11/22/25 12:28:00
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11/22 12:26 CST All Blacks extend 72-year winning streak against spirited Wales
in seven-try victory
All Blacks extend 72-year winning streak against spirited Wales in seven-try
victory
CARDIFF, Wales (AP) --- New Zealand extended its winning streak to 72 years
against a Wales side which made the All Blacks sweat for their irresistible
52-26 win at Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams got what they wanted out of an entertaining one-sided match.
The All Blacks, upended by 12 changes following the England loss, were still
well oiled and ruthlessly efficient, scoring seven converted tries with braces
for wingers Caleb Clarke and Sevu Reece. They have put 50+ on Wales in three
straight matches for the first time.
Wales has beaten only Japan in two years and offered more greenshoots of
progress with an effort full of pride that produced four tries and 26 points,
the most points they've ever scored against New Zealand in Cardiff going back
120 years. Tom Rogers, replacing the suspended Josh Adams, became the first
Welshman to score a hat trick of tries against the All Blacks.
"It was a big step forward for us," Wales captain Dewi Lake said. "We did a lot
better than anyone predicted us to."
Wales disrupted the experimental All Blacks at the breakdown but all the
offsides and penalties also annoyed referee Hollie Davidson, who put Wales on a
yellow-card warning in each half and lost her patience in the last quarter by
sin-binning Gareth Thomas then Taine Plumtree.
Wales scored with 14 men from a great dive beside the corner flag by Louis
Rees-Zammit but New Zealand added three late tries, complemented by the
unerring boot of Damian McKenzie, who went eight for eight on goalkicks.
The relentless All Blacks, fueled by England ending their Grand Slam hopes,
racked up more than 1,300 meters, 142 of them by the missile that was flanker
Wallace Sititi.
Wales made 228 tackles but started missing them early when Clarke, recovered
from concussion, was first to score after four minutes with Ruben Love joining
the line.
New Zealand's shaky aerial catching was tested, Rees-Zammit bested McKenzie,
and Rogers' first try was delivered off a Dan Edwards offload.
A counterattack by Sititi, who was immense with 18 carries, finished with a
Love try.
But four minutes later again Wales was over; a Tomos Williams grubber cleaned
up by Blair Murray and Max Llewellyn giving Rogers the overlap for his second
try.
The overwhelming power the All Blacks could conjure was manifested by prop
Tamaiti Williams, who smashed through three defenders for a 24-14 halftime lead.
How long Wales could hang on was answered straight after the break when Rogers
got his hat trick from another aerial catch and chargedown.
The All Blacks brushed it off and retook control. Tries by Clarke and Will
Jordan were chalked off but center Rieko Ioane inevitably crossed from a
McKenzie kickpass.
After Thomas was sin-binned, replacement wing Reece scored, then when Plumtree
was sin-binned for a high shot on Jordan, Reece bagged his second try.
Clarke was a millisecond too late to push out Rees-Zammit in the corner but he
finished the match as he started it with a try from a break by Leicester
Fainga'anuku.
New Zealand return home with 10 wins in 13 games this year while Wales host
world champion South Africa next Saturday.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
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