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14:10 GMTLast update 11:32 GMT
4 minutes ago

Experience gap: 490 starting caps for Wales vs 679 for New Zealand

Adding up the confirmed starting XVs in Cardiff highlights New Zealand's Test experience: Dave Rennie's run-on fifteen totals 679 caps, led by 148-cap Beauden Barrett, 94-cap Anton Lienert-Brown and 92-cap Scott Barrett.

Wales's starting fifteen carries 490 Test caps, paced by scrum-half Tomos Williams (76), lock Adam Beard (69) and prop Nicky Smith (66).

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

25 minutes ago

Kick-off time, Principality Stadium guide and how to follow Wales vs All Blacks live

Kick-off at the Principality Stadium on Westgate Street in central Cardiff is scheduled for 14:10 GMT this Saturday, 14 November (15:10 CET, 9:10 a.m. ET and 3:10 a.m. Sunday in Wellington and Auckland). TNT Sports holds live television broadcast rights across the United Kingdom and Ireland, alongside S4C Welsh-language coverage.

Today's clash is the first of three blockbuster Saturday Nations Championship Tests in Britain and Ireland, followed by England vs Japan at 16:40 GMT in London and Ireland vs Fiji at 20:10 GMT in Dublin.

Anthems, the All Blacks haka and opening kick-off are coming up this afternoon. Keep this VAVEL live blog open for uninterrupted minute-by-minute rugby union coverage from Cardiff.

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

25 minutes ago

Match officials in Cardiff: Frenchman Pierre Brousset takes the whistle

World Rugby has appointed an international officiating quintet led by French referee Pierre Brousset for today's Test at the Principality Stadium. Brousset is joined on the touchlines by Australian assistant referee Nic Berry (AR1) and Luc Ramos (AR2).

Compatriot Tual Trainini serves as Television Match Official (TMO) in the bunker alongside Ireland's Leo Colgan as Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO).

Scrum stability on the tighthead side and breakdown entry angles under Brousset's whistle were decisive talking points during both nations' Round 4 fixtures on 7 November, making discipline inside kickable 40-metre range vital for fly-halves Sam Costelow and Richie Mo'unga.

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

25 minutes ago

Bench impact after 50 minutes: 154 front-row Welsh caps vs Rieko Ioane and Fainga'anuku

Modern Test matches in Cardiff frequently swing between minutes 50 and 70 when replacement packs enter the scrum. Steve Tandy has stacked 154 Test caps into his replacement front row alone: hooker Ryan Elias (51 caps), loosehead Gareth Thomas (43 caps) and tighthead Dillon Lewis (60 caps) step in for Nicky Smith, Dewi Lake and Archie Griffin.

New Zealand counter with strike power across the replacement backs.

Having 92-cap veteran Rieko Ioane in jersey 23