AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) Wales has two historic hoodoos to overcome if they hope to beat New Zealand in the first rugby test at Eden Park on Saturday.
They face the invidious personal record of not having beaten the All Blacks in 63 years, and will become part of the collective effort to end New Zealand's 21-year winning streak at the Auckland stadium.
Welsh hopes are high that both of those records might fall in the opening match of a three match series against an All Blacks team weakened by the retirements that followed last year's World Cup.
But the All Blacks are equally confident careful planning for the post-World Cup era has reduced any vulnerability they might have faced after the retirement of six players with a collective 700 test caps.
