All Blacks extend 72-year winning streak against spirited Wales in seven-try victory

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — New Zealand extended its winning streak to 72 years against a Wales side which made the All Blacks sweat for their irresistible 52-26 win at Principality Stadium on Saturday.

Both teams got what they wanted out of an entertaining one-sided match.

The All Blacks, upended by 12 changes following the England loss, were still well oiled and ruthlessly efficient, scoring seven converted tries with braces for wingers Caleb Clarke and Sevu Reece. They put 50+ on Wales a third straight time.

Wales has beaten only Japan in two years and offered more greenshoots of progress with an effort full of pride that produced four tries and 26 points, the most points they’ve ever scored against New Zealand in Cardiff going back 120 years.

Tom Rogers, replacing the suspended Josh Adams, became the first Welshman to score a hat trick of tries against the All Blacks, and the first man in any test in 21 years.

“What we want to do shone through, we were physical and we did what we did in attack,” Wales captain Dewi Lake said. “It shows the boys the levels we can go to. Sometimes you don’t know it until you’re forced to go there.”

Wales disrupted the experimental All Blacks at the breakdown but all the offsides and penalties also annoyed referee Hollie Davidson, who put Wales on a yellow-card warning in each half and lost her patience in the last quarter by sin-binning Gareth Thomas then Taine Plumtree.

Wales scored with 14 men from a great dive beside the corner flag by Louis Rees-Zammit but New Zealand added three late tries, complemented by the unerring boot of Damian McKenzie, who went eight for eight on goalkicks.

“We’re pleased we broke away at the end,” All Blacks coach Scott Robertson said. “They wouldn’t go away.”

The relentless All Blacks, fueled by England ending their Grand Slam hopes, won all 19 of their set-pieces and racked up more than 1,300 meters, 142 of them by the missile that was flanker Wallace Sititi.

Wales made 225 tackles but started missing them early when Clarke, recovered from concussion, was first to score after four minutes with Ruben Love joining the line.

New Zealand’s shaky aerial catching was tested, Rees-Zammit bested McKenzie, and Rogers’ first try was delivered off a Dan Edwards offload.

A counterattack by Sititi, who was immense with 18 carries, finished with a Love try.

But four minutes later again Wales was over; a Tomos Williams grubber cleaned up by Blair Murray and Max Llewellyn giving Rogers the overlap for his second try.

The overwhelming power the All Blacks could conjure was manifested by prop Tamaiti Williams, who smashed through three defenders for a 24-14 halftime lead.

How long Wales could hang on was answered straight after the break when Rogers got his hat trick from another aerial catch and chargedown.

The All Blacks brushed it off and retook control. Tries by Clarke and Will Jordan were chalked off but center Rieko Ioane inevitably crossed from a McKenzie kickpass.

After Thomas was sin-binned, replacement wing Reece scored, then when Plumtree was sin-binned for a high shot on Jordan, Reece bagged his second try.

Clarke was a millisecond too late to push out Rees-Zammit in the corner but he finished the match as he started it with a try from a break by Leicester Fainga’anuku.

New Zealand return home with 10 wins in 13 games this year while Wales host double world champion South Africa next Saturday.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby