NZ weren’t worried as Wales closed gap – Foster

NEW Zealand coach Ian Foster said his side weren’t worried when Wales pegged back their lead during Saturday’s clash in Cardiff.

At one stage, the home side were just 28-16 behind before the All Blacks accelerated away to win 54-16.

“I thought that first 50-odd minutes they were really competitive and played with a lot of passion,” he said. “They held the ball as we expected them to and ran hard.

“I thought our defence was outstanding. I thought we were pretty disciplined, and once we started to put them under pressure, force a few turnovers, we got the opportunities we were looking for.

“Were we worried when Wales scored their try? Well we weren’t worried but we didn’t want them to score a try.

“The game was what we expected from Wales, they do squeeze you a lot, but I was delighted with the composure of our guys to play through that.

“Ironically, we were a bit rusty after all this time away together.

“We’re delighted with that win, coming here putting 50 up, finishing strong and have a number of the newer guys feel what it’s like playing in the northern hemisphere where everything doesn’t go your own way. Teams know how to pressure you, and we certainly got put under pressure.”

And assessing two-try centurion Beauden Barrett’s performance, Foster added: “I thought he was strong.

“I think the main focus should be on Beaudie. His 100th game, you couldn’t probably want to script it better. He guided us through a tense time, and I couldn’t be more proud of his game.”

Barrett later revealed how he spent the build-up to the Wales clash grieving for “an exceptional man”.

Fly-half Barrett, who scored two interception tries to mark his 100th Test appearance, told how the death of his wife Hannah’s grandfather, Bob Graham, had left him feeling emotionally vulnerable all week, especially so far from home.

“We lost him last week and he was an exceptional man who I got really close to since meeting Hannah,” said Barrett.

“He was like a grandfather to me as well and he helped me in my life. He was a respected player for Auckland in his time.

“It’s been tough being away from my family but I suppose my family here has helped me this week. I probably didn’t train that well this week, but I was able to focus on having a good captain’s run.”