Wales beat All Blacks 35-28 for first win since 1953

Wales stunned New Zealand 35-28 at the Principality Stadium on Saturday to claim their first victory over the All Blacks since 1953, ending a 73-year, 34-match losing streak in a Nations Championship thriller.

First-half fireworks and a costly decision

Wales exploded out of the blocks, leading 14-0 inside six minutes. Scrum-half Tomos Williams pounced on a loose ball after Louis Rees-Zammit's chip ahead to score in the second minute. Captain Dewi Lake then powered over from a rolling maul for the second try. Tighthead prop Archie Griffin added a third in the 24th minute, all converted by Sam Costelow, to make it 21-7.

New Zealand responded with tries from scrum-half Cortez Ratima in the 10th minute and No 8 Wallace Sititi in the 31st. As the half drew to a close, Wales twice chose to play on deep in their own territory instead of kicking out. The All Blacks punished the decision: a sustained counter-attack finished by wing Fehi Fineanganofo in the 43rd minute, three minutes into first-half dead time, levelled the scores at 21-21 at the break.

Second-half surge and defensive masterclass

Wales regrouped and struck twice after the restart. Centre Eddie James finished in the left corner in the 44th minute, then Rees-Zammit scored from a five-metre lineout drive in the 48th after Wales turned down a kickable penalty. Costelow converted both for a 35-21 lead.

Peter Lakai crossed for New Zealand in the 53rd minute to cut the gap to seven. What followed was a lengthy period of pressure where the All Blacks camped in the Wales 22, crossing the line three times only to be held up each time: Wallace Sititi by Gareth Thomas in the 60th minute, Xavier Numia by James Botham in the 65th, and Leicester Fainga’anuku by Dan Edwards in the 70th (noted by 1news.co.nz as the final held-up player in that sequence). Wales also forced turnovers, including breakdown steals by Taine Plumtree.

According to reports, Wales completed 346 tackles, led by lock Dafydd Jenkins with 36. "Massive defensive effort from them," All Blacks coach Dave Rennie told Sky Sport. "They were the better side tonight."

Rennie's assessment and selection questions

Rennie was blunt in his post-match analysis. "We weren't good enough in the end," he said. He described his side's attack as "one-dimensional and quite disconnected" and noted that when Wales squeezed them up, "all we had to do was go back door and pick them off."

Nation.Cymru reported that Rennie made eight changes from the side that beat Scotland in their previous Nations Championship game, a strategy that "ultimately backfired spectacularly." The loss also ended a 34-match winning streak for New Zealand, who missed the chance to overtake South Africa at the top of the Southern Hemisphere standings.

Context and crowd

The victory was only the fourth time Wales had beaten New Zealand in 39 meetings. They had conceded 50 points to the All Blacks on their last three visits to Cardiff, and entered the match having faced difficult recent results. Sources noted that only 55,000 spectators attended — 20,000 below a sell-out — representing the lowest crowd for a Wales-New Zealand match since the national stadium opened in 1999.

Those who came witnessed scenes of jubilation, with Welsh players in tears at the final whistle. A quote from the camp captured the mood: "I can't even describe the emotions. 1953 was the last time we beat the All Blacks... Proud to be Welsh on a day like today, those players were magnificent."

What comes next

Wales face Australia in their third Nations Championship Test at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, November 21 (8.10pm kick-off). New Zealand travel to face England at Allianz Stadium Twickenham, also on Saturday, November 21 (2.10pm kick-off).