And so the depressing run continues after the pre-match hope, hype and expectation evaporated once more. Fifty-six years becomes at least 57, and the sequence of defeats numbers 21. It never remotely looked like becoming otherwise.

Wales can point to a high tackle on Martin Roberts, which floored the replacement scrum half and raised the ire of their coaches, and to Alun Jones’s lung-bursting interception that with greater conviction might have resulted in a try for the impressive lock.

That, though, is clutching at straws and papering over the cracks in a performance that, for all Warren Gatland’s assertions, was not on a par with that of a year ago in the corresponding fixture. The scoreline may have been closer but the real gap, in quality of performance, was not and the points difference only flattered to deceive Wales as New Zealand once more demonstrated that there is no substitute for efficiency, speed and command of the basic skills of rugby.

Gatland and Shaun Edwards, the head and defence coach respectively, may have had a point about the refusal of Craig Joubert, the referee, to give Dan Carter a yellow card in the final ten minutes, hinting as they did of bias towards the All Blacks. That position was partially redressed last night when Carter was cited.

They may also wonder what might have happened if Jones had kept going with his 70-metre dash for glory and if an attacking lineout had not been lost in the final frenzied moments. However, to hold up those isolated incidents as reasons for their collective failure is to be in denial.

Before the controversial tackle after a break by Shane Williams, they had created nothing of note and after it only Jones’s interception offered an unlikely draw. New Zealand can highlight the three occasions in which they were over the line only for the television match official to rule out a try. At least one of those — that of Conrad Smith — was clearly legal.

Uncharacteristically they also wasted several chances, with Ma’a Nonu ignoring an overlap that would have given Zac Guildford a try on what was an assured and accomplished debut by the 20-year-old wing.

It was 6-6 after an opening 40 minutes dominated by kicking. At the interval you could almost hear the All Blacks saying: “Let’s get this over with.” As it was last year, the third period was on a different level. Andrew Hore scored after Guildford had made ground in tight space and as the pressure mounted New Zealand looked to run riot.

That they did not was because of their own profligacy as much as some brave Welsh resistance led by the admirable Ryan Jones, the captain, and Gethin Jenkins. Also on the credit side, the set-piece went well enough apart from that last lineout when Huw Bennett overthrew.

Alun Jones had called the play and did not seek to absolve himself from blame afterwards for that decision or failing to make more of his earlier charge. He had anticipated Jimmy Cowan’s pass and had he kept going for the left-hand corner might have made it. Instead he checked and tried to lob a pass to Tom Shanklin, the only player remotely close. However, Guildford snuffed out the danger.

“As a player, there are 101 things you can do in that situation,” Alun Jones said. “That will probably be my first and last international interception, but I should have done a lot better. World-class players finish things like that, and I don’t think it was a world-class instance in the game for myself.”

And as for the lineout malfunction, he said honestly: “Would I do it again? Yes. Should I back myself? Yes. Could I have called another five lineouts [options]? Yes. Was it an individual error? Yes. Was it a poor call? Yes. Will I take responsibility? Yes, that’s what international players do.

Scorers: Wales: Penalty goals: S Jones 4 (17min, 34, 68, 74). New Zealand: Try: Hore (56). Conversion: Carter. Penalty goals: Carter 4 (11, 19, 42, 64). Scoring sequence (Wales first): 0-3, 3-3, 3-6, 6-6 (half-time), 6-9, 6-16, 6-19, 9-19, 12-19.

Wales: J Hook (Ospreys); L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), G Cooper (Cardiff Blues; rep: M Roberts, Scarlets, 55); G Jenkins (Blues), M Rees (Scarlets; rep: H Bennett, Ospreys, 59), P James (Ospreys; rep: Duncan Jones, Ospreys, 60), A W Jones (Ospreys), L Charteris (Dragons; rep: B Davies, Cardiff Blues, 65), A Powell (Cardiff Blues, rep: Dafydd Jones, Scarlets, 65), M Williams (Blues), R Jones (Ospreys).

New Zealand: M Muliaina; C Jane, C Smith, M Nonu, Z Guildford; D Carter, B Leonard (rep: J Cowan, 49); W Crockett (rep: O Franks, 60), A Hore, N Tialata, B Thorn, J Eaton (rep: T Donnelly, 55), J Kaino, R McCaw, K Read (rep: A Thomson, 65).

Referee: C Joubert (South Africa). Attendance: 74,330.