Magnificent Wales beat New Zealand for first time since 1953

ByGareth Griffiths

BBC Sport Wales

Nations Championship

Wales (21) 35

Tries: T Williams, Lake, Griffin, James, Rees-Zammit Cons: Costelow 5

New Zealand (21) 28

Tries: Ratima, Sititi, Fineanganofo, Lakai Cons: Mo'unga 4.

Wales celebrated a archetypal triumph against New Zealand successful 73 years with a superb show to spark astonishing scenes successful Cardiff.

Steve Tandy's unfancied broadside lifted a federation arsenic they broke a 34-match losing series against the All Blacks that stretched backmost to 1953.

In a nine-try Nations Championship thriller astatine the Principality Stadium, Wales led 14-0, 21-7 and 35-21 earlier they held disconnected New Zealand with a fantastic antiaircraft show successful the last quarter, led by flankers James Botham and Jac Morgan and fastener Dafydd Jenkins.

The location broadside produced a stunning commencement with tries from inspirational scrum-half Tomos Williams and skipper Dewi Lake wrong the archetypal six minutes.

Prop Archie Griffin besides added a first-half try, but New Zealand responded with scores from scrum-half Cortez Ratima, fig 8 Wallace Sititi and helping Fehi Fineanganofo to level the people 21-21 astatine half-time.

Wales centre Eddie James and helping Louis Rees-Zammit scored aboriginal second-half tries earlier New Zealand flanker Peter Lakai pulled 1 back.

The singular Wales defence followed arsenic they held up the All Blacks 3 times implicit the enactment to halt New Zealand scoring, to evoke chaotic celebrations.

Wales had won the archetypal 3 games successful this fixture successful 1905, 1935 and 1953 but person had to hold much than 7 decades for the next.

In 1953 the New Zealand dollar did not exist, Cardiff was not the superior metropolis of Wales and tries were lone worthy 3 points.

Sections of the New Zealand media had belittled Welsh rugby earlier the game, portion immoderate bookmakers offered likelihood of 20-1 for a Wales victory.

Legends specified arsenic Sir Gareth Edwards, Alun Wyn Jones, Shane Williams, JPR Williams, Barry John and Phil Bennett had ne'er enjoyed occurrence against New Zealand successful a Welsh jersey.

Now Tandy's people of 2026 person written their ain section successful Welsh rugby's history.

The 55,152 was the lowest assemblage successful the 14 matches betwixt Wales and New Zealand astatine the Principality Stadium. The fans who stayed distant volition regret it due to the fact that it was a time to accidental "I was there".

Welsh rugby has been successful the doldrums for truthful long, connected and disconnected the field, but volition anticipation this celebrated triumph tin assistance galvanise the nation.

This was 1 of the finest performances successful Welsh rugby past and a satellite isolated from the show successful the 28-21 triumph against Japan past weekend.

New Zealand mightiness regret failing to instrumentality vantage of France's triumph against South Africa connected Friday nighttime but they inactive leapfrog the Springboks to apical the confederate conception with 1 play of regular matches remaining.

Wales made 4 changes to the broadside that bushed Japan, with Taine Basham making his archetypal Test commencement successful 4 years by replacing injured fig 8 Aaron Wainwright.

Leicester helping Gabriel Hamer-Webb was preferred to Josh Adams, who scored 2 tries against Japan, portion fastener Adam Beard and flanker Botham came successful for Ben Carter and Alex Mann.

New Zealand made 8 starting swaps from the squad that bushed Scotland 43-21, with full-back Beauden Barrett handed the Test captaincy for the archetypal clip successful his 149th international.

New Zealand's haka was the accustomed portion of theatre arsenic the All Blacks were lit up by a spotlight and Wales successful red.

The hosts reacted quickest from the commencement with prop Nicky Smith winning a turnover earlier an fantabulous agelong walk from Williams released Rees-Zammit.

The helping chipped up and Williams, who New Zealand manager Dave Rennie had highlighted arsenic a pre-match dangerman, pounced for the try.

Wales followed this up with a well-worked guardant determination and skipper Lake latched onto a level Williams walk to clang over.

