WALES

15. Leigh Halfpenny: 6.5
Nailed his kicks at goal and was generally solid at the back, making some decent metres when he was given the chance to run. Bizarrely chose to pick and go only to be turned over in the build-up to Savea’s try, however.

14. Alex Cuthbert: 5.5
Carried the ball once, which makes rating his attacking play nigh-on impossible, but was guilty of overrunning Davies on one gilt-edged occasion. Was impenetrable in defence but had to smash man and ball when he flew out of the line to hit Conrad Smith in build-up to Savea try.

13. Jon Davies: 5.5
Didn’t see a great deal of action with Roberts taking on most of the ball-carrying responsibility. Made most of his tackles but was embarrassingly bounced off by Piutau in the first half.

12. Jamie Roberts: 7.5
Carried manfully all afternoon and more often than not made good yards. Comfortably outplayed his opposite man, but could perhaps have varied his game a bit more – did not kick or pass once in eighty minutes.

11. George North: 5
Anonymous for 64 minutes before being replaced by Williams. Didn’t touch the ball once, and missed a couple of key tackles. One of his poorer days in a Wales shirt.

10. Dan Biggar: 7.5
The record will show he missed a key tackle against Savea and while he was guilty of going too high, it’s highly unlikely he would have stopped him anyway given the mismatch in physical attributes. Other than that he was one of Wales’ best players, pulling the strings with aplomb.

9. Rhys Webb: 8.5
Much like the Australia game, Webb was superb but this time there were no silly intercept passes either. Varied his game superbly and combined well with Faletau for the first try. No coincidence that things started to unravel after he left the pitch.

1. Paul James: 4.5
Was consistently pinged by Wayne Barnes at the scrum and thus allowed the All Blacks to build territorial dominance in the first half. A poor outing.

2. Richard Hibbard: 5.5
Immensely physical as always, but the lineout struggled at times and for that he has to take a share of responsibility.

3. Samson Lee: 6.5
The problems seemed to be on the other side of the scrum at the set-piece, and other than that Lee was fairly solid. Certainly did nothing to diminish his burgeoning reputation.

4. Alun Wyn Jones: 6.5
Made all of his tackles and was a nuisance at the lineout. Did everything that could be asked of him.

5. Jake Ball: 7
Ended as his side’s top tackler which is indicative of the work rate of the man. A couple of powerful bursts, too.

6. Dan Lydiate: 7.5
Not only made the usual haul of tackles but did so with increased physicality which more than once knocked the wind out of a New Zealand attack. Set the early tone with a crucial turnover and, as with Webb, the game got away from Wales after he left the pitch.

7. Sam Warburton: 7
One galloping line break in the first half caught the eye, and he was one of the top defenders on the pitch, finishing with 11 tackles without missing any.

8. Taulupe Faletau: 7.5
A beautiful line and a breathtaking offload gave Rhys Webb Wales’ first try. Made all his tackles and was a useful source of lineout ball.

Replacements: 4.5
One of the major differences between the two sides. As more Wales replacements came on, the less confident they seemed to be. Scott Baldwin was as inaccurate with his throwing as Hibbard was before him, Charteris lowered the level of physicality and Mike Phillips was crucially charged down. According to the stats, Justin Tipuric didn’t even touch the ball in the 20 minutes he was on the pitch.

NEW ZEALAND

15. Ben Smith: 6.5
A solid, if unspectacular, game from one third of the Smiths, who did not catch the eye in the same way that his fellow back three players did.

14. Charles Piutau: 7.5
Another winger who looks born for test match rugby. Beat men at will, both through brute force and quick feet. The latest off the production line.

13. Conrad Smith: 7
As solid as always and one moment of pure brilliance as his improvised pass, under intense pressure from Wales’ rush defence, found its way to Savea for the first try. One kick went out on the full but it was a rare black mark on an otherwise good outing.

12. Sonny Bill Williams: 5.5
Was kept immensely quiet by Jamie Roberts and his chums, and most of his offloads went to floor rather than hand. A poor end to his return tour.

11. Julien Savea: 7.5
Showed what makes him the most lethal finisher in the game when he bulldozed over Dan Biggar to get the first try of the game. Always a danger.

10. Beauden Barrett: 7.5
Almost the definition of a game of two halves. Absolutely shocking before the break, poor kicks and missed tackles to the fore, but after he had Slade next to him to share the duties, he seemed much more relaxed and his two tries reflected it.

9. Aaron Smith: 6
He was as much a livewire as always, but Wales’ fringe defence was excellent in shackling him. Conceded a couple of penalties and his service wasn’t always the most accurate.

1. Wyatt Crockett: 5
Pretty average from Crockett who, while the other side of the scrum was on top, managed to finish comfortably second best to Samson Lee on a few occasions. Substituted at half time, which tells you plenty.

2. Dane Coles: 7.5
As prominent as ever in the loose and the lineout was mostly without issue. His charge down the right hand touchline was a lesson to most Northern Hemisphere forwards in how to run straight and execute a two on one (Dave Attwood, I’m looking at you).

3. Owen Franks: 7
Had Paul James bent all out of shape in the first half before retiring to the bench after 46 minutes. A solid stint.

4. Brodie Retallick: 8
12 tackles made and none missed, and a couple of sublime steals at the Welsh lineout added up to a brilliant afternoon’s work that outlined exactly why, shortly afterwards, he was named IRB Player of the Year.

5. Sam Whitelock: 6
Didn’t really do anything of any great consequence, other than calling a lineout that only had one blemish on it.

6. Jerome Kaino: 6
Like Whitelock, he was quiet other than being in the right place at the right time to flop over the line for a try.

7. Richie McCaw: 7.5
Made several important, powerful carries and was generally his usual nuisance of a self at the breakdown, at times taking things too far and conceding a penalty. Retained his composure, though, and led his side to yet another late win.

8. Kieran Read: 8
An excellent charge down and gather to score the try that essentially sealed the deal for New Zealand. Carried strongly and won plenty of ball at the lineout.

Replacements: 8
Once again the bench only served to make New Zealand stronger. Colin Slade had a calming influence on Barrett, bringing the best out of him, and Liam Messam put in a couple of powerful bursts. None of the others did anything especially eye-catching but they all contributed to the impenetrable sense of self-belief within this side as the clock ran down.

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images