Wales to face The Black Parade

As sporting hoodoos go, Wales' ongoing anguish against New Zealand has a fair way to go to match the Boston Red Sox's 86-year gap between their World Series' wins or the 163-year absence of a British winner of yachting's America's Cup.

But the fact that it is now 61 years and 25 matches since the Welsh beat the All Blacks is an sobering statistic, given all the great Wales teams there have been over the years.

Their continual failures against the big three southern hemisphere sides, which currently stretches to 26 matches without a win, is a stain on Warren Gatland's otherwise world-class coaching CV.

Although a proud New Zealander himself, he would like nothing more than finally beating a side he rates as one of the greatest rugby teams of all time.