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Half-time: Wales 14-22 New Zealand
A weird half. Mostly it was pretty average but we’ve had five tries, including four really good ones. A handful of standout performers, including Rogers on the Welsh left wing who bagged a brace, made up for the rest of them.
Wales have hung in there and perhaps should have added one more given the number of times they entered the NZ red zone. The All Blacks weren’t at their best but were good enough.
We’ll be back soon.
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40 min: Wales give away possession as Lake doesn’t throw straight at the line-out. NZ have a scrum and then a free-kick. Rather than kick it out they run from their own half. Ratima knocks on so that’ll be that.
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TRY! Wales 14-24 New Zealand (Williams, 38)
The big fella is over! NZ go short at the line-out. Wales sack the maul legally but there is no stopping the mighty Williams from close range. He was aided as Plumtree shot out a little early and had to backtrack as he would have been off-side. That meant that there was a slight imbalance in the defensive line and with two teammates behind him, Williams monstered over. McKenzie’s radar remains accurate and he bags another two points from close to the left touchline.
Tamaiti Williams bulldozes through. Photograph: Nigel French/PAShare
Updated at 10.56 EST
37 min: Lienert-Brown runs hard off the scrum. Wales give away a penalty so NZ have free ball inside the 22. They don’t do much with it. The Welsh line holds. Three times Sititi carries and goes nowhere. The ball is eventually spilled so NZ will have the ball but that should be considered a moral win for Wales. They stood their ground against multiple black waves.
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35 min: Plumtree spills the restart, handing NZ a scrum inside the Welsh 22.
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TRY! Wales 12-17 New Zealand (Rogers, 33)
They hit back again! Wow, Rogers has a double! Persistent kicks into the backfield are causing NZ all sorts of problems. Williams with a delightful dink puts the Kiwis under pressure. Murray gathered, they kept it alive and Rogers was waiting on the left wing to strike. Edwards slots a tricky conversion and they’re back to within three.
More smiles for Tom Rogers as he scores again! Photograph: David Davies/PAShare
Updated at 10.50 EST
32 min: Wales are sticking with high kicks. Love spills it and suddenly the Welsh have a sniff. Under pressure, NZ clear from close to their own line. Wales get the line-out and now have a penalty. Murray is close….
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TRY! Wales 7-17 New Zealand (Love, 29)
Like a bolt from the blue! Where did that come from? It felt too easy. After the goal-line drop-out, Sitit charged forward and won the collision, giving NZ front-foot ball. Still, Love’s xT (is expected tries a thing?) would have been very low when he received a pass flat-footed on Wales’ 22. He shimmied, side-stepped and then bolted ahead, sliding under the poles before anyone could stop him. McKenzie’s easy conversion opens up a 10 point lead.
Ruben Love dives over for New Zealands second try. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.49 EST
28 min: Wales get a free-kick from the scrum but don’t do much with it. Murray lifts a high kick that tests Clarke. The Kiwi winger does brilliantly in the air. A long kick goes a little too long so Wales get a goal-line drop put. Sititi gathers the restart and charges into contact, winning the collision.
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25 min: New Zealand have been far from their best. They win a line-out through Holland after a penalty, and inch forward. But soon after they spill the ball in contact.
Hate to say it but beyond two flashes for the two early tries, this has been a pretty stodgy game. Very end of season feel to it.
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23 min: Taukei’aho runs over Rees-Zammit on the left wing, leaving the Welsh flyer on his backside. NZ come forward, McKenzie finds Jordan with a delicious short pass but the Kiwi winger is flattened in the tackle. They’ll come back for a penalty so the All Blacks will build again in midfield. Another penalty. That’s four in a row against Wales. Davidson wants a word with Lake after blowing her whistle. A team warning. Next one will go to the bin.
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21 min: AAAAAH! Oh man, they were so close. The line-out didn’t go according to plan but Rees-Zammit made some yards from broken play. Then Carre found a short pass around a corner and came within metres of the line. But he was isolated and easily picked off on the ground under the shade of the NZ poles. Penalty to the All Blacks and Wales once again leave the red zone with no points to show.
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19 min: Penalty for Wales as Barrett is pinged for illegally infringing at the line-out. A brilliant kick from Edwards will give his team the throw inside NZ’s 22. Can Wales do something with their opportunity this time?
