Wales vs New Zealand LIVE: Result and reaction from autumn international fixture today
Follow all the action from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff as Wales take on the All Blacks
Depleted Wales lost captain Alun Wyn Jones to injury and suffered a 32nd successive defeat against New Zealand as the All Blacks triumphed 54-16 in Cardiff.
Jones hurt the same shoulder that threatened to sideline him from this summer’s British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa before he made a startling recovery and started all three Tests.
Flanker Ross Moriarty also departed early after Wales went into action without 20 players – including a number of Lions – due to injuries, illness and Gallagher Premiership-based personnel not being released by their clubs as the game fell outside World Rugby’s international window. None of that strife bothered New Zealand in extending a relentless winning run against Wales. They are unbeaten in the fixture since 1953.
Beauden Barrett’s try double, in his 100th Test, plus TJ Perenara, Will Jordan, Dalton Papalii, Sevu Reece and Anton Lienert-Brown touchdowns kept New Zealand in charge, while Jordie Barrett kicked 19 points.
Try! Wales 0-7 New Zealand
Beauden Barrett anticipates Anscombe’s pass off a line-out and speeds through for the most simple of tries! A gift on his 100th cap. Younger brother Jordie kicks the conversion.
Wales 0-0 New Zealand
2 min: An early penalty for New Zealand in the middle of the pitch, and Barrett kicks out around Wales’ 22.
Kick-off! Wales vs New Zealand
Under way at the Principality Stadium.
Wales vs New Zealand
Johnny Williams feels that Wales’ decades of defeat and disappointment against New Zealand will provide extra motivation in Saturday’s Autumn Nations Series opener. Wayne Pivac’s men face a Herculean task, with New Zealand arriving in Cardiff on the back of another Rugby Championship title triumph.
Asked if the history books provided extra motivation, Wales centre Williams said: “100 per cent. If you think about it, we could be the first group to go and beat them for almost 70 years. It is a huge, huge carrot at the end of the game to deliver the win.
“What that would do for the country during a lot of dark times recently, what that would do for the nation would be massive, and there is serious motivation to get the win. It would be amazing to do that. That history does of course mean something, and we have got to fix that.
“It is just about backing ourselves. It is not so much about what has been and the challenges we have got to face, it’s about this group of players and having a job to do on Saturday.
“We have got to win a game of rugby at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who it is against. We all know our roles, we are all aware what the occasion is, and we have all played enough rugby. It has just been about us and focusing on delivering on the weekend.”
Wales vs New Zealand: Line-ups
Wales: Johnny McNicholl; Owen Lane, Jonathan Davies, Johnny Williams, Josh Adams; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Wyn Jones, Ryan Elias, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Ross Moriarty, Taine Basham, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Kirby Myhill, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Will Rowlands, Seb Davies, Gareth Davies, Rhys Priestland, Ben Thomas.
New Zealand: Jordie Barrett; Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown, David Havili, Rieko Ioane; Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara; Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Nepo Laulala, Brodie Retallick, Samuel Whitelock (capt), Ethan Blackadder, Dalton Papalii, Ardie Savea.
Replacements: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Tyrel Lomax, Tupou Vaa’i, Akira Ioane, Brad Weber, Richie Mo’unga, Sevu Reece.
On this day in 2015
New Zealand made sporting history at Twickenham on this day in 2015 after they beat Australia 34-17 to win the World Cup for a second-successive time.
The All Blacks were also the first side to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy on three occasions after retaining the crown they had won four years earlier.
A 16-3 half-time lead was soon extended before the Wallabies mounted a comeback but Dan Carter’s ice cool drop goal was followed by a penalty which established a comfortable lead that Beauden Barrett added to with a try at the death to make history.
Both Southern Hemisphere nations had to survive tight knock-out matches to reach the showpiece event with Australia edging out Scotland 35-34 following a Twickenham thriller in the quarter-finals, while New Zealand narrowly battled past South Africa in the semi-finals by a two-point margin.
Nehe Milner-Skudder and Ma’a Nonu tries either side of half-time put the All Blacks in control after the opening 40 had contained some huge hits mixed in with flair and skill.
Australia mounted a terrific response when David Pocock and Tevita Kuridrani crossed over but Carter showed his class with some flawless kicking before replacement Barrett sprinted away onto Ben Smith’s kick to confirm New Zealand’s win.
Captain Richie McCaw retired a month later to bow out of union’s top table, having at the time played a world-record 148 Tests, winning 131 of them.
All Blacks’ Milner-Skudder, Conrad Smith, Julian Savea and Carter were named in the 2015 World Cup dream team after the tournament had concluded.
Savea’s tally of eight tries equalled the most in a single World Cup, which was also matched by compatriot Jonah Lomu and South African Bryan Habana.
Wales vs New Zealand
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac was without 20 players - including a number of British and Irish Lions - due to injuries, illness and Gallagher Premiership-based personnel not being released by their clubs as the game fell outside World Rugby’s international window.
Fly-half half Gareth Anscombe returned to Test rugby following an absence of more than two years after being sidelined by a major knee injury, while skipper Alun Wyn Jones won his 149th cap, overtaking New Zealander Richie McCaw’s record for one country.
The All Blacks, unbeaten since 1953 against Wales, saw fly-half Beauden Barrett reach a century of Test match appearances.
Depleted Wales faced a Herculean task as they tackled New Zealand in their Autumn Nations Series opener at a sold-out Principality Stadium.
Wales vs New Zealand
Wales welcome New Zealand to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to kick-off their Autumn International campaign.
It is nearly seven decades since Wales last beat New Zealand, an infamous run of ignominy. Wayne Pivac’s side are particularly depleted for their encounter with an All Blacks side fresh from putting a ton on the USA last weekend, with an already lengthy injury list extended by Ken Owens’ withdrawal. Pivac has also been unable to pick any of his England-based players, with this encounter falling outside of the World Rugby stipulated window for autumn international fixtures.
New Zealand arrive in Cardiff with a typically outstanding squad, led by Sam Whitelock in the absence of Sam Cane and with Beauden Barrett chosen ahead of Richie Mo’unga at fly-half on his 100th cap. Barrett faces off against former New Zealand Under-20s team-mate Gareth Anscombe at ten, who has battled back from a serious injury and returns to international rugby against the country of his birth. For the first time in a long while due to the coronavirus pandemic a capacity crowd is expected at the Principality Stadium, where the roof will be open on a wet and wild autumn night as Wales look to break their long drought.
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