All Blacks suffer 73-year first in defeat to Wales

Wales has ended a 73-year winless sequence against New Zealand with a stunning 35-28 victory in the Nations Championship.

Wales, who last overcame the All Blacks in 1953 and have endured a dismal recent run, outscored the visitors five tries to four on Saturday and produced a defensive performance for the ages to end a run of 34 losses to the three-times world champions.

They caught New Zealand cold with two early tries and two more at the start of the second half, and heroic Welsh defence resisted waves of attacks in the closing stages to hold on for a famous victory.

"It's come from belief. Obviously we've got the crowd behind us, and the energy and the noise was unbelievable," Welsh man of the match James Botham said.

"We've been training on the defensive side of things, and it shows how training has come on and just how much we have got each other's back."

The Wales players team were in tears at the end amid raucous celebrations at Cardiff's Principality Stadium after Tomos Williams, Dewi Lake, Archie Griffin, Eddie James and Louis Rees-Zammit scored tries and Sam Costelow was immaculate with the boot.

New Zealand's tries were scored by Cortez Ratima, Wallace Sititi, Fehi Fineanganofo and Peter Lakai, all converted by Richie Mo'unga, but were held up over the line three times, with the Welsh defenders making a total of 346 tackles by the end of the game.

It was only the fourth time Wales had beaten New Zealand in 39 meetings.

"A hell of a defensive effort from them," New Zealand coach Dave Rennie said. 

"They were excellent tonight."

One consolation for the All Blacks is that the bonus points they have picked up have put them above South Africa in the Northern Hemisphere standings as they seek a place in the new competition's final at Twickenham.

Elsewhere, England thrashed Eddie Jones's Japan 78-15 Nations Championship at Twickenham, with England winger Will Joseph scoring a record-equalling five tries,

Joseph was making only his second appearance for England, more than four years after his debut, and started his return with a try from his first touch inside the opening 65 seconds before adding three more in the first 25 minutes.

The 24-year-old scored a fifth after the interval to equal the record set by Rory Underwood in 1989 and matched by Josh Lewsey in 2003 and Henry Arundell at the last World Cup.

England ran in 13 tries in a record score against Japan, and in the new Nations Championship competition.

And in Genoa, Argentina beat Italy 19-14, condemning the hosts to their fifth defeat in five matches in the competition.