WALES laid down the gauntlet to New Zealand before ending 73 years of pain with a performance for the ages.
The Dragons were expected to be smoked by the All Blacks, but fired themselves up with a unique response to the legendary haka.
As the Kiwis did their traditional war cry, the Principality Stadium went dark with the visitors lit by a solitary spotlight.
Steve Tandy’s squad basked in a red glow as smoke machines created an eerie effect dubbed ‘Dragon’s Breath’ by the Welsh Rugby Union.
It was a remarkable piece of pageantry and viewers were in awe of the incredible display.
One wrote: “The haka is always impressive, but that red wall was foreshadowing!!”
A second declared: “Give the person who thought of the lighting a pay rise.”
Another delighted fan added: “This red backlit response along with the welsh flag on the surrounding digital screen fantastic!!”
It is one thing standing up to the haka, but backed it up when the whistle blew.
The Kiwis made eight changes from the team that beat Scotland and paid a heavy price as the Dragons came out firing toover their storied opponents since 1953.
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.”
