Chris Hewett takes a look at Warren Gatland's desire to prove a point on home turf when Wales take on the All Blacks in Hamilton in The Independent.
"Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, knows enough about this rain-sodden corner of the union world – the farmlands of Waikato, where, in recent memory, one British and Irish Lions touring team was swept away on a floodtide of raw rugby energy and another suffered the painful indignity of trial by New Zealand Maori – to understand the nature of tomorrow's contest with the All Blacks. He was born here, after all. "It's nice that we're in town," he said, a trifle uncomfortably, before spending the next half-hour talking about respect and redemption.
"Last week in Dunedin, just before England chiselled out a face-saving victory over a weakened Wallaby side on the other side of the Tasman, the Welsh played half a game's worth of decent Test rugby against a New Zealand outfit armed with Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter, respectively the best forward and the finest back in the sport. Half was never likely to be enough and they ended up losing 42-9. As second Tests are generally harder for a touring side to win than first ones, despite immediate English experience to the contrary, Gatland and his players have something of a challenge on their hands."
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