However, the game was somewhat overshadowed by an argument between the two nations over the traditional pre-match Haka. The All Blacks refused to carry out their tribal dance after Wales requested to respond to it with their own national anthem.
Jones, the Wales captain, said: “Obviously we are disappointed, but we have to accept that at this moment in time, they are an awesome side. In the first half we struggled to contain them, but I thought we did okay after that. We kept the ball better and deserved to score the try.
“We had plenty of possession and although their defence was outstanding, we held on to the ball for long periods and in the end got our reward.”
Richie McCaw, the All Blacks captain, said: “There had been a lot of emotion all week going into this game and we had to settle early on.
“I felt that we achieved that and although it’s hard to stay on top when you go in front, we managed to score some decent tries and pull away from them by half-time. That was pleasing.
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“Don’t forget, we had 15 guys in front of us and they were in no mood to let us walk all over them.
“All credit to Wales, they came back and made us defend in the second half. Still, we finished well and two tries late on was a nice way to finish.”
As far as the stand-off in relation to the haka is concerned, McCaw said: “The tradition needs to be honoured properly if we are going to do it. If people want to mess around, we will just do it in the shed.”
Gareth Jenkins, the Wales coach, said: “It was not a nightmare, it was a lesson. We realised that we had to be competitive in the contact area and that never happened.
“I would not have done anything different in terms of build-up or selection, but at least we know where we are and we know where our deficiencies are.”