The tour was not a success for Wales, losing both Tests by heavy scores, and only winning two of the six matches against regional teams. The itinerary was a hard one and New Zealand coach Alex Wyllie stated that he would not have accepted a similar fixture list for his team.[1] The team suffered badly from injuries and had to add six extra players during the course of the tour. Original tour captain Bleddyn Bowen broke his wrist in the second game and was replaced as skipper by Bob Norster, until he suffered a badly gashed knee, whereupon Jonathan Davies took over the captaincy.[1][2]
^ abStephen Jones, ed. (1988). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1988–89. London: Rothmans Publications Ltd. pp. 25–30. ISBN0-356-15884-5.