Wales will face Australia in Melbourne after slipping to an all-time low in the world rankings and potentially facing their ninth consecutive Test defeat.
A 25-16 defeat in the first Test in Sydney meant Wales dropped to 11th place, overtaken by Fiji – just five years after briefly being number one in the world rankings.
It is the first time since World Rugby’s rankings were introduced in 2003 that Wales have dropped out of the top 10.
They face the Wallabies again on Saturday, and another defeat would be their ninth consecutive test since beating Georgia, their opponents in the group stages of the 2023 World Cup.
Wales’ worst run since international rugby began 143 years ago was 10 games in 2002 and 2003 under New Zealander Steve Hansen.
This series included two Tests against New Zealand and a win in the Six Nations.
This time, Wales have lost to Argentina, Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Italy, South Africa and Australia. Head coach Warren Gatland’s Test record in his second term reads 14 defeats in 20 starts.
And life is unlikely to get any easier, with the Melbourne clash followed by friendlies against Fiji, Australia and South Africa in the autumn before Wales open their 2025 Six Nations season with a match against France in Paris.
Immediately after the setback in Sydney, when asked if he would increase his players for Melbourne, Gatland said: “I don’t think we need to increase them. The way the boys have trained and the enthusiasm that has been around them is just outstanding.”
“We know that when we play at the highest level we go through a process and learn to deal with a certain amount of pressure.
“It’s just about keeping the arm wrestling going. That takes a little time as far as things on the field go. I’ve seen that in the past with other teams.”
“Once you cross the finish line, the players in the team learn to understand that and turn the games that are close into victories. That’s what we have to work on at the moment.
“Once you win, you build confidence and learn to finish games. There are a lot of inexperienced players who go through that process.
“It’s about taking the lessons (from the first Test) and applying them and asking yourself, ‘Where can I improve my game and be better next week?'”
Gatland will have to assess the fitness of mainstay Gareth Thomas after he was substituted due to injury in Sydney.
Thomas, who had received a yellow card in the first half, had to make way for Kemsley Mathias at the start of the second half after being hit on the leg.