NEWPORT Gwent Dragons endured a fortnight from hell last month when hammered at the Scarlets and Edinburgh.

They played shapeless, joyless, error-strewn rugby, leaving director of rugby Lyn Jones to admit, "We are at the bottom of our game".

Wales produced a clueless performance that was just as bad despite beating Fiji, making it a tortuous afternoon at the Millennium Stadium.

If it wasn't bad enough watching Warren Gatland's team coughing up possession and racking up the errors, then it was done in front of a largely disinterested crowd that were blowing horns and taking part in Mexican waves, while music blared out during stoppages and nearly eight minutes was spent waiting for the TMO during a turgid second half.

It was rugby's Guantanamo.

Gatland was fooling nobody when he used the age-old diversion tactic of questioning the refereeing performance after the match.

Some odd decisions by Pascal Gaüzère may have denied Wales a few points but a 31-6 scoreline rather than 17-13 wouldn't have magically washed away all of the shocking play.

They were so poor that were it not for their driving lineout then Fiji – who had their own (self-inflicted) gripes after Akupusi Qera and Waisea Nayacalevu wasted glorious opportunities and Nemani Nadolo missed two shots at goal – could have been celebrating another famous success against Wales.

Wales played for 27 minutes against 14 men following Fiji prop Campese Ma'afu's dismissal for a pair of offences while trying to disrupt mauls.

Yet they were outscored 7-0 in that period thanks to Nadolo's late interception try and there was the jaw-dropping spectacle of the Islanders' seven-man scrum shoving their hosts off their own ball.

What should have been a hiding turned into an ugly mess.

Gatland had made eight changes to the team that started the autumn with yet another defeat to Australia.

He would have been hoping for some selection headaches but he will sleep easily before naming his team on Tuesday.

Liam Williams was the pick of Wales' side against the Fijians but won't usurp Leigh Halfpenny at full-back if the Toulon man is fit while wing Alex Cuthbert, who has scored in four successive Tests, is probably safe despite his iffy form.

Mike Phillips and Rhys Priestland will play second fiddle to Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar while neither Bradley Davies or Luke Charteris grasped their opportunity in the second row.

It would be the most stubborn of decisions to leave hooker Richard Hibbard out because of the spat with Gloucester, which leaves just the usual back row debate.

Perhaps it's time for Dan Lydiate to be left out regardless of his defensive exploits; his inclusion is piling the pressure on Sam Warburton and Taulupe Faletau when it comes to the facets of the game other than tackling.

Justin Tipuric was lively against Fiji and could combine with Warburton or the brave call would be to pick James King, who has been having an excellent campaign with the Ospreys.

Gatland will probably stick with Lydiate.

The Fiji game was poor preparation for New Zealand but no doubt Wales will be better on Saturday, just like they responded to a shocker against the Springboks in Durban by going agonisingly close in Nelspruit.

Wales led 17-6 at the break courtesy of a pair of well-worked tries to give wings North and Cuthbert run-ins and a penalty try earned by their driving lineout, which came straight after Ma'afu was yellow-carded for dragging down a maul.

Fiji could only muster a pair of Nadolo penalties and were left to rue winger Nayacalevu's failure to cleanly gather a loose ball with the line at his mercy under pressure from North and Qera's baffling decision to ignore two unmarked men to his left when he got clattered by Scott Williams five metres out.

Lydiate was twice denied a first Test try – first when he crawled over the line after a tackle and then when the TMO deemed it wasn't certain he had grounded the ball from a maul – and then Ma'afu saw red for taking Davies out at a lineout.

The points avalanche was surely imminent... yet Wales only created three chances with a wonky lineout scuppering a five-metre lineout, Cuthbert shepherded into touch by the flag and Faletau denied by an iffy TMO call after a super break by Williams.

And they were outscored in the second half when giant centre Nadolo intercepted Priestland to go under the sticks.

The Dragons nightmare fortnight was followed by their shock win against Stade Francais in Paris.

Wales will also respond with a far better display against the All Blacks but it will be a relief if they are competitive let alone pushing for a miracle win.

Wales: L Williams, A Cuthbert, S Williams, J Roberts, G North, R Priestland, M Phillips, G Jenkins (N Smith 65), S Baldwin, S Lee (R Jones 59), B Davies, L Charteris (A W Jones 65), D Lydiate (J King 59), J Tipuric, T Faletau.

Scorers: tries – G North, A Cuthbert, penalty; conversion – R Priestland

Fiji: M Talebula, W Nayacalevu, V Goneva (T Nagusa 71), N Nadolo, A Tikoirotuma, J Matavesi, N Matawalu (H Seniloli 71), C Ma'afu, S Koto, M Saulo (N Soqeta 65), L Nakawara, T Cavubati, D Waqaniburotu (M Ravulo 71), A Qera (captain), M Matadigo (J Yanuyanutawa 43- 46, 60).

Scorers: try – N Nadolo; conversion – N Nadolo; penalties – N Nadolo (2)

Yellow card: C Ma'afu. Red card: C Ma'afu

Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France)

Attendance: 61,326