Wales beat New Zealand 35–28 to end 73-year wait

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Wales defeated New Zealand 35–28 in Cardiff on Saturday, 14 November, ending a 73-year wait for victory over the All Blacks. Five tries and a sustained defensive effort secured a landmark Nations Championship result at the Principality Stadium.

Tomos Williams, captain Dewi Lake, Archie Griffin, Eddie James and Louis Rees-Zammit crossed for the hosts. Sam Costelow converted all five tries, giving Wales the points they needed to withstand New Zealand’s second-half response.

Wales made an exceptional start. Williams finished after Rees-Zammit’s kick ahead, and Lake followed from close range to establish a 14–0 lead inside six minutes. After Cortez Ratima replied for New Zealand, Griffin’s try restored the home side’s 14-point advantage.

The All Blacks recovered before the interval. Wallace Sititi and Fehi Fineanganofo both scored, with the latter’s try coming deep into first-half added time. Richie Mo’unga’s conversion brought the teams level at 21–21.

Rather than surrender the momentum, Wales began the second half with another pair of tries. James finished out wide before Rees-Zammit scored following a lineout, moving the hosts 35–21 ahead.

Peter Lakai’s converted try cut the gap to seven, leaving Wales to defend for much of the remaining contest. New Zealand were held up over the line three times as the home side protected their lead through repeated attacks.

The All Blacks’ official report recorded 332 Welsh tackles against New Zealand’s 122, despite the visitors having 65 per cent of possession. That defensive workload was central to Wales’ fourth Test win in the fixture’s history.

Wales next host Australia on Saturday, 21 November. New Zealand travel to England on the same day, with their hopes of reaching the Nations Championship final still dependent on the closing round of results.

Sources

• All Blacks: Official match report, scoring summary and defensive statistics (2026-11-14)
• Sky Sports: Independent report on Wales’ first victory over New Zealand since 1953