Autumn Internationals: Wales v New Zealand: The mind games started long before Graham Henry touched down in Cardiff last Sunday. He had already hinted he would be fielding a weakened side against Wales. Sure enough, bookmakers in south Wales this week have been accepting bets on the home team to win, and not always after being given a few points' start.
Henry appreciates as well as anyone how difficult Wales have found it to cope with expectation since the golden era of the 1970s turned into the gloom of failure.
When Wales were on a 10-match winning run in 1999, Henry's constant warnings his Welsh side were anything but the finished article were lost in the euphoric roar that greeted the transformation from laughing stock to a team that was being taken seriously again.
After Wales's narrow failure against South Africa two weeks ago, their coach Mike Ruddock has insisted the All Blacks are the clear favourites this evening.
It is a fixture his country have not won since 1953, and Wales's only victory over a major Southern Hemisphere team in the past 17 years was against the Springboks during Henry's reign.
Ruddock returned to Wales from Ireland four years ago at the instigation of Henry, who put him in charge of the A side. His immediate predecessor, Steve Hansen, who left last April, is now one of Henry's assistant coaches.
The Wales assistant coach Scott Johnson's faux pas at the beginning of the week, when he described New Zealand as a "poxy little island", inspired two days of panic in the Welsh camp. Johnson was forced to turn his remark into a joke in an admission Henry's mastery of mind games had not been threatened.
If Henry, whose contract has another year to run, is to take the All Blacks to the next World Cup, he cannot afford many more defeats after his side finished bottom of the Tri-Nations.
Guardian Service
WALES: G Thomas (capt); T Shanklin, S Parker, G Henson, S Williams; S Jones, D Peel; G Jenkins, M Davies, A Jones, B Cockbain, G Llewellyn, Dafydd Jones, C Charvis, M Owen. Replacements: 16 S Jones, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 R Jones, 19 M Williams, 20 G Cooper, 21 C Sweeney. 22 R Williams.
NEW ZEALAND: M Muliaina; D Howlett, C Laulala, A Mauger, J Rokocoko; D Carter, P Weepu; T Woodcock, K Mealamu, G Somerville, C Jack, A Williams, R So'oialo, R McCaw (capt), M Tuiali'i. Replacements: 16 A Oliver, 17 C Hayman, 18 R Thorne, 19 M Holah, 20 B Kelleher, 21 M Nonu, 22 R Gear.
Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England).
Wales v New Zealand
Millennium Stadium
Today, kick-off: 5.30 p.m.
On TV: RTÉ 2, BBC 2
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