CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Nothing in recent years signalled Wales would ever beat the All Blacks.
Whenever New Zealand has rolled into Cardiff it’s been a common refrain among Wales supporters that they'll die before they ever see their team topple the visitor. That's the legacy of 73 years of heartbreak at the hands of New Zealand.
Before Saturday's match in front of 20,000 empty seats at Principality Stadium, odds-makers gave Wales a 4% chance.
But Wales blew away every expectation when it defeated New Zealand 35-28 in one of the greatest results in test rugby history.
Captain Dewi Lake insisted, despite plenty of naysayers including their former internationals, that the team believed beforehand it could end a 34-match losing run to New Zealand.
“Of course we did,” Lake said. "Sometimes we say we can beat them and it's a passing comment for people at home. But not for us. We work hard, we have tough conversations. It's nothing this group doesn't deserve for the work they’ve put in in the last year and a half.
“The growth they've done, to finally see it on the field ... (coach) Steve (Tandy) talks about performance a lot. And when you get it right the result takes care of itself.”
The Welsh were sensational. Lake said when they led 21-14 on halftime they didn't want to kick the ball out; they wanted to show New Zealand they were willing to take any chance for points. The All Blacks scored to tie it at halftime. Then Wales was forced to repel the relentless All Blacks in the second half and ultimately made 344 tackles. The All Blacks made 134.
“You always have belief (even though) history tells you something different,” said Tandy, Wales' first permanent homegrown coach since 2007. He took over in September last year, just after the team ended a record 18-test losing streak going back two years.
The rebuild has been gradual and evident. Lake said the mindset has changed, skills have improved, the players challenge each other to get better and they work hard in and out of camp.
Even so, Wales was nilled by South Africa in July and criticized just last weekend after struggling to put down Japan at home.
But now Wales have laid a marker that makes them a new threat at the World Cup next year in Australia.
“This is a real good statement win for us,” Tandy said.
Lake's halftime speech on Saturday was referenced by Tandy as “outstanding.” Lake declined to reveal what he said but reminded his teammates how brave they were when they pushed New Zealand hard a year ago in a 52-26 loss.
Lake was substituted with 11 minutes to go on Saturday. He said he spent the last 80 seconds not watching the match.
“I was waiting for the (final) whistle which I have done before but this one was different,” he said. “It's an amazing feeling.”
Tandy wears his emotions on his sleeve in the coaching box and admitted to feeling deep pride. He added he loves Mondays, the day when Wales gathers at its base during campaigns.
Lock Dafydd Jenkins, who led Wales with 36 tackles against New Zealand, asked last week for Monday off if Wales won.
Tandy said, “He's probably got half a chance now.”
See AP’s full rugby coverage here
Wales' Tomos Williams scores his side's first try of the game during the Nations Championship rugby match between Wales and New Zealand in Cardiff, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. (David Davies/PA via AP)
Wales' Louis Rees-Zammit, left, attempts to get past New Zealand's Fehi Fineanganofo during the Nations Championship rugby match between Wales and New Zealand in Cardiff, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
Wales' Taine Plumtree, center, celebrates after the Nations Championship rugby match between Wales and New Zealand in Cardiff, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. (David Davies/PA via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s Starship made a triumphant return to Earth on Saturday, caught in midair by giant mechanical arms where its journey began 22 hours earlier.
It was the grand finale that Elon Musk and his team hoped for — the first-ever capture of a Starship flying back from space. But with the first-stage booster exploding shortly after Friday’s liftoff from Texas, the company fell short of its desired double catch, still the goal for accelerating moon and Mars travel.
Wreckage remained in the Gulf of Mexico, cordoned off by buoys, as the stainless steel, bullet-shaped spacecraft lowered itself upright at the launch pad.
The dramatic, sci-fi-like capture helped blot out the booster’s messy miss. Cameras panned the spacecraft up and down as it hung high above the ground, supported by the arms of the launch tower.
“Can you believe it?” SpaceX commentator Dan Huot shouted, dragging out each word. “Look at her! Baby, she’s back!”
Soon afterward, Musk congratulated his “incredible team.” SpaceX officials said Saturday’s catch demonstrates the full reusability of Starship, crucial for rapid and low-cost recycling. Although Friday’s booster recovery failed, the company had already made three previous booster catches, validating the technique.
NASA welcomed Saturday’s news. The space agency is paying billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon later this decade and help build a permanent lunar base. Musk’s ambitions are even grander: He wants to launch a fleet of Starships to build a city on Mars.
“It was almost magic,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said via X. “Making more believers by the day ... one step closer to (emojis of the moon and the U.S. flag)."
The world’s largest and most powerful rocket — a 407-foot (124-meter) behemoth — blasted off late Friday afternoon from SpaceX’s Starship base near the U.S.-Mexican border. Separating neatly from its booster before things went awry, the upper-stage spacecraft soared into orbit and released 26 advanced Starlink satellites.
Starship continued circling the world 165 miles (265 kilometers) up, with live views of itself and Earth streaming down via Starlink. The spacecraft completed 14 laps around Earth, outshining the previous mission’s one to two laps.
It was SpaceX’s 15th flight of a full-scale Starship since 2023 and its only second trip to orbit.
SpaceX reported that everything on the spacecraft, including its vital heat shield, appeared to work well.
As for the booster, SpaceX’s Kate Tice said its engines stopped firing too soon on the way back down. The booster’s guidance system sensed it wasn’t in the right position and automatically initiated the watery detour and self-destruction. Engineers are still investigating the cause.
SpaceX expects to begin launching Starships from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center within the next few months. That is the starting point for NASA’s next Artemis mission, which will skip the moon and remain in orbit around Earth for lunar lander practice.
Artemis III’s four astronauts will attempt to dock their capsule with not only Starship but Blue Origin’s Blue Moon. The two companies will take turns delivering crews to the lunar surface. NASA is targeting as soon as 2028 for Artemis IV, humanity’s first moon landing since the Apollo era more than half a century ago.
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SpaceX's mega rocket Starship returns to its launch pad to be caught by the launch tower following a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship returns to its launch pad to be caught by the launch tower following a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship returns to its launch pad to be caught by the launch tower following a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship returns to its launch pad to be caught by the launch tower following a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship returns to its launch pad to be caught by the launch tower following a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
