Stuart Barnes previews Saturday's showdown between Wales and New Zealand, and doesn't hold out much hope for the men in red in The Times.
"Tears always flow when these great nations meet. For Wales the tears have been shed only in woe since 1953. The possibility of seeing Cardiff draped in joyous red makes this the main match of the autumn series first round.
"Yet, much as I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, the chances are not great; possible yes, but probable? New Zealand are not anywhere near their best, but Wales have a few injuries that promise to gravely weaken them.
"Much has been made of the absence of Mike Phillips; I am not sure a Welsh team at full tilt would miss him quite as much as assumed. He is undoubtedly the strongest scrum half in this hemisphere but compared to the genuine greats of modern times, such as Fourie du Preez, he can be dreadfully slow with his service."
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