-haired No. 2 was placed on the pine for the Cherry and Whites' clash with Harlequins, per Paul Rees in the Guardian.

Hibbard was warned he faced jeopardizing his international career if he did take part in the league game, and as it turned out, he was required to play the last seven minutes, per ESPNScrum.com

Whatever weeping, wailing and grinding of teeth was done behind closed doors appears not to have resulted in too severe a punishment for this act of insubordination, because the Lion is back in the pack for Saturday’s visit of the world champions.

Hibbard may feel he owes his coaches one for this show of faith/forgiveness, so we should expect a performance full of thunder and thud from the former Osprey.

He faces Dane Coles, a curious sort of hooker to find in an All Blacks pack.

Coles lacks the physicality and obduracy of a Sean Fitzpatrick or Anton Oliver, and possesses less of the nastiness (nastiness in a good way for international forwards) of the veteran Keven Mealamu.

In fact, we have seen his petulant streak for that stamp at Twickenham, a reaction to little more than a gentle shove from Dylan Hartley.

But he brings accuracy at the line–out and an appetite for ball-carrying in the open that belies his smaller-than-usual frame.

Let’s just say this: A collision between Hibbard and Coles—should we be treated to one in open play—is only going to end with one winner.

In short, you’d take the best Hibbard over the best Coles from Monday to Sunday. Hibbard needs to show why this weekend.