JUST when you think it might get easier for Wales after yet another setback against the All Blacks, don’t you believe it for the next opponents in this autumn series are Samoa at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night.

On the face of it the Pacific Islanders should not present too much of an obstacle to one of the world’s leading nations, even if Wales are down in eighth place in the IRB rankings, but history tells a rather different story.

For the uninitiated, the record between the two teams stands at three wins apiece, with the Samoans winning three times in a row during the nineties.

Back in 1991 Wales were given the shock of their lives during the World Cup when their opponents, then known as Western Samoa, triumphed 16-13 at Cardiff Arms Park.

Though Wales had players of the calibre of Ieuan Evans, who captained the side, Scott Gibbs, Mike Hall, Mark Ring, Robert Jones and Phil Davies in their ranks they still suffered the biggest upset in their history.

That led to all kinds of comments from a disbelieving Welsh public like “Thank goodness we weren’t playing against the whole of Samoa,” while coach Alun Davies, a new man at the helm, couldn’t quite believe the reaction from the fans.

It stung him into his now famous reply, “I can’t be expected to carry the hopes of an entire nation on my shoulders alone.”

Though a Welshman, he had come from Nottingham, settled at Bassaleg in a nice spot almost out in the country, and despite his man management skills, coming from that kind of background, he was ill prepared for the enormity of the task he had taken on as Wales coach. It was like a bolt from the blue.

But it didn’t get any better for Wales after that shock setback. For almost three years later Wales met the Samoans again on tour in Apia and in the extreme heat capitulated 34-9.

There were some excuses this time, apart from the heat, for Hall was out with a fractured wrist and Neil Boobyer a shoulder injury so full back Tony Clement switched to the centre, but the Samoans, with eight survivors from the World Cup-tie, triumphed again.

And in the 1999 World Cup the sides met for a third time in eight years - and the outcome was depressingly familiar.

Both the visitors and the ground had been renamed, the opposition now called simply Samoa and the ground the Millennium Stadium, but that was all that was different.

For the Samoans won again, this time scoring five tries on the way to a 38-31 victory which dashed Welsh hopes of a clean sweep in their group having already disposed of Argentina and Japan.

Pride was at least restored the following year when Wales romped to a 50-6 win in Cardiff, scoring six tries, two by a certain Shane Williams.

That was the last meeting between the teams, but intriguingly the two countries will meet in a third World Cup in 2011 for they are both in Pool D alongside world champions South Africa and Fiji plus an African team, probably the winners of the Namibia-Tunisia tie.

The current Samoans face Wales, France and Italy in the autumn as part of the build-up to the next World Cup and they are on the back of four internationals this year, beating Japan and Tonga comfortably, thrashing Papua New Guinea but losing narrowly to Fiji.

There are emotional reasons for them wanting to do well on their tour, to bring some joy to a small country recently devastated by a tsunami.

Lock Daniel Leo, who plays for Wasps, has already said they are aiming to help their own land by giving the people something to cheer with some success on the rugby fields far away from home.

The Samoans have some formidable players like the No 8 Henry Tuilagi of Perpignan, a real battering ram, powerful London Irish centre Seilala Mapusua, while Leo and Bath forward Jonathan Fa’amatuainu are other formidable players.

Wales will be much changed as coach Warren Gatland makes full use of his squad, but his options have been limited Mark Jones missing and now Scarlets teammate Dafydd Jones ruled out as well.

But a repeat of recent failures against the Samoans would be unthinkable as Wales try to get back on track after their 22nd successive reverse at the hands of the All Blacks.