It was the archetypal clip Wales had led New Zealand by 14 points and the location assemblage began to dream.

New Zealand seemed shell-shocked but regathered themselves, and Ratima strolled implicit for an casual effort from an attacking line-out.

Rennie stated earlier the lucifer they needed to destruct the menace of Morgan astatine the breakdown, but they failed to bash that erstwhile the Wales flanker forced a turnover penalty.

This provided the level for New Zealand-born Wales full-back Blair Murray to merchandise Rees-Zammit, with lone bully antiaircraft enactment by Beauden Barrett preventing a try.

New Zealand's defence kept Wales astatine bay with immoderate important turnovers earlier a breathless play of play followed with some sides throwing chaotic passes.

Once matters had settled down, New Zealand made an antithetic determination to spell for a scrum successful the Wales 22 aft being fixed a penalty. This backfired erstwhile the visitors were penalised and it provided the hosts with caller momentum.

The Wales line-out, which broke down against Japan with six throws going astray, was fantabulous successful the opening 4th and provided the instauration for the 3rd try.

After centre Max Llewellyn was initially denied nether the All Blacks' posts, prop Griffin popped up for his 2nd effort successful 2 weeks.

New Zealand learned from their earlier mistake by going for an attacking line-out alternatively than a scrum and Sititi, who was subordinate of the lucifer successful this fixture 12 months ago, yet dived over.

The All Blacks demonstrated their doggedness astatine the breakdown by forcing 2 penalties, portion the location line-out began to creak with 2 overthrows.

New Zealand began to grind distant and helping Fineanganofo flopped implicit with Mo'unga's conversion levelling the scores astatine half-time.

This was the clip we assumed the publication would travel the acquainted communicative of New Zealand pulling away. Wales had different ideas.

The hosts began the 2nd fractional successful the aforesaid manner arsenic the first, with scrum-half Williams again the designer arsenic his agelong walk allowed James to clang over.

Morgan again tormented New Zealand to unit different turnover penalty. Wales decided to spell for the effort and the determination was justified.

Williams' agelong walk allowed Rees-Zammit to transverse for the 5th effort which is the highest magnitude scored by Wales against New Zealand.

Two tries wrong the archetypal six minutes successful the archetypal fractional for Wales. A brace of scores wrong 8 minutes successful the second.

New Zealand again regrouped, with flanker Lakai burrowing implicit arsenic the All Blacks came wrong 7 points.

Lakai astir inspired a 5th Kiwi effort with a good interruption but replacement prop Gareth Thomas had different ideas by expertly holding up Sititi implicit the Wales line, earlier Botham repeated the feat connected hooker Asafo Aumua.

Replacement Wales 8 Taine Plumtree gained 2 important turnovers earlier Tandy decided to instrumentality disconnected his half-backs Williams and Costelow, with Ospreys duo Dan Edwards and Reuben Morgan-Williams tasked to spot retired the last 16 minutes.

Morgan-Williams and Morgan combined to clasp up New Zealand for a 3rd clip implicit the enactment but the All Blacks onslaught kept coming.

Wales dug heavy erstwhile more, tapping reserves of strength, subject and attraction to repel that achromatic wave.

The last whistle delivered the triumph this broadside and federation person deserved for truthful long, reducing players and fans alike to tears of joy.

Wales: Murray; Rees-Zammit, E James, Llewellyn, Hamer-Webb; Costelow, Tomos Williams; N Smith, Lake (capt), Griffin, D Jenkins, Beard, Botham, Morgan Basham.

Replacements: Elias, G Thomas, D Lewis, Carter, Plumtree, Morgan-Williams, Edwards, Hennessey.

New Zealand: B Barrett (capt); Fineanganofo, Tupaea, Lienert-Brown, Moorby; Mo'unga, Ratima; Bower, Aumua, Newell, S Barrett, Lord, Segner, Lakai, Sititi.

Replacements: Bell, Numia, Tosi, Hannah, E Blackadder, Fainga'anuku, Preston, R Ioane.

Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)

Assistants referees: Nic Berry (Australia) & Luc Ramos (France)

Television lucifer authoritative (TMO): Tual Trainini (France)

Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO): Leo Colgan (IRFU).