Wales has pulled off one of rugby’s biggest shocks, beating the All Blacks 35-28 in Cardiff to end a 73-year wait for victory over New Zealand.
The match was played at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium as part of the Nations Championship. It was Wales’s first win over the All Blacks since 1953, after 34 losses in a row.
Wales winger Tomos Williams scored a try in just the second minute, and Wales never trailed for the rest of the match.
The All Blacks fought hard in the final quarter, crossing the try line three times, but each time a Wales defender managed to hold them up before they could score. Wallace Sititi, Xavier Numia and Leicester Fainga’anuku were all stopped just short.
Wales also won two crucial turnovers deep in their own territory, both forced by Taine Plumtree, to keep the All Blacks out.
It was a tough defensive effort from the home side, who made an incredible 346 tackles across the match. Lock Dafydd Jenkins led the way with 36 tackles on his own.
Only 55,000 fans turned out to watch the historic win, about 20,000 short of a sellout, but those who were there witnessed a piece of rugby history Wales will remember for years to come.
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