Dan Biggar has warned that Wales could face a heavy defeat against New Zealand unless they fix the errors that marred their win over Japan, saying “things could get ugly quite quickly” if the same mistakes are repeated.
Wales edged out Japan 28-21, their second win of the Nations Championship, but the former fly-half believes the performance was “underwhelming” and that the All Blacks, fresh from a convincing win away to Scotland, will punish any inaccuracy.
Concerns over handling and lineout
Biggar, speaking on behalf of Allianz’s All Together Sports Fund, highlighted Wales’s handling and lineout as the biggest causes for concern. “I think there were 11 handling errors and six lineouts lost. That's 17 possessions effectively gifted to the opposition,” he said.
“Japan probably weren't quite good enough to punish them for all of those mistakes. But if you give away that many opportunities against the All Blacks, the Wallabies, England or France, you're going to be in a lot of trouble.”
Louis Rees-Zammit scored his first try for Wales since returning from the NFL, while Josh Adams crossed twice and Blair Murray impressed in a back three that caught the eye.
Building towards Australia
Biggar accepts that Wales are unlikely to get the better of the Kiwis but wants a much-improved display to put them in better shape before they take on Australia on November 21.
“They need to approach it positively and perhaps use it as a chance to build towards the Wallabies game in a couple of weeks' time, rather than treating it as a write-off,” he said.
He added: “Am I sitting here saying I think Wales will get those things right and win the game? Probably not. But do I think that, if they can improve in those areas, show a more positive approach and get some of their attacking players more involved, they can give themselves a chance of putting in a much closer performance? Absolutely.”
