Former All Blacks hooker James Parsons has said New Zealand “could have won that game easily and should have” against Wales, and called their defence in Cardiff “not of international standard”.
Parsons was speaking on Sky Sport NZ’s The Breakdown the morning after Wales won 35-28 at the Principality Stadium. It was Wales’ first win over the All Blacks since 1953 (match report and full stats).
Former Springboks scrum-half Kevin Putt and ex-All Blacks fly-half Aaron Cruden sat alongside him. None of the three let New Zealand off the hook.
So did Wales win it, or did the All Blacks lose it?
Parsons blames two second-half tries on defenders running backwards
The host asked whether Cardiff was an All Blacks implosion or a Welsh masterclass. Parsons picked the first.
“I don’t want to take the shine off the Welsh… but I think we still, we could have won that game easily and should have,” he said. “So I think it’s more about the All Blacks than the Welsh.”
He pointed to the two Welsh tries straight after half-time. Centre Eddie James scored in the 43rd minute and Louis Rees-Zammit in the 48th, and Wales were 35-21 up.
“If you watch the All Black defence, we’re running back to our line with our backs to the attack, and we haven’t scanned, like we’re filling space really late,” Parsons said. “And that’s not of international standard, let alone Super Rugby standard.”
The numbers back his first point. New Zealand had 64.7% of the ball and made nine line breaks to Wales’ five. Wales made 346 tackles to 136 (Wales’ defence in numbers).
Why Parsons won’t pin it on Richie Mo’unga
Mo’unga has taken heat for the result. Cruden, who wore the same shirt, said the fly-half would “put his hand up and be the one to own that first”.
Parsons pushed back.
“The 10s get the credit when it goes well and the 10s get the heat, like it’s like a quarterback in NFL,” he said.
He named two moves. In the 26th minute a lineout strike reached the edge before Beauden Barrett knocked on. In the other, Anton Lienert-Brown and Josh Moorby ran into the same hole and Eddie James made a try-saving tackle.
“I think it’s really hard to say it’s down to one person,” Parsons said. “Everyone was just out of sync.”
Mo’unga landed all four conversions and made 78 metres, more than any other All Black.
Putt says the scrum-half battle was lost up front
Putt played scrum-half, so he watched the two nines. Tomos Williams scored in the first minute and ran the game. Cortez Ratima spent it under pressure.
“Poor old Cortez had people all over him,” Putt said. “An old bugger like me could still play behind that Welsh team with how much fast ball they were getting.”
Parsons, a hooker, put that on his own unit. “If your halfback makes a lot of tackles, you’re not doing the job,” he said of the tight five.
He was kinder to the back row, naming Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai and Anton Segner as “really, really good in their roles”.
Parsons is taking the Welsh banter on the chin
Parsons had tipped the All Blacks to win by 50 points. Welsh fans have reminded him.
“Yeah, I said by 50, and look, I’m taking it on the chin,” he said. “I’m replying saying fair cop, fair cop. But it is coming in thick and fast.”
He still expects a reaction at Twickenham on Saturday. “We still scored four tries. We created 10 line breaks,” he said. The official match figures show nine.
New Zealand play England on Saturday 21 November. They remain top of their Nations Championship table, one point ahead of South Africa.
James Parsons, Kevin Putt and Aaron Cruden were speaking on The Breakdown, Sky Sport NZ, on 15 November 2026. Watch the full episode.
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