WALES EDGED NEW Zealand 35-28 in the Nations Championship in Cardiff on Saturday to claim their first victory over the All Blacks since 1953.
Scrum-half Tomos Williams scored one of five Welsh tries in a superb individual performance as the home side ended a 34-match losing run against the three-time Rugby World Cup winners.
Wales’s heroic defence held out the visitors in the final 25 minutes after the All Blacks had made it a seven-point game thanks to Peter Lakai’s try.
The victory is even more remarkable with Welsh rugby in dire straits after a poor run of results since the 2023 World Cup and a long line of off-field issues overshadowing the sport in the country.
Coach Steve Tandy made five changes from last weekend’s tight win over Japan, including starting Adam Beard at lock alongside Dafydd Jenkins to improve success at lineout.
New Zealand coach Davie Rennie handed full-back Beauden Barrett the captaincy for the first time on his 149th Test appearance in eight alterations from last Saturday’s win over Scotland.
After just seven minutes, the hosts raced to a surprise 14-0 lead thanks to Williams and hooker Dewi Lake, with the scrum-half providing the assist for the front-rower.
By the half-hour mark, Wales had a 21-7 lead with prop Archie Griffin diving over as New Zealand scrum-half Cortez Ratima kept the visitors in the game.
The All Blacks underlined their quality by the break as Number 8 Wallace Sititi and winger Fehi Fineanganofo scored to bring the sides level at 21 points apiece.
Wales began the second half as they did the first, and Williams set up another try with a miss-three pass to find Eddie James in the corner before winger Louis Rees-Zammitt dotted down with half an hour to play.
Flanker Lakai’s try and Richie Mo’unga’s conversion set up a tense final few minutes in the Welsh capital.
New Zealand pressed on the Welsh line, having a couple of tries denied by being held up before the hosts managed to grind out a victory in front of a joy-filled home crowd.
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Argentina's Juan Martin Gonzales Samso, second right, and his teammates celebrate. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Elsewhere, Argentina survived late nerves to beat winless Italy 19-14 in a scrappy Nations Championship in Genoa.
Italy had lost all four of their games in the first year of the inter-hemisphere tournament without even collecting a bonus point but took a fourth-minute lead.
Leonardo Marin’s kick bounced up nicely for winger Monty Ioane to touch down in the corner.
Argentina dominated the rest of the first half, but their only reward came two minutes from the end when hooker Bautista Bernasconi was shoved over from a maul.
The Pumas, who had not lost to Italy since 2007, appeared to be making their territorial control count around the hour.
One winger, Rodrigo Isgro, went over in the corner after 54 minutes and the other, Mateo Carreras, broke through five minutes later.
Tomas Albornoz converted two of the three tries.
The Italians fought back as the anxious Pumas made more and more errors.
After 62 minutes, the hosts forced a penalty try. Substitute lock Efrain Elias received a yellow card for his role in bringing down a maul on the Argentine line.
Italy pressed against 14 men but undermined their attempts to find a breakthrough with errors. The game ended when fly-half Paolo Garbisi, trying to set up a lineout in a scoring position, missed his penalty touch kick.
The result left Italy doomed to finish last in the Northern Hemisphere pool. They face Fiji in their last match in Udine on 21 November and could face the same opponent again the following weekend in the wooden-spoon match at the finals at Twickenham.
Argentina, whose only previous win in the competition was at home to Wales in July, overtook Australia to climb to third in the Southern Hemisphere pool. They face Northern leaders France next weekend in Paris.
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Wales hold on to secure historic win over New Zealand
WALES EDGED NEW Zealand 35-28 in the Nations Championship in Cardiff on Saturday to claim their first victory over the All Blacks since 1953.
Scrum-half Tomos Williams scored one of five Welsh tries in a superb individual performance as the home side ended a 34-match losing run against the three-time Rugby World Cup winners.
Wales’s heroic defence held out the visitors in the final 25 minutes after the All Blacks had made it a seven-point game thanks to Peter Lakai’s try.
The victory is even more remarkable with Welsh rugby in dire straits after a poor run of results since the 2023 World Cup and a long line of off-field issues overshadowing the sport in the country.
Coach Steve Tandy made five changes from last weekend’s tight win over Japan, including starting Adam Beard at lock alongside Dafydd Jenkins to improve success at lineout.
New Zealand coach Davie Rennie handed full-back Beauden Barrett the captaincy for the first time on his 149th Test appearance in eight alterations from last Saturday’s win over Scotland.
After just seven minutes, the hosts raced to a surprise 14-0 lead thanks to Williams and hooker Dewi Lake, with the scrum-half providing the assist for the front-rower.
By the half-hour mark, Wales had a 21-7 lead with prop Archie Griffin diving over as New Zealand scrum-half Cortez Ratima kept the visitors in the game.
The All Blacks underlined their quality by the break as Number 8 Wallace Sititi and winger Fehi Fineanganofo scored to bring the sides level at 21 points apiece.
Wales began the second half as they did the first, and Williams set up another try with a miss-three pass to find Eddie James in the corner before winger Louis Rees-Zammitt dotted down with half an hour to play.
Flanker Lakai’s try and Richie Mo’unga’s conversion set up a tense final few minutes in the Welsh capital.
New Zealand pressed on the Welsh line, having a couple of tries denied by being held up before the hosts managed to grind out a victory in front of a joy-filled home crowd.
Elsewhere, Argentina survived late nerves to beat winless Italy 19-14 in a scrappy Nations Championship in Genoa.
Italy had lost all four of their games in the first year of the inter-hemisphere tournament without even collecting a bonus point but took a fourth-minute lead.
Leonardo Marin’s kick bounced up nicely for winger Monty Ioane to touch down in the corner.
Argentina dominated the rest of the first half, but their only reward came two minutes from the end when hooker Bautista Bernasconi was shoved over from a maul.
The Pumas, who had not lost to Italy since 2007, appeared to be making their territorial control count around the hour.
One winger, Rodrigo Isgro, went over in the corner after 54 minutes and the other, Mateo Carreras, broke through five minutes later.
Tomas Albornoz converted two of the three tries.
The Italians fought back as the anxious Pumas made more and more errors.
After 62 minutes, the hosts forced a penalty try. Substitute lock Efrain Elias received a yellow card for his role in bringing down a maul on the Argentine line.
Italy pressed against 14 men but undermined their attempts to find a breakthrough with errors. The game ended when fly-half Paolo Garbisi, trying to set up a lineout in a scoring position, missed his penalty touch kick.
The result left Italy doomed to finish last in the Northern Hemisphere pool. They face Fiji in their last match in Udine on 21 November and could face the same opponent again the following weekend in the wooden-spoon match at the finals at Twickenham.
Argentina, whose only previous win in the competition was at home to Wales in July, overtook Australia to climb to third in the Southern Hemisphere pool. They face Northern leaders France next weekend in Paris.
– © AFP 2026
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