'New Zealand are still a massive threat' - Wales assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys

Wales assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys is wary of the threat from New Zealand as they face them in the opening fixture of the autumn internationals at Principality Stadium on Saturday.

The All Blacks had a mixed last few months as they lost a home series for the first time to Ireland in July while also losing to Argentina for the first time in Christchurch during the Rugby Championship.

Even though, Ian Foster's men reclaimed the Rugby Championship, their dominance were in question as seen during the recently concluded fixture against Japan in Tokyo where they managed to beat the Brave Blossoms with a 38-31 margin.

The All Blacks now head to Cardiff having defeated Wales 32 consecutives times at the venue and Humphreys has warned against writing off the three-time World Champions.

“However many people write them off, they still come through and are still a massive threat,” Wales forwards specialist Humphreys said.

“They can hurt you in two phases, they can score tries in five minutes and put you out of the game. That hasn’t changed.

“They are a little bit different in terms of their mindset about coming at you at set-piece. They are a lot more aggressive now.

“We don’t see them at all as being vulnerable – we see them as the winners of the Rugby Championship.

“They can put you out of the game in a heartbeat. You feel you are in the game after 60 minutes, then a couple of errors and the game is gone.

“We’ve talked about living every moment. You step off for a second against these guys and the game is gone from you. They have threats all over the place.

“They have overcome a lot of odds, a lot of press speculation, and they still managed to perform in the Rugby Championship.”