ALL BLACKS CLASH ‘WILL SAVE WELSH RUGBY’

WALES spelled out the brutal, bottomline reality of tomorrow’s controversial All Blacks match, saying the £4million profit they will make from it will save the game in the country. The admission came as a savage injury list grew, hooker Ken Owens now the 20th player unavailable for this out-ofwindow Test having failed a fitness test after suffering a back problem. With New Zealand showing no mercy by picking their strongest XV available — Beauden Barrett winning his 100th cap at fly-half — the Welsh will fight for pride. It is clear a positive result is not their top priority.

‘Sometimes in rugby, you have to look at it and say the game is bigger than just one particular match,’ said Wales boss Wayne Pivac. ‘It’s about looking after the game in general. Looking at the finances in this country, without this fixture, we’d be in big trouble. In terms of the rugby, it’s a massive challenge. We love a challenge. ‘It’s a great fixture and we want to go out and prove people wrong. It’s as simple as that.’ The Welsh Rugby Union will gross £10m from the match. They have had to pay the All Blacks £2m for the pleasure of playing, and it is understood that will leave them a £4m profit that they will plough back into a struggling Welsh game rocked by Covid. For the Test at the Pricipality Stadium, Pivac is without Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau, Louis Rees-Zammit, Nick Tompkins, Callum Sheedy, Thomas Young and Christ Tshiunza — all blocked as they play in England. On the long-term injury list are George North, Leigh Halfpenny, Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric, Dan Lydiate, James Botham, Leon Brown and Josh Macleod. Then Uilisi Halaholo tested positive for Covid on Tuesday. And yesterday it was confirmed Owens was out, Elliot Dee would return to Dragons with a neck problem, Ellis Jenkins is not ready after a rib issue and Liam Williams has run out of time to be fit after having his appendix removed. Although Pivac is putting on a brave face, the situation leaves Wales staring down the barrel.

Wales: McNicholl; Lane, J Davies, J Williams, Adams; Anscombe, T Williams; W Jones, Elias, Francis, Beard, AW Jones (capt), Moriarty, Wainwright, Basham. New Zealand: J Barrett, Jordan, Lienert-Brown, Havili, R Ioane, B Barrett, Perenara; Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Retallick, Whitelock, Blackadder, A Savea, Papali’i.