CARDIFF (The Thursday Times) — Wales ne Haftay ko 1953 ke baad pehli baar New Zealand ko shikast de di. Principality Stadium mein All Blacks ke taweel hamlon ko rokte hue Wales ne 35-28 se kamyabi hasil ki aur un ke khilaf lagatar 34 shikaston ka silsila khatam kar diya.
Steve Tandy ki team, jise match se pehle 20 ke muqable mein ek ka kamzor fareeq samjha ja raha tha, ne Nations Championship ke is match mein paanch tries kin aur fly-half Sam Costelow ne sab ko convert kiya. Half-time par muqabla 21-21 se barabar tha.
Scrum-half Tomos Williams ne doosre hi minute mein try ki aur captain Dewi Lake ne chaar minute baad doosri try kar di. Prop Archie Griffin ne teesri try ki, magar waqfe tak New Zealand ne Cortez Ratima, Wallace Sititi aur Fehi Fineanganofo ki tries se muqabla barabar kar diya, aur Richie Mo’unga ne har ek ko convert kiya.
Doosre half ke aaghaz ke chaar minute ke andar centre Eddie James aur wing Louis Rees-Zammit ne tries kar ke Wales ko 14 points ki bartari dila di. Flanker Peter Lakai ne 53wen minute mein ek try wapas ki, aur Mo’unga ki conversion ke baad New Zealand sirf ek converted try peeche reh gaya.
22 mein ek deewar
Mehman team akhri chauthai ke beshtar hisse mein Wales ke 22 meter ke ilaqe mein dere dale rahi magar difa na tor saki. New Zealand ke khilari ko touch line se bahar dhakele jane ke baad Wales ne akhri lamhaat mein line-out jeeta aur akhri minute tak gaind apne paas rakhi.
Flanker James Botham ko match ka behtareen khilari qarar diya gaya. Half-time par New Zealand ki jeet ka imkaan 96 feesad bataya ja raha tha.
Wales ke sabiq lock Ian Gough ne kaha: “Naqabil-e-yaqeen. Yeh aisi karkardagi thi jo All Blacks ke khilaf jeet ki haqdar thi, aur hum sab ko yaad rahega ke is shandar Test match ke dauran hum kahan the.”
Stadium mein taqreeban 55 hazar shaiqeen maujood the. New Zealand ke khilaf Wales ki pichhli jeet, purane Cardiff Arms Park mein 13-8 se, 73 baras pehle aayi thi.
Yeh nateeja is ke ek din baad aaya jab France ne Stade de France mein South Africa ko 21-19 se haraya, jo is naye muqable ka ek aur bara upset tha.
