The intense pace of the All Blacks game and the impact of their bench were the key factors in the 39-21 victory over Wales on Saturday, according to the visitors’ coach Warren Gatland.
The World Cup winners scored three unanswered tries in the final 20 minutes as they fought back from an 18-15 half-time deficit at Eden Park.
Both sides attempted to play high-tempo rugby but the speed at which the All Blacks played eventually caught up with the visitors.
“It was definitely quicker,” Wales captain Sam Warburton told reporters. “Chatting with the guys they felt pretty good, but once we hit that 65-minute mark that’s when you go into that slightly different territory.
“You look at the running metres and we probably wouldn’t run that much in the Six Nations.”
Warburton said the intensity of the match had drained his team’s energy in the final quarter.
“You can’t train at that high intensity during the week otherwise you won’t be able to last for the game,” he said.
“You have to go through those games and experience that to get better. I think we will.”
The All Blacks bench made a major contribution to the outcome with the dynamic Patrick Tuipulotu and Ardie Savea providing impressive energy that lifted their side.
“It’s not a bad bench is it?,” Wales coach Warren Gatland said.
“They had a bit of firepower to come on. Somebody like Beauden Barrett. And TJ Perenara, he wasn’t even good enough to make the squad but he’s not bad at all at nine.”
Gatland added he felt his side would only get better with the second Test next week in Wellington, though they would need to check on the fitness of winger George North, who suffered a hamstring injury.
“There were a lot of positives,” Gatland said. “We had to be brave and bold and we did that and played some rugby.
“The couple of tries we scored were outstanding. We could have scored a couple more ... but we learned a lot from today and we will be better for it.”
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
