Wales achieved a historic 35-28 victory over New Zealand at Principality Stadium, marking the team’s first win against the All Blacks since 1953.
The home side relied on a determined defensive effort to break a 34-game losing streak, as “Wales believed they could create history”, according to reports.
Wales completed 346 tackles during the match, with lock Dafydd Jenkins leading the effort with 38 individual stops, the outlets reported.
New Zealand full-back Beauden Barrett, who captained the side for the first time, noted the difficulty of breaking through the Welsh line.
“It felt like a brick wall at times, so you have to give them credit,” Barrett stated.
The match saw Wales score five tries, setting a national record against New Zealand, while the visitors were held up over the goal line three times in the second half.
New Zealand coach Dave Rennie, who became the first All Blacks coach to lose to Wales in 73 years, admitted his side was outplayed in terms of intensity.
“We certainly got out-passioned,” Rennie said.
Despite the loss, Rennie maintained that he had no regrets regarding his team selection, noting that the All Blacks made eight changes following their previous win against Scotland.
“We had a good enough side on the field to win,” the coach added.
New Zealand remains at the top of the southern hemisphere table, having narrowly inched above South Africa after the Springboks lost to France.
The All Blacks now look toward their final Nations Championship group match against England at Twickenham.
“We’ve got to be better, we expect a lot more of ourselves, and I need to see a response at Twickenham,” Rennie concluded.
A victory with a bonus point in that upcoming match would allow New Zealand to secure the top spot in the standings.