Wales breaks the 1953 hoodoo
Wales defeated New Zealand 35-28 at the Principality Stadium to end a 34-match losing streak against the All Blacks that began in 1953. The 55,152 crowd witnessed Tomos Williams score within 90 seconds. He followed Louis Rees-Zammit’s chip ahead to dot the loose ball down. Captain Dewi Lake scored a second try just minutes later when she picked a line off a Williams pass to crash over after a penalty. This 14-0 lead marked the first time Wales led New Zealand by such a margin. New Zealand made eight starting changes after beating Scotland 43-21, leaving the visitors vulnerable to the Welsh attacks.
Wales built their lead through clinical play in the opening quarter. Prop Nicky Smith won a turnover early in the match to spark the Welsh momentum. Archie Griffin scored from a penalty to extend the lead to 21-7 during the second quarter. New Zealand responded within ten minutes when Cortez Ratima broke blind from an attacking lineout to score. Wallace Sititi and Asafo Aumua drove the New Zealand side forward to allow Sititi to claim a try after the half hour mark. Quinn Tupaea put Fehi Fineanganofo over to tie the scores at 21-21 before the break. While New Zealand had made eight changes to the side that beat Scotland, they struggled to find the authority needed to stop the Welsh momentum.
New Zealand struggles to respond
Wales scored twice within ten minutes of the second half restart to extend the lead. Eddie James scored after a sweeping attack involving Rees-Zammit and James Botham, while Rees-Zammit scored his own try following a pass from Williams. The 14-point lead with 30 minutes remaining vanished when Peter Lakai scored from close range after New Zealand applied relentless pressure. The score sat at 35-21 before Lakai’s try brought the All Blacks within a single score.
New Zealand captain Beauden Barrett led a side that had undergone significant changes, including the inclusion of Taine Basham in his first Test start in four years. The All Blacks failed to eliminate the threat of Jac Morgan at the breakdown. This allowed the Welsh flanker to force a turnover penalty. Wales made four changes to the side that beat Japan, including the selection of Gabriel Hamer-Webb over Josh Adams. The New Zealand defense could not stop the five tries. This was the highest amount scored by Wales against New Zealand.
| Match Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Final Score | Wales 35-28 New Zealand |
| Wales Tries | T Williams, Lake, Griffin, James, Rees-Zammit |
| New Zealand Tries | Ratima, Sititi, Fineanganofo, Lakai |
| Wales Conversions | Sam Costelow (5) |
| New Zealand Conversions | Beauden Mo’unga (4) |
| Attendance | 55,152 |
The final defensive stand
The defensive effort from flankers James Botham and Jac Morgan alongside lock Dafydd Jenkins prevented New Zealand from scoring three times over the line during the final twenty-five minutes of the match. James Botham, Gareth Jones, Eddie James, and Max Llewellyn pulled off tackles to stop the All Blacks. Replacement prop Gareth Thomas held up Sititi over the Welsh line, and Taine Plumtree gained two important turnovers for Wales during the closing stages.
Wales had won previous fixtures against New Zealand in 1905, 1935 and 1953. Some bookmakers offered odds of 20-1 for a Wales victory. Sections of the New Zealand media had belittled Welsh rugby. The scoring progressed from 14-0 to 21-7 and 35-21 before New Zealand narrowed the gap to 35-28. Tries for Wales came from Tomos Williams, Dewi Lake, Archie Griffin, Eddie James, and Louis Rees-Zammit, with Sam Costelow converting all five. New Zealand scored through Cortez Ratima, Wallace Sititi, Fehi Fineanganofo, and Peter Lakai. Beauden Mo’unga converted four. New Zealand will claim the top spot in the southern table of the championship due to two bonus points, though they missed the five-pointer they expected.
