Wales sweat on Wainwright fitness ahead of daunting All Blacks clash in Cardiff

Aaron Wainwright is a serious doubt for Wales’ Nations Championship fixture against New Zealand in Cardiff on Saturday after the Leicester back-row sustained an injury during last weekend’s 28-21 autumn international victory over Japan.

The 29-year-old, who has earned 71 caps, has been wearing a protective boot since Saturday’s win over the Brave Blossoms and did not take part in training on Tuesday. Wales assistant coach Dan Lydiate moved to offer cautious reassurance while stopping short of clearing the player to face the All Blacks.

“He’s walking around in a boot at the minute, but that’s more precautionary,” Lydiate said. “The medical staff are assessing him and working as quickly as they can to turn him around. I don’t know if he’ll be available this week, but they’re doing everything in their power to make sure he is.”

Wainwright has been one of Wales’ most consistent performers since Steve Tandy took charge in 2025, replicating the form he has shown in the Gallagher Premiership since leaving the Dragons in the summer. Lydiate was candid about what his absence would mean.

“He’s such a leader in terms of his ball-carrying ability,” Lydiate said. “We’ve been lucky that Aaron has been quite robust over many years, given the position he plays. You want your best players on the field and a quality player like Aaron is a loss when he’s not available for us — but it gives someone else another chance. You never know, we might find the next Aaron Wainwright.”

The challenge awaiting Wales regardless of Wainwright’s availability is a formidable one. New Zealand have won the last 34 meetings between the two nations — a run stretching back 73 years — and have scored more than 50 points in each of the last three encounters.

Lydiate, who faced the All Blacks twice during his own 72-cap career — losing 37-25 in 2010 and 34-15 in 2014 — acknowledged the scale of the task while insisting Wales would not take the field simply to limit the damage.

“We’re under no illusions how tough it’s going to be,” he said. “They’re a well-drilled team and might not give you many chances, but when they do, we’ve got to take them.”

Asked whether Wales could genuinely believe they might end that 73-year losing streak, Lydiate was unequivocal. “If you go onto the field with the mindset, ‘As long as we keep it under a certain score,’ you’ve already lost. You always have the mindset of going out to win, because if you don’t, you’re dead in the water. The boys who take the field on Saturday will be 100 per cent behind getting a result. You can’t be conservative — seize the moment.”

Tandy’s fourth win in 13 Tests as head coach came only after Wales had to withstand a late Japanese rally that threatened to turn a comfortable lead into a draw, underlining that there is still work to do before Saturday’s far sterner examination.