Howley left bemused by defeat

"International rugby is about discipline and we were disappointed in terms of our top three inches. We were out-performed by Samoa who kept the ball well and when we had possession we couldn't keep hold of it. I don't know how many turnovers we had, but it wasn't acceptable."

Samoa had implied Wales were easy to play against as they have become predictable but Howley dismissed those claims.

"We have changed since the Australian tour. If they are saying that it's up to them, but we have a belief in the way we want to play. We want strong runners and to put sides under pressure with our kicking game. But international rugby is about accuracy and we weren't accurate enough."

Howley singled out full back Leigh Halfpenny and Mike Phillips as the only bright spots from a disappointing game for Wales.

"Leigh Halfpenny was outstanding I thought after being disappointed with his performance last week. Mike Phillips did well at times but this is not about individuals, it's about a team.

"We've been to a World Cup semi-final and won a Grand Slam. But just at this moment we're going through a low point and we must look at ourselves and bounce back. And we will have the opportunity to do that.

"This group of players has worked hard but our skills are not up to scratch for international level at this moment. But we have games against New Zealand and Australia and we look forward to them.

"We will work hard on training field. Sometimes it is about being smart, and at times tonight we weren't smart enough. Over the next few days we will pick ourselves up. We have been here before, we've had lows and we know what it's like."