Wales in sight of the elite as Rokocoko's quickstep spoils party

1.00pm - By DAVID LLEWELLYN

Wales have just one final, awkward overhang to negotiate before they can haul themselves up to the summit of rugby's equivalent of Mount Olympus and join the gods. But that last little bit is going to take more hard work and more of fixtures like this.

Mike Ruddock, the Wales coach, endorsed that idea when he said: "I think we are right up there after South Africa and now New Zealand. We just need to take that last step. We want more of these fixtures against top sides because we can only get better."

They could start by getting the International Rugby Board to sanction an All Black visit next year.

Although the Test dates have already been agreed - Wales will play Australia, South Africa and Fiji - the Welsh Rugby Union could plead a special case, since next year marks the centenary of meetings between the two countries, which began with a Wales victory in 1905. It would also coincide with the city of Cardiff's own centenary celebrations.

The idea was supported by New Zealand's head coach, Graham Henry. "I would love to come back here next year for a centenary fixture," he said.

No doubt if the fixture were given the go-ahead the WRU would also repeat their wonderful "Response to the Haka", as it was described in the programme.

This entailed the Welsh National Opera's Wynne Evans emerging from the Arms Park end of the pitch, waving the Welsh flag and singing "Bread of Heaven" - the Principality's traditional hymn to rugby. Evans was quickly joined by the majority of the 74,000 crowd and the result was a stirring start to what must be the Millennium Stadium's first classic match.

"It got us going as well," said New Zealand's stand-in captain, Richie McCaw. "I got quite excited hearing all that singing."

Ruddock hinted that the idea could be adopted for all home games in the future.

"I thought it was a very good response by the public, and it is something that we will consider in the future, because we are aware of our heritage, our culture and our traditions as a land of rugby and song," he said.

Wales certainly looked in tune on the pitch, staying in front throughout the first half and extending that lead with their second try, which clearly left New Zealand rattled.

But the All Blacks shook themselves and rolled back upfield, where Wales fell foul of Joe Rokocoko for the second time in the game and then conceded a crucial penalty with nine minutes remaining. They continued to press hard, and no wonder there was relief etched on the faces of the exhausted All Blacks when the whistle went with a bare 80 minutes showing on the clock.

But if there was relief on New Zealand faces there were puzzled frowns on Welsh brows.

"I am a bit bemused that the ref blew up after 80 minutes," admitted the Wales captain, Gareth Thomas, afterwards. "I was under the assumption, because there had been injuries in the second half, that there was still five minutes or more to go."

That was critical, because it was Thomas who decided that Gavin Henson should take the three points on offer at a 77th-minute penalty rather than kick for the corner and go for the seven points a try and conversion would have given them and which would, in all probability, have sealed a historic win.

A similar problem arose following the South Africa match a fortnight earlier, when the Springbok coach, Jake White, had made a flurry of substitutions on the assumption that the stadium clock was showing the match time, meaning that it had been stopped each time the referee held up play. It was actually showing "real" time and another eight minutes ticked by, anxiously for the weakened tourists, before the final whistle.

The Welsh authorities rectified the situation for the Romania game last week and continued with the same protocol, one that has been adopted for the Six Nations, for this Test. But Thomas and other members of the Wales team were adamant that no one had informed them of the change.

Even Ruddock said: "I thought there was time left. I was as surprised as Gareth when the referee blew up on the 80."

Yet the All Blacks, even with a sprinkling of rookies among their number, certainly had the collective guts and determination to repel the incessant waves of Welsh attacks that beat upon their line as time trickled away.

So as close as the score was, it was still a victory for the tourists, their 17th on the trot since Wales last beat them, in 1953. Henry, who was Wales' coach until the start of the 2002 Six Nations, was beaming at the feast of entertainment offered by both teams.

"I thought the Welsh played superbly, and I have been in to see them and tell them so," he said. "It was a huge game of rugby."

His assistant Steve Hansen, who took over from Henry in Cardiff and left at the end of last season, went further.

"I am very proud of Wales," he said. "It is becoming a pain in the butt for them, because they can't get over the goal-line and get that big win, but once they do they will go on."

- INDEPENDENT