Gatland rues kicking error

Warren Gatland pinpointed a missed penalty kick to touch by Lee Byrne as the turning point in Wales' 37-25 defeat by New Zealand.

Wales coach bemoans costly errors against All Blacks

Warren Gatland pinpointed a missed penalty kick to touch by Lee Byrne as the turning point in Wales' 37-25 defeat by New Zealand on Saturday. Gatland's men had fought back from 13-3 down to get within a point at 13-12 and looked to have the momentum as All Black replacement Daniel Braid was sin-binned for killing the ball. But full-back Byrne failed to find the touchline when Wales were awarded a penalty in their own half and they were ruthlessly punished as New Zealand's subsequent counter-attack ended with Hosea Gear scoring his second try of the contest. Further tries followed for Isaia Toeava and replacement John Afoa, before Byrne grabbed a consolation with the last play of the match.

But Gatland could not help but reflect on his full-back's crucial missed kick, stating: "It was massive, wasn't it? "We had got back to 13-12, we had all the momentum and we looked strong defensively at that stage. "We had some confidence behind us and I thought the All Blacks looked a bit rattled, but to miss touch and have them score from it was a big moment in the game, and those are the things we need to eradicate from our game as those are key moments that can be costly." Four of New Zealand's five tries came from loose Welsh clearance kicks, and Gatland acknowledged that he was disappointed having warned his side about the danger of kicking to New Zealand's back three. "We need to take advantage of the things we are creating and stop shooting ourselves in the foot," he continued.

Proud

"We need to work on our kick returns and receptions. We said about getting the ball off the park, we maybe need to do that a bit more, and look to improve our attacking play and kick chase as well - but having said that, we are pleased and proud of the players." The latest setback means Wales have failed to win in seven games, their worst run since a run of 10 defeats in 2003, while they remain without a win against the All Blacks in 57 years and 24 Tests. However, Gatland insists there are positives to take from the autumn schedule despite the fact it has yielded just one draw - last Friday's dismal effort against Fiji - from four games. "There were positives in our performance up front, the scrum went well," he added. "We are disappointed but there is plenty to take from meeting the best side in the world and the players know with a bit more accuracy they are not too far away. "We want to keep playing these teams, we want to play them next weekend and the week after that and the week after that, as that's how you get better. "There is a massive amount to take forward. Our pack has gone well against Australia and South Africa and did well again tonight. "We have some key players that aren't available in our backs with regards to Jamie Roberts, Leigh Halfpenny and Shane Williams, and if the guy who dances (Gavin Henson) starts playing rugby at some stage that will give us much more depth."