The three times Wales actually did beat the All Blacks

Wales’ rivalry with the All Blacks has been very one-sided since they claimed their last victory in the fixture almost 72 years ago, and it is unlikely to change anytime soon.

The All Blacks have won the last 33 internationals played between the two sides, despite Wales winning three of the first four games, all on home soil.

The All Blacks’ first victory was claimed by the 1924 “Invincibles”, but Wales are without a win since Bleddyn Williams led his side to a 13-8 victory in Cardiff in 1953.

The closest Wales have come were one-point defeats in November 1978, when All Blacks lock Andy Haden infamously flung himself sideways at a lineout to allow Brian McKechnie to land a penalty, and in 2004.
Here, RugbyPass takes a look at Welsh victories in 1905, 1935 and 1953.

16 December 1905 – Wales 3-0 New Zealand – Cardiff Arms Park
The Originals, who were the first New Zealand team to tour outside of Australasia, had swept all before them in their previous 27 games when they arrived in Wales for their final test against one of the home nations. All Blacks manager George Dixon had controversially rejected all the referees, the Welsh Rugby Union, and vice versa, in a move that threatened to overshadow the game.

If that wasn’t enough, he left out one of his star players, Billy Stead, and Wales had won the 1905 Triple Crown, a major advantage. Gates to the Arms Park were opened at 12 pm, which signalled a rush to secure all the best vantage points, and the turnstiles were closed 30 minutes before kick-off, with 40,000 packed inside.

Teddy Morgan, the general practitioner who had led Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau after the Haka had silenced the crowd, wrote himself into the history books after 25 minutes racing down the touchline to score the only points of the game.

New Zealand, who had been poor against Scotland in the first Test but managed to pull a result out of the fire, winning 12-7, threw everything at the Welsh line in the second half. But the home side refused to bend, with a display of stern and fiery tackling, while the nearest New Zealand came was when Simon Mynott, who had been poor, was held up over the line and a forward pass, denying Duncan McGregor as Wales claimed what is generally still seen 120 years later as one of their greatest victories of all time.

21 December 1935 – Wales 13-12 New Zealand – National Stadium, Cardiff
Wales had to wait three decades to claim their second victory over New Zealand, winning a thrilling encounter by three tries to one, with Wilf Wooller, one of Wales’ greatest all-round sportsmen who captained Glamorgan and played for Cardiff City, pulling the strings.

The All Blacks lost their fifth game of the tour to Swansea and sought revenge from the opening whistle, hammering away at the Welsh defence throughout the first half, and it took a brilliant tackle from Vivian Jenkins to prevent them from taking the lead.

Eventually, the Welsh defence, who lost Don Tarr to a broken neck, failed to stop Nelson Ball from scoring the first try just before half-time. Wales got the start they needed in the second half when Cliff Jones kicked ahead and skipper Claude Davey snapped up the ball to cross under the posts, with Jenkins converting.

They increased their lead five minutes later when Geoffrey Rees-Jones collected Wooller’s kick through, and Jenkins again converted. Mike Gilbert kept the All Blacks in the game with a drop goal, and they took the lead when an ill-judged Rees-Jones allowed Ball to score his second try, with Gilbert making no mistake with the conversion.

However, there was one more twist when Wooller outpaced Charlie Oliver and Neville Mitchell before kicking ahead, and Rees-Jones won the foot race to provide the finishing touch. Jenkins’ conversion sealed the win. On the final whistle, most of the 50,000 spectators ran onto the pitch, and any players who hadn’t reached the safety of the dressing rooms were carried off shoulder high.

19 December 1953 – Wales 13-8 New Zealand – National Stadium, Cardiff
Ken Jones, who was an Olympic silver medallist at the 1948 London Games, engraved his name in the history books with the match-winning try. The Welsh pack never gained dominance in the game, and their backs never got the opportunity to showcase their superiority, but sprinter Jones’ speed was the key to victory.

Wales had opened the scoring after 16 minutes when Jones sprinted onto the loose ball and kicked through the centre, and when New Zealand failed to gain control of the ball, Sid Judd scored with debutant Gwyn Rowlands adding the conversion.

Five minutes later, Ron Jarden executed a long-range penalty to put the All Blacks on the scoreboard, and they took command of the match. After 33 minutes, Bob Scott’s high kick was misfielded, and Bill Clark pounced on it with Jarden adding the conversion. Wales fought valiantly after the interval, playing with 14 men for a prolonged period after centre Gareth Griffiths dislocated his shoulder, and it looked like a case of history repeating itself after Tarr’s injury 18 years earlier.

Griffiths’ return to the field provided a much-needed boost for Wales, with time running out, and Rowlands successfully landed a penalty after Tiny White was penalised for holding the ball 12 minutes from the end, drawing them level and rekindling hope. It clearly unsettled the All Blacks, leading to mistakes, and three minutes later, from one such error Clem Thomas gathered a loose ball before executing a precise cross-kick that found Jones, who left Scott stranded, and Rowlands again converted to secure a famous victory.