Wales Chase First All Blacks Win Since 1953 After Years of Pain
Wales have not beaten New Zealand since 1953, a run of more than 70 years. The fixture has produced a cheating row in Cardiff in 1978 and a timekeeping blunder in 2004, and Welsh players still talk about both.
Wales have gone more than 70 years without beating New Zealand, their last win coming in 1953, and the latest meeting with the All Blacks arrives with that record hanging over the team.
The fixture is rarely dull. Cheating claims, a national scandal and a clock-watching disaster all feature in its history.
A rivalry from 1905
The two nations first met in the 1905 'Match of the Century', which gave rise to the tradition of singing national anthems before sports events. Wales won three of the first four meetings.
Then the results turned. Gareth Edwards, Barry John, JPR Williams, Jonathan Davies, Shane Williams and Alun Wyn Jones all tried and failed to end the drought.
Cardiff, 1978
The most bitter chapter came at the old Arms Park. The All Blacks had beaten the British & Irish Lions the year before, and Wales were Grand Slam champions.
Graham Mourie's tourists scored the only try of the game, but Wales led 12-10 as the final minute approached. New Zealand had already hatched a plan the night before.
Lock Andy Haden later wrote that he told partner Frank Oliver the plan in four words: "I'm going to dive." He fell out of the line-out as Wales hooker Bobby Windsor threw the ball.
English referee Roger Quittenton awarded a penalty, and Brian McKechnie kicked the winning points. Quittenton later said he had penalised Geoff Wheel for an infringement.
Windsor never forgave it. "I knew straight away that it was a con job," he said, calling the game the worst day of his career.
The 2004 near miss
Few expected much from a young Wales side in 2004 under new head coach Mike Ruddock. They had scored a record 37 points against the All Blacks in defeat at the previous year's World Cup in Australia.
Gavin Henson, a rising star, played with abandon. Tries from Tom Shanklin and Mefin Davies put Wales ahead at half-time.
New Zealand responded through Joe Rokocoko, then the most potent player on the planet, who scored two solo tries. Wales still refused to yield and closed to within a point after a Henson kick.
The clock then undid them. Wales thought injury time was still to come because the stadium clock showed it, but the referee's watch had the correct time. With seconds left, Stephen Jones kicked the ball away and Wales never had another chance.
Shanklin says the memory hurts more now. "It's actually more painful and frustrating now, when I look back, than it was at the time," he said. "You realise now just how close we came to making history."
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