Wales coach Warren Gatland disappointed with fringe players

Wales coach Warren Gatland admitted that he was disappointed with the performances of his reserve players after succumbing to a 40-7 defeat against Super Rugby team Chiefs at the FMG Stadium Waikato on Tuesday.

The 52-year-old wanted his fringe players to showcase their talent in the tour game against Chiefs in order to cement their place in the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday after George North was ruled out of the tour with a hamstring injury.

However, to his disappointment, Chiefs ran a six-try assault over Wales and trounced them with a 40-7 victory margin.

"It was disappointing. We asked a few questions of some players by giving them an opportunity, but some of them didn't take their chance and we weren't clinical enough in finishing off our chances," said Gatland.

"As a team we felt the Chiefs were tiring a bit, but they defended well and when the chances came their way they were excellent. They dominated us at collision time.

"Sometimes the game of rugby is very simple - it is a physical game about collisions and they were better than us in attack and defence in that area. A lot of our players will have learned a lot from that.

"There were a number of players tonight given a chance to go out and make a statement, perform and put their hands up for selection for Saturday. A few questions were answered for us about the fringe players and where they are at the moment.

"Players have been asking me for an opportunity and asking me why they haven't been selected. There are some very simple answers in the next few days with their performance.

"They have got to be honest about looking themselves in the mirror, going away, looking at that performance and what they learned from tonight and thinking about how they apply that to being better players in the future. We've got to do the same as coaches."

After their 67-14 victory against Italy in Six Nations 2016, Wales have been on a two-match losing streak with defeats to England and New Zealand.

Gatland will have an uphill task in Wellington on Saturday to avoid a series defeat against a rampaging All Blacks side, who defeated Wales 39-21 in the first Test.

Meanwhile, Chiefs coach Dave Rennie was extremely delighted with his team's performance on Tuesday despite missing out on a number of key players.

"These games are one-offs and I didn't feel as nervous as I normally do for a Super Rugby match. We were hoping that would be the same for the players so they could go out there and enjoy it," said Rennie.

"I didn't see that scoreline coming and at 21-7, when they nearly scored again, it could have been a different game. But we were very clinical and we built pressure after those opening 20 minutes.

"I was immensely proud of our defence - a lot of that comes from heart and togetherness."