Sam Warburton: Basic mistakes cost Wales v All Blacks

Wales captain Sam Warburton admitted his side could not blame fatigue for Saturday's 46-6 thrashing at the hands of New Zealand in Dunedin.

Although Wales were beaten in each of the first two Tests, their performances in Auckland and Wellington provided plenty of positives.

However, it was a different story at Forsyth Barr Stadium as the world champions ran in six tries on their way to an emphatic victory.

Wales appeared low on energy as the All Blacks ruthlessly seized control, but Warburton was unwilling to hide behind the potential effects of gruelling domestic campaigns in the northern hemisphere.

"There are no excuses about it being a long season, they were just far better than us today," said the flanker.

"The scoreboard's a fair reflection. In the first two games, we thought we played pretty well, but it was poor tonight."

New Zealand enjoyed frequent success with breaks from inside their own half, prompting Warburton to criticise his side's vulnerability to counter-attacks.

He added: "Basic mistakes like that, you just can't do over here. But credit to New Zealand, they've been outstanding.

"We just weren't there in way too many aspects of the game."