UP EARLY TO WATCH ALL BLACKS CLASH

RUGBY fans were out early in Cardiff yesterday morning to support Wales as they faced the All Blacks at Auckland’s Eden Park.

About 50 people were in the city’s Owain Glyndwr for the 8.35am kick-off in the first game of the 2016 Steinlager Series.

And, while the game saw Wales leading at half-time at 18-15 and 21-18 after 62 minutes, it was not to be, as the All Blacks fought back to claim a 39-21 victory.

But the fans were still out in support – although most were sticking to coffee, while a few did brave pints.

Teacher Gareth VaughanOwen was among those watching the game with pals.

“They are better than they were against England, definitely,” the 27-year-old, from Penylan, Cardiff, said.

“We still seem a bit tired and New Zealand are on form as per.”

He added: “I would not expect them to win the first Test, but I am hoping that by the third Test we may have learned a bit more about how they play, so we might be more of a challenge for them.

“New Zealand do lose, they can lose. They are almost unbeatable, but England have beaten them.”

Sky call centre worker Matthew Roberts was impressed by Wales.

“We’ve seen an improvement from the England game,” the 24-year-old, from Llandaff, Cardiff, said.

“They need to play with a bit of tempo and throw the ball around.”

Wales had previously played a bit “by the book” but Matthew thought they could be tired.

“They’ve had two years of solid rugby with the World Cup, whereas New Zealand have had a few months off,” he said.

“We know we can compete with them, it’s just whether we can sustain it back to back for three weeks.

“New Zealand are not quite the force they were in the World Cup, they have lost key players Carter and McCaw.

“I think we’ll do all right. I can’t see us being walked over.”

Civil servant Luke Owen was “quite happy regardless of the re- sult,” because Wales could take “a lot” from the game.

“One of the most important things is the fear factor,” the 24-year-old said.

“People are afraid of New Zealand. Lots of teams have lost because they didn’t believe they could win.

“Today was our best shot. Because New Zealand won’t make the same mistakes twice.”

Hairdresser Wayne Bowen, from Penarth, wanted Wales to win at least one game.

He said: “If we can sneak in one of the Tests we’ll be happy.”

Miguel Inderan didn’t want to make any predictions about the Test. “I just wandered into town to watch it because that is where the highest concentration of pubs is,” he said.