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Barrett shines as NZ clinch series

Marvellous! Two marvellous teams playing the marvellous game in the most wonderful of ways! You cannot but love rugby when it is played like this and especially all of those on the field making it happen, all 50 of them.

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There was adventure, romance and drama in the game, skill, courage and a sense of adventure in the brave players who gave all that they had in mind, heart and sinew to the game.

This is as good as it gets.

And even when the All Blacks were stretching away, the Men of Wales came back with elan.

There is something unnatural in picking your way through such a game which was much greater than the sum of its parts. You would not do justice to a beauty queen by describing her skeleton!

It was all even at half-time, and then came a burst of 14 minutes when the bold All Blacks scored 26 points, but still the Welsh did not lie down and the final score was a fairer reflection of a game filled with honour.

Westpac Stadium in Wellington has yellow seats. It is worth noting, because, unusually, you could not see one of them as 36 000 people packed the ground.

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The anthems were splendid and the kamate haka full of passionate intent with bulging eyes, puffing cheeks and lolling tongues.

Aaron Cruden kicked off, Wales won a turnover and Malakai Fekitoa and Jamie Roberts hurt each other in a clashing tackle. That all happened in the first minute.

Wales won the tackle turnovers 4-1 in the match. The penalties went 11-6 in their favour and line-outs 16-8. Wales were not overwhelmed – except for those definitive 14 minutes.

Fekitoa's clash saw him off bleeding and limping, but 14 minutes later he came back. Roberts was also bleeding but he played the full match, often with a tear of blood running down his cheek.

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From the start both sides ran the ball and both defences were swift and watertight. The player who threatened most to break things apart was sturdy Jonathan Davies.

Wales opened the scoring when Sam Cane was penalised at a tackle ("no clear release") on Rhys Webb, and the Dan Biggar routine ended with a goaled kick and Wales led 3-0 after 15 minutes.

Wales had not learned how dangerous it was to kick to the All Blacks. They kicked down to Israel Dagg, playing his 50th Test, and he came back on the counter. Waisake Naholo, playing on the left wing, took a pass and charged ahead. The All Blacks went right and decided to kick a goalable penalty into touch. The Welsh held the maul at bay but New Zealand went right and Dagg burst inside Rhys Patchell and beyond Hallam Amos to score. Cruden converted and New Zealand led 7-3 after 21 minutes.

Several times in the match Wales went though phases but most of their phases did not advance them at all whereas New Zealand were usually able to make headway, thanks to speed and strength. New Zealand were doing their advancing phases when Ross Moriarty was penalised for a high tackle and Cruden goaled. 10-3 after 29 minutes.

Not long afterwards Cruden was injured in a tackle, seriously enough to stop the game for a long time. Cruden was taken  off on a mobile stretcher and then to hospital for assessment. Beauden Barrett took his place and played brilliantly for an hour of the match.

Wales won another turnover and Davies broke strongly. Amos was close on the right and then they went wide left where Davies threw a long looping pass to Alun Wyn Jones in the left wing position and big man scored. Biggar converted from far out. 10-all, and it was half-time.

Fekitoa did not come back in the second half, his place taken by Seta Tamanivalu, and both sides made regular substitutions during the half.

Wales started with zest but, as in the first Test, the second half was their undoing. They had a golden chance when Sam Warburton intercepted and strode a long way downfield. As defenders closed in, he passed to Taulupe Faletau who dropped the ball, and the next thing Dagg was racing on counterattack.

Kieran Read won a Welsh line-out on the All Blacks' left and they  went wide where Barrett broke past Roberts and gave to Ben Smith who swept over. 17-10 after 52 minutes and New Zealand's golden vein proved a rich one.

From the kick-off Aaron Smith broke and kicked ahead, leading to a contest for the ball five metres from Wales's line. That led to a scrum to New Zealand on their left. New Zealand shoved and then released the ball. Barrett broke through Roberts and in a tackle stretched and scored under the posts. 24-10 after 55 minutes.

Just after this young Ardie Savea came on for Sam Cane.

Wales kicked and New Zealand countered. Wales were penalised five metres from their line and the All Blacks opted for a scrum, well infield and to the left of the posts as they looked at them. New Zealand shoved, Read picked up and gave to Aaron Smith who gave to Naholo who had an easy trot to the line. 29-10 after 60 minutes.

Wales used a penalty to have a five-metre line-out but they overthrew and New Zealand came away. Ryan Crotty tried a clearing kick, a scruffy one that went low off his boot to Naholo who gave to Jerome Kaino who gave back to Naholo who gave to TJ Perenara who gave to Savea. The strong flank raced 40 metres down the field, sidestepping Patchell, and scored the try that took the score to 36-10 after 66 minutes.

The Welsh did  unprofitable phases but then on the halfway line, when they were going left, they gave to right wing Liam Williams who cut through the New Zealand defence and raced, on a diagonal to keep away from Dagg, to score. 36-17 with 6 minutes to play.

New Zealand chipped, Roberts caught it and broke. Barrett tackled Roberts, but the strong centre got the ball to Rhys Priestland  who gave to Davies. Davies thumped Tamanivalu away with a held and scored. 36-22.

The referee played advantage, the final siren sounded and Crotty went over to score in the right corner but the TMO detected a toenail on his left foot on the line. No try and no side.

What a wonderful match!

Man of the Match: There were lots of candidates – Jonathan Davies, Dan Biggar and Liam Williams of Wales and Israel Dagg, Kieran Read, Dan Coles and our choice Beauden Barrett for a glorious hour that changed the game.

Moment of the Match: There were certainly two candidates – Liam Williams' individual try and, our choice, the team try that started so unpromisingly and eventually was scored with the scintillating brilliance of Ardie Savea.

Villain of the Match: The idea is preposterous.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:

Tries: Dagg, B Smith, Barrett, Naholo, Savea

Cons: Cruden 2, Barrett 2

Pen: Cruden

For Wales:

Tries: Jones, Williams, Davies

Cons: Biggar 2

Pen: Biggar

Teams:

New Zealand: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Waisake Naholo, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody.

Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Beauden Barrett, 24 Seta Tamanivalu.

Wales: 15 Rhys Patchell, 14 Liam Williams, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (captain), 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Gethin Jenkins.

Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Bradley Davies, 20 Ellis Jenkins, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Jérôme Garcès (France), Wayne Barnes (England)

Television match official: George Ayoub (Australia)

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