Wales Stun the All Blacks 35-28 for First Win Since 1953

Wales produced one of the biggest shocks rugby has seen in recent years, beating New Zealand 35-28 in the Nations Championship. It is their first win over the All Blacks since 1953, a gap of more than seventy years that had come to define the fixture.

The result was built on defence. Wales held their line under sustained pressure and turned the game into a contest the All Blacks, used to controlling matches of this kind, could not dominate. Scoring 35 points against the most successful side in the sport is a significant achievement in its own right, and holding New Zealand to 28 shows Wales were the more effective team when it mattered.

For New Zealand the defeat will sting. They are widely regarded as the benchmark in the game, and losing to a side with such a long record of dominance over them will prompt questions about their form and consistency in this tournament.

For Wales the win is a statement. It rewrites a head-to-head record that had become a psychological barrier, and it gives the squad a result to build on as the Nations Championship continues.