Graphic: Wales v New Zealand match stats

When attempting to pinpoint why New Zealand are so consistently very, very good, the word that opponents have used most frequently to describe them on this tour around the British Isles is efficient.

Martyn Williams was the latest to do so after Wales had lost for the twentieth consecutive time against the All Blacks, stretching back to 1953. If they beat England at Twickenham on Saturday, they will complete a grand slam and only the barking mad would expect them to lose. Williams, the Wales flanker, meant it as a compliment despite the adjective’s faintly derogatory, even boring, connotations.

There is a machine-like quality that the dictionary definition supports: “Acting or producing effectively with a minimum of waste, expense or unnecessary effort” and “exhibiting a high ratio of output to input”.

New Zealand do just that, achieve just that. “They are a great side,” Williams said. “Scrum is awesome, lineout good, so efficient in everything they do, so dangerous behind and so difficult to defend against.”

A grand slam will be nothing less than the All Blacks deserve. When that achievement is added, if it is to be, to success in the Tri-Nations, 2008 will be looked upon as an annus mirabilis and welcome relief from their defeat by France in the World Cup quarter-final at the Millennium Stadium 13 months ago. On Saturday they exorcised any lingering demons. It will justify the decision to reappoint as coach Graham Henry, who may not be to everyone’s liking and whose manner can so easily irritate, but who has proved that he has few peers.

It is easy to admire and respect New Zealand, without perhaps warming to them, simply because they are so very good. Their performance in Cardiff was a carbon copy of what went before in Edinburgh and Dublin. Scotland and Ireland had huffed and puffed but got nowhere. In a match that was on a different level to those encounters, Wales were outstanding for 40 minutes, producing their best half of rugby, in Williams’s opinion, for 18 months. The result, however, was the same as chances were again not taken when Wales enjoyed a lengthy period of domination.

After the interval, when Wales led 9-6, the most audible sound was one of the All Blacks relentlessly shifting through their gears, an added physicality at the breakdown, one that starved Wales of ball and meant that they had to defend for their lives. No side can do so indefinitely.

As Tony McGahan, the coach of the Munster side who took New Zealand to the wire in Limerick last Tuesday, said: “They put you under continual pressure, with exceptional skill, time and time again until you crack.”

Wales did not crack until after half-time, when three penalties by Stephen Jones had been answered by two from Dan Carter. They had flown into the opening exchanges fired by their response to the haka, which had been to stand stock still and see who blinked first. Ryan Jones, the captain, indicated that Wales were not going to back down on their own turf and the home crowd bought into it with a vengeance. Stephen Jones and Lee Byrne fashioned openings, which, however, could not be finished off.

Ian Evans and Byrne were both down injured when New Zealand turned the screw and made a try for Ma’a Nonu, and had an effort by Jerome Kaino chalked off by the television match official. The blind-side flanker was not to be denied in the second minute of added time after Shane Williams was turned over trying to run out of defence.

Perhaps the most impressive statistic was that for the third international running New Zealand did not concede a try and also did not allow Wales a score after the 22nd minute.“We have one week left and a chance to do something special,” Richard Kahui, the centre, said. “The last three weeks have been individual challenges in themselves. Now we can look at the bigger picture.”

It does not bode well for England.

Scorers: Wales: Penalty goals: S Jones 3 (2min, 13, 22). New Zealand: Tries: Nonu (55), Kaino (80+2). Conversions: Carter 2. Penalty goals: Carter 5 (17, 40, 41, 63, 73).

Scoring sequence (Wales first): 3-0, 6-0, 6-3, 9-3, 9-6 (half-time), 9-9, 9-16, 9-19, 9-22, 9-29.

Wales: L Byrne (Ospreys); L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets; rep: J Hook, Ospreys, 58), G Cooper (Gloucester; rep: D Peel, Sale Sharks, 58); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues; rep: J Yapp, Cardiff Blues, 79), M Rees (Scarlets), A Jones (Ospreys), A-W Jones (Ospreys), I Evans (Ospreys; rep: L Charteris, Dragons, 56), R Jones (Ospreys), M Williams (Cardiff Blues), A Powell (Cardiff Blues; rep: D Jones, Scarlets, 75).

New Zealand: M Muliaina; J Rokocoko, R Kahui, M Nonu, S Sivivatu; D Carter, J Cowan (rep:P Weepu, 56); A Woodcock, K Mealamu, N Tialata (rep: J Afoa, 48), B Thorn, A Williams, J Kaino, R McCaw, R So’oialo.

Referee: J Kaplan (South Africa).

Attendance: 74,067.