Wales end 73-year wait to beat New Zealand, but wider problems remain
Wales beat New Zealand 35-28 in Cardiff for their first win over the All Blacks since 1953, ending a 34-match losing run. The historic result followed a difficult period for Welsh rugby, and the next test is a home match against Australia.
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Wales’ first victory over New Zealand in 73 years has ended a 34-match losing run against the All Blacks, but the 35-28 win does not erase the wider problems facing Welsh rugby.
Steve Tandy’s side made history in Cardiff on Saturday, 14 November, beating the world’s top-ranked team despite entering the match 10th in the rankings. Wales had not beaten New Zealand since 1953.
The hosts led throughout, going 14-0 ahead early and scoring five tries. Their decisive effort came in defence: Wales held the All Blacks without a try in the final quarter, when New Zealand were held up over the line three times. The official Nations Championship chart recorded 346 Welsh tackles, a competition record, according to BBC Sport Wales.
The result was a striking reversal for a team whose recent form had been poor. Wales had lost 18 Tests in a row during a winless stretch lasting 16 months, and Tandy had won four of his first 13 Tests in charge. Before the New Zealand match, Wales had beaten Japan 28-21 but made a nervous finish of the game, with errors and lost line-outs raising questions ahead of the tougher test. Wales’ Japan win and the concerns it left behind
There was a caveat to Saturday’s result: New Zealand had rested some leading players. But Wales’ victory was built on both attack and defence, with tries from Tomos Williams, Dewi Lake, Archie Griffin, Eddie James and Louis Rees-Zammit. Fly-half Sam Costelow added five conversions.
The occasion also came against a backdrop of discontent in Welsh rugby. The match drew 55,152 spectators at the Principality Stadium, the lowest attendance for this fixture at the ground and about 13,000 fewer than a year earlier, BBC Sport Wales reported. Tandy said the team had to perform to bring supporters back.
Wales next host Australia in Cardiff on Saturday, 21 November. The win has given Tandy’s side a landmark result, but the BBC’s report cautioned that one victory would not resolve Welsh rugby’s wider divisions and difficulties.
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