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17 min: Some kick tennis ends with McKenzie winning that particular rally, finding touch inside Wales’ half. This time the line-out is long and finds Plumtree on the gallop. A high kick causes chaos, and a NZ knock-on, so Wales are on the ball. Not for long. They kick away possession and now have to throw to the line back inside their own half after a long touch-finder from Ratima. Seems every time Wales get a chance to do something they’re blowing it. New Zealand aren’t bossing it. They’ve not left second gear to be honest. But Wales aren’t making them pay.
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15 min: Now a penalty for Wales after NZ failed to let go of the tackled player on the floor. It’s on halfway so Edwards hoofs it out inside the AB’s 22. Can they work something from this line-out?
No! Barrett climbs highest and pinches the ball. The long raking kick puts Rees-Zammit inside his 22 and he has no choice but to go to the boot. A wasted opportunity for Wales.
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Penalty! Wales 7-10 New Zealand (McKenzie, 13)
New Zealand nudge in front thanks to a gimme penalty from D-Mac.
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12 min: Plumtree loses his feet at the breakdown following a strong carry from Deaves after the restart. It’s bang in front of the poles. That’s soft from the Welsh after drawing level.
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TRY! Wales 7-7 New Zealand (Rogers, 10)
Wales hit back! It started with a brilliant catch of a high ball by. Rees-Zammit who beat McKenzie in the air. That got Wales on the front foot and they just needed to show composure. Didn’t they just?! Edwards produced a stiff arm to fend off a tackler and the unfurled a little off-load that found Rogers on the left wing. The speedster skipped round the covering tackle and dotted down. Edwards dusted himself off to land the conversion from the tram to bring us level again. Great score from the home side.
Tom Rogers with a smile before touching down! Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 10.28 EST
8 min: Murray does well in the backfield after mopping up a kick and then returning it with interest. But NZ are back on the ball around halfway. Sititi with a stiff carry. They stay patient before a knock-on hands Wales possession. Rees-Zammit snaffling the loose ball.
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TRY! Wales 0-7 New Zealand (Clarke, 5)
Too easy, too accurate, too slick! The line-out is won by Holland and they hammer close to the breakdown for a series of big carries down the blind. Then they pull the trigger after six phases, going through the hands before finding Clarke prowling on the left wing. He’s got too much pace and runs in for a simple score. Great. line by Ioane in midfield but the Welsh defence was simply not there.
McKenzie adds the extras from out left.
Caleb Clarke beats the challenge to score. Ominous. Photograph: Nigel French/PAShare
Updated at 10.20 EST
3 min: Assiratti strays offside after McKenzie darts through a half gap, putting Wales on the back foot. The big prop never got back behind the gainline so gives away a soft penalty. McKenzie nudges it downfield for a line-out just short of the 22.
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2 min: Rogers hoists a high kick that is fielded in the backfield by the ABs. There is loads of smoke in the air from the pyrotechnics before kick-off. NZ run it from deep going coast to coast. It’s scrappy but they keep the ball until Ratima hoofs it from the back of a ruck. Jordan gathers it and they’re over halfway.
Smoke from the pyrotechnics shroud the staduim as the game begins. Photograph: David Davies/PAShare
Updated at 10.17 EST
Alrighty, here we go! Nothing to lose for Wales. Just go out there and give it to the All Blacks! A proper chance to make a name.
Hollie Davidson becomes the first female referee to take charge of an All Blacks game.
She blasts her whistle and they’re off!
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120 years on from the first time the Welsh anthem was sung before a rugby match – incidentally against New Zealand – they’ve done it again.
That was special. Really, really special. In a competitive field I reckon the Welsh anthem is the best in rugby.
The All Blacks perform the Haka under the spotlight.
Photograph: Nigel French/PAShare
Updated at 10.12 EST
The rest of the field is in darkness as the players are lit up by a single spotlight.
I love that! They’ve been doing the same in France for a few years and has apparently become the norm. Makes the whole thing feel a little more special.
Anthem time. New Zealand’s up first, then the Welsh.
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The Principality looks a picture! I’m on my couch in London but I wish I was there.
If you consider yourself a true rugby fan and have not yet watched a game there, or hear the Welsh crowd sing their anthem, you need to recalibrate your bucket list.
On TNT Dylan Thomas’ ‘Dying of the Light’ is being recited in epic fashion.
A poignant metaphor for the almost impossible task facing the men in red this afternoon.
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It’s been a challenging tour for the Kiwis.
