One of Wales’ most famous songs – not just in rugby but in the country’s folklore – is ‘Yma o Hyd’. Written by Dafydd Iwan in the early 1980s, the English translation is: ‘We’re still here.’ It’s full of passionate patriotism. It emphasises the importance of the survival of Welsh nationalism, language and culture.
When I woke up on Sunday morning – the day after Wales had ended 73 years of pain at the hands of the All Blacks – ‘Yma o Hyd’ sprang to my mind. By securing a first win over New Zealand since 1953, Wales have sent a very real message to the rest of the rugby world – that they are, as Iwan wrote, ‘still here.’ It fills me with pride to be able to say that.
Now, one of the biggest shocks Test rugby has ever seen has to be the start of something for this Welsh team. It can’t be a one-off. Steve Tandy and his players have to use this as fuel for future fires. Once the hangovers have worn off – and I really hope there are some big ones after that – the message from Tandy as coach to his players has to be this: ‘We’ve proved we can beat the best teams in the world. Now, let’s do it consistently.’
Detractors who might look to downplay Wales’ achievement would point out this was not a first-choice All Blacks team and that they badly underperformed.
Yes, that is true. But Wales can do nothing about the strength of the side named by their opposition and equally, there is no doubt a big part of why New Zealand struggled was because Wales were so good. Incredible, in fact. Totally epic, in fact.
I felt full of emotion to be Welsh at the final whistle. Once my broadcasting duties with ITV were done, I went down to see the players.
Wales sent a message to the rugby world that they are ‘still here’ after beating New Zealand
Steve Tandy (pictured) and his players have to use this as fuel for future fires
I’d made plans to catch up with Leicester Faingaʻanuku, the All Blacks back who I played with at Toulon. We’d both expected a New Zealand win. The mood in their camp was like a morgue. Leicester made me laugh. ‘At least we’ve created history!’ he said.
To see the absolute delight in the faces of the Wales players was just a joy. It was a strange feeling for them. Obviously, there was complete and utter elation. But I also think there was significant shock, as well as relief.
A few hours after the final whistle, my phone rang with a FaceTime from my friend Ben Whitehouse, who now works in the Wales set-up. He was with Sam Costelow, the No10 and Dillon Lewis, the prop. When they appeared on my screen, the Jamie Lawson song ‘Wasn’t Expecting That’ came blaring out. It was a nice moment. The song title was obviously appropriate. But it also has a special meaning, particularly for me and Sam.
When we lost the 2023 World Cup quarter-final to Argentina in what was my last Test, we spent the next day playing it on repeat. Along with Sam and a few others, we passed hours and hours of misery on a Ferris Wheel in Toulon. We must have gone round it at least ten times, drowning our sorrows with several beers.
I was so pleased for Sam and the rest of the team that ‘Wasn’t Expecting That’ is now a song they’ll associate with good times instead of bad. When we had big wins in my time with Wales, a lot of the players would go to either Tiger Tiger, Revolution or Walkabout in Cardiff. All those places have shut down now which shows I must be getting on!
The players would have deserved to go out and enjoy themselves in the city centre if they wanted, but I always preferred for the team to celebrate together after big wins. That’s what we did when we beat South Africa away in 2022. There was such an overriding feeling of positivity about this result which is exactly what Welsh rugby has needed for some time.
In one of the hospitality boxes, a major Welsh Rugby Union sponsor told me the result was why he’d kept faith in Wales. In the marquee at Cardiff Arms Park next door, jubilant supporters were dancing on tables. The music was blaring. It just felt so good to be Welsh again. Rugby is such a huge part of our country’s heritage that when the national team struggles, the mood of the nation struggles with it. By beating New Zealand, the feelgood factor has returned.
Let’s not pretend, however, that everything is now sorted in Welsh rugby. In Wales, as I know all too well, we’ve got a terrible record of letting one big win paper over the cracks. Don’t get me wrong, we should all enjoy beating New Zealand. But we need to be aware that it doesn’t solve all the financial problems or the future of the domestic sides. Those issues are for another day, though.
Wales made a mammoth 346 tackles on the day, with 202 of them coming in their own 22
The players deserve to celebrate, but we should not pretend there is not still a long way to go
This win felt like a respite from all those off-field problems in the most glorious way possible.
It was such a special day. The WRU did a great job with the production, lighting up New Zealand’s Haka to create a brilliant atmosphere. The players took it from there.
Their second-half defence was ridiculously good. The team made a mammoth 346 tackles, with 202 of them coming in their own 22. Daf Jenkins (38), Jac Morgan (31), star man James Botham (30), Eddie James (25) and captain Dewi Lake (24) all tackled themselves to the point of exhaustion. It was incredible to watch. Replacements Gareth Thomas and Ben Carter made 19 and 13 tackles in just 26 and 16 minutes on the field respectively. Those numbers are all extraordinary. Tandy’s players have sealed their place in history.
They will forever be remembered as the ones who broke the All Blacks hoodoo. They’ve now done something I never managed. Many of Wales’ greatest ever players – such as Sir Gareth Edwards and the heroes of the 1970s – never managed to beat New Zealand in a Wales shirt either. Nor did I, nor others like Alun Wyn Jones or George North. I wouldn’t change anything from my career but being at Principality Stadium on Saturday did make me wish a little bit that I’d achieved what the class of 2026 have. That’s why it all meant so much to them.
The images of Botham in tears at the final whistle summed up how every Welsh rugby fan was feeling. As a former player turned pundit, I’ve had to analyse to death what’s been going wrong with Wales. So, it was so refreshing to be able to talk positively. Wales only had 35 per cent possession against the All Blacks but the attack they did show was precise and well executed.
Scoring five tries against any New Zealand team is no mean feat. Whatever happens in the future, their place in immortality is now secure. They’ll always be able to say they beat New Zealand and I’m sure a few of them will make a few quid out of it as well! Well done, lads! Good on you!
