Dewi Lake credits Wales belief after historic All Blacks victory

Wales captain Dewi Lake said his team had believed they could beat New Zealand before ending a 73-year wait with a 35-28 victory in Cardiff on Saturday. Speaking after the match, Lake credited the work of players, coaches and staff for a result that broke a run of 34 defeats against the All Blacks, BBC Sport reported.

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Lake said the team's public expressions of belief had been genuine, even if others had dismissed them. Head coach Steve Tandy also described his pride in the squad and staff, saying the performance had delivered much-needed positivity for Welsh supporters. Both men stressed their confidence in the group before the result was secured.

The captain's half-time message came after New Zealand recovered to draw level at 21-21. Lake declined to disclose his exact words, but told BBC Sport he had reminded teammates of their experience against the same opponents a year earlier. Tandy praised the way his captain addressed the players before the second half.

Wales scored five tries, with Tomos Williams, Lake, Archie Griffin, Eddie James and Louis Rees-Zammit all crossing. Sam Costelow converted every one. BBC Sport's account of the match noted that Wales never fell behind, building leads of 14-0 and 21-7 before the interval and moving 35-21 ahead after the restart.

The closing stages required a sustained defensive effort. BBC Sport reported that the Nations Championship's official statistics credited Wales with 346 tackles, including 38 by lock Dafydd Jenkins. Jac Morgan made 31 and James Botham 30. Those figures remain subject to the revisions that can follow further match analysis.

New Zealand were held up over the line three times in the final quarter. Gareth Thomas and Dan Edwards contributed alongside Botham and Morgan to those interventions, while replacement Taine Plumtree won two turnovers. James also made a try-saving tackle as Wales prevented another late New Zealand score.

The match drew 55,152 spectators, the lowest attendance for this fixture at the Principality Stadium, according to BBC Sport. It also made Tandy the first Wales head coach to defeat New Zealand: Wales had no head coach when they recorded their previous victories in 1905, 1935 and 1953.