Wales beat All Blacks 35-28 for first time since 1953
Tomos Williams scored inside 90 seconds and Wales defended for the last half-hour to beat New Zealand in the Nations Championship in Cardiff.
Wales beat New Zealand 35-28 in the Nations Championship at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, their first victory over the All Blacks since 1953.
A fast start and a first-half lead
Scrum-half Tomos Williams scored the opening try inside 90 seconds, according to The Guardian, chasing down a chip ahead from Louis Rees-Zammit. Hooker Dewi Lake crashed over from a penalty kicked to the corner a few minutes later, and Sam Costelow converted to make it 14-0 before the game was six minutes old.
New Zealand replied within 10 minutes, Cortez Ratima breaking blind from an attacking lineout to score. Tighthead Archie Griffin then barged over from another penalty to the corner, and Wales led 21-7.
Sky Sports said Wales' decision to keep playing deep in the first half rather than kick out proved costly. New Zealand scored twice more before the interval, through Wallace Sititi and Fehi Fineanganofo, the last of them three minutes into added time, and the sides were level at the break.
Defence holds firm after the break
Wales came out strongly after half-time, with converted tries from centre Eddie James and Rees-Zammit putting them 35-21 ahead. Peter Lakai then scored for New Zealand to cut the deficit to seven.
The rest of the match was played almost entirely inside the Wales 22, according to Sky Sports, but the hosts repelled attack after attack and held New Zealand up three times in-goal. The Guardian described the closing half-hour as an extraordinary defensive display.
What it means
New Zealand had made eight changes after beating Scotland, and The Guardian said those changes left them vulnerable. The paper reported that they will still finish top of the southern table, but with two bonus points rather than the five-pointer many had expected.
Wales face Australia at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, November 21 (8.10pm kick-off). New Zealand play England at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, the same day (2.10pm kick-off).
The Guardian said Williams is one of a growing group of world-class players Wales are starting to build a new team around.
What do you make of the result, and what does it say about Wales' prospects in the Nations Championship?
