Wales end 73-year wait with first win over New Zealand since 1953

Wales beat New Zealand 35-28 in Cardiff on Saturday, ending a 34-match losing run against the All Blacks and claiming their first victory in the fixture since 1953.

Steve Tandy’s side led 14-0 early and were level 21-21 at half-time. Second-half tries from Eddie James and Louis Rees-Zammit put Wales ahead, and a determined defensive effort held New Zealand to one more try. Wales stopped the visitors from scoring three times when they reached the try-line.

Tomos Williams, captain Dewi Lake and Archie Griffin scored Wales’ other tries. New Zealand’s scorers were Cortez Ratima, Wallace Sititi, Fehi Fineanganofo and Peter Lakai. The match drew a crowd of 55,152 at the Principality Stadium.

The win followed Wales’ 28-21 victory over Japan, a performance that had raised questions about the side’s form before the New Zealand test. Wales had lost all 34 meetings with the All Blacks since their previous win in 1953.