They were eying up a grand slam autumn but England saw to that. And after less than clinical performances against Ireland and Scotland, they’ve not quite hit their straps.
“The boys are raring to go, actually,” captain Scott Barrett said in the build up. “It’s been a long week after a result like that at Twickenham, and we can’t wait to get back out there and put that performance behind us, and finish the Northern Tour strong.
“It’s easy; everyone’s telling us that, and the last thing we want to do is turn up and get smacked in the face by a Wales team that would desperately love to beat us.
So, we’ve prepared accordingly, given them the utmost respect, and what a place to play our last Test match of the year.”
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Can you believe its been three years since the sides last met?
Took me by surprise I have to say.
Back in 2022 the All Blacks spanked their hosts 55-23 to stretch their unbeaten record against Wales to 33 games, a run going all the way back to 1963.
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The numbers are not on Wales’ side.
– Wales have won only two of their last 21Tests
– New Zealand have scored 40 or more points in four of their last five games against Wales.
– The first half has been the highest scoring period in seven of Wales’ matches in 2025
– Kiwi winger Will Jordan has scored 43 tries in 52 Tests. I expect he’ll add at least one or two more today.
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New Zealand team news
There are a dozen changes to the side that lost to England last week.
Damien McKenzie starts at fly-half and Ruben Love’s selection at full-back means Will Jordan switches to the right wing.
World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year nominee Fabian Holland starts in the second row.
New Zealand: Love; Jordan, R Ioane, Lienert-Brown, Clarke; McKenzie, Ratima; T Williams, Taukei’aho, Tosi, S Barrett (capt), Holland, Parker, Kirifi, Sititi.
Replacements: Bell, Newell, Bower, Lord, Lio-Willie, Christie, Fainga’anuku, Reece.
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Wales team news
Welsh rugby is built on its connection with local communities and today we get a brilliant example of that.
Harri Deaves began his working life as a roofer but on Saturday the Ospreys flanker will run out in the scarlet shirt of Wales against the All Blacks to complete “an amazing story” from club rugby player to international.
The 24-year-old coaches in his hometown of Pontyclun and is the captain of the club’s darts second team.
He starts. in a back row that has a lot of mobility alongside 23-year-old Alex Mann and Taine Plumtree at No. 8.
Jarrod Evans, the hero from last week, starts on the bench again as Dan Edwards keeps his spot at fly-half.
There are five English-based players in the starting XV alongside Montpellier’s Adam Beard.
Wales: B Murray (Scarlets); L Rees-Zammit (Bristol), M Llewellyn (Gloucester), J Hawkins (Scarlets), T Rogers (Scarlets); D Edwards (Ospreys), T Williams (Gloucester); R Carre (Saracens), D Lake (Ospreys, capt), K Assiratti (Cardiff), D Jenkins (Exeter), A Beard (Montpellier), A Mann (Cardiff), H Deaves (Ospreys), T Plumtree (Scarlets).
Replacements: B Coghlan (Dragons), Gareth Thomas (Ospreys), A Griffin (Bath), F Thomas (Gloucester), M Morse (Ospreys), K Hardy (Ospreys), J Evans (Harlequins), N Tompkins (Saracens).
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Updated at 09.23 EST
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
It wasn’t too long ago that this match would be the coming together of the best teams in their respective hemispheres.
In 2012 Wales won a grand slam in the Six Nations a few months before New Zealand claimed a clean sweep in the Rugby Championship. Generational players. Superstar coaches. An indomitable belief either side of the equator that men in red and men in black were almost guaranteed success.
Now the opposite is true. Wales needed a last-gasp penalty to beat Japan last week to hand Steve Tandy his first victory as head coach. Meanwhile, Scott Roberston is fighting for survival after his All Blacks were hammered by England’s bench at Twickenham.
Two great empires trying to restore their former glories but that’s where the comparisons end. Because for all the angst coming from New Zealand, they are nowhere near as low as the Welsh at present. The All Blacks still possess world class talent and a robust pipeline. Wales on the other hand have been facing an existential crisis for what feels like five years at least.
Anything other than a Kiwi romp in Cardiff would constitute a mighty upset. But that means that Wales have a free swing of sorts. Little expectation should equate to little pressure which cannot be said for the All Blacks. They simply have to fire this afternoon. Even a positive result won’t blow away the storm clouds. They have to set the Principality on fire.
Kick-off at 3.10pm GMT.
Teams and other bits to follow.
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