JAMES BOTHAM cried tears of joy as Wales stunned New Zealand in Cardiff to put a halt to 73 YEARS of hurt.
The with man-of-the-match Botham, 28, helping end a 34-game losing run against the All Blacks.
Botham, grandson of cricket legend Sir Ian, old S4C: “I honestly can’t describe the feeling.
“I imagine everyone was writing us off.
“Obviously the last win was 1953, so to get that historic win now just shows how far we’ve come and how much we’re gelling as a team.
“I can’t wait for the next game already.”
with a spectacular response to the Haka, featuring red flares behind the team as they stood together.
Tries from Tomos Williams, Dewi Lake and Archie Griffin set the early tempo for the hosts before New Zealand – who had made eight changes – pulled the score back to level just before the break.
The visitors even managed to cross the line three times without finding the means to score a potentially pivotal touchdown.
Another quick start in the second half proved to be what the doctor ordered as well, with Eddie James and Louis Rees-Zammit both scoring vital tries to help Wales see out a 35-28 victory.
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Coach Steve Tandy said: “It’s not about me but the players and the supporters.
“The effort the boys have put in over the last 15 months or so, they got what they deserved which was an unbelievable performance.
“They had the intent to go after the game.
“When came back after half-time it would have been easy to doubt themselves.
“What I loved about it was at half-time they wanted to chase down the game again.
“The last few minutes they looked really composed.
“The boys have created history, they have to celebrate and enjoy the moment.”
Wales face Australia next Saturday.
