All Blacks coach Dave Rennie says his side will be focused on 'eliminating' Jac Morgan before the Welshman can cause them any headaches on Saturday.
New Zealand arrived in Cardiff on Thursday ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship clash at the Principality Stadium, with the visitors firmly expected to extend Wales' 73-year wait for a victory in this fixture. Welsh fans will be hopeful, however, that Steve Tandy's side can cause the All Blacks some problems - just as they did last year for about an hour.
Rennie's warning on Morgan
Lions flanker Morgan - who will face New Zealand for the first time this Saturday - will likely be key to any Welsh hopes of a historic upset, with the All Blacks coach admitting as much when assessing Wales' strengths.
"Defensively, there's a real time in tackle focus," said Rennie. "But when they chop, you've got guys like (Jac) Morgan who are excellent on the ball. So we're well aware of that."
"And we'll have a focus on eliminating him before he can cause us stress. I think that's a big part of their game."
Respect for Welsh talent
"Their line-out's been excellent, but maybe not quite as accurate against Japan. But up till then, it's been top-notch."
"And they're prepared to play. You've seen them score some great tries."
"Tomos Williams is one of the best nines in the world. And so we've got to make sure we don't let him have too much space."
"He's got such a high-quality kicking game, kicks off both feet. They've got a number of high-quality players that if we give time and space, they'll be a handful."
"A big midfield, absolute jets on the wing. We know a fair bit about the enemy."
Team changes and experience
New Zealand have made 10 changes to the matchday side that won in Edinburgh last weekend, although Rennie still has plenty of quality to call upon.
Fly-half Richie Mo'unga is brought in to start, with Rennie resisting the urge to hand the uncapped Josh Jacomb a Test debut.
"We just decided in the end, it will give us a little bit more experience," explained Rennie. "If we got under pressure with so many guys lacking experience, it could put us under a bit of pressure."
"We want to pay respect to Wales, too. They're a good side. I know the coaches really well."
"They'll have a plan. They'll be pretty fired up to put in a quality performance. And so we've picked a side that we think will show the respect for them."
On his relationship with Wales' coaches, he said: "Obviously Danny (Wilson) was with Scotland, Steve (Tandy) was with Scotland and Pete Murchie spent the last year with us in Kobe."
"I know them well. Very good coaches. Pete did a phenomenal job defensively with us at Kobe, and I can see the impact he's having already."
"And likewise with Steve. They are just very, very good coaches, smart."
"It's going to take time to turn things around, but I can definitely see the impact they're having. That's the reason we've chosen a strong side."
