All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has admitted his side were “out-passioned” by Wales after a 35-28 defeat in Cardiff gave Wales their first win over New Zealand since 1953.
Rennie was speaking at the All Blacks’ post-match press conference at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, with full-back Beauden Barrett alongside him.
Wales scored five tries to four and then kept the All Blacks scoreless for the last 27 minutes, even though the visitors had 65 per cent of the ball.
‘Out-passioned’
Rennie was asked whether his side had been out-coached.
“We certainly got out-passioned,” he said. “Yeah, well, you can put it how you like.”
He named Steve Tandy as “an excellent coach” and also mentioned Danny Wilson and defence coach Pete Murchie, who he said he had coached with last year. Murchie joined Wales from Japan’s Kobe Steelers earlier in 2026.
Rennie called the Welsh display “a hell of a defensive effort”, before adding: “We got out-pointed in lots of areas tonight.”
Murchie’s defence made 346 tackles to New Zealand’s 136. Dafydd Jenkins made 38, Jac Morgan 31 and James Botham 30.
How Wales built the lead
Wales started fast. Tomos Williams scored in the second minute and Dewi Lake in the sixth, and Archie Griffin’s try made it 21-7 after 23 minutes.
New Zealand fought back to 21-21 at half-time, but Eddie James and Louis Rees-Zammit scored within eight minutes of the restart. Peter Lakai’s converted try made it 35-28, and New Zealand did not score again.
‘It hurts’
“Yeah, it hurts. But you got to take it on the chin,” Rennie said. “You know, we weren’t good enough tonight.
“Wales were passionate and every time they kept us out, I reckon they grew and became harder to break down.
“So, yeah, look, we’ve got to be better. We expect a lot more of ourselves and need to see a response at Twickenham next week.”
The defeat ended a run of 34 straight All Blacks wins over Wales. New Zealand go to Twickenham next weekend, while Wales host Australia in Cardiff.
READ MORE: All Blacks Player Ratings vs Wales: An 8 For Wallace Sititi In Cardiff Defeat
Comments
No one has weighed in yet.
Be the first - what did you make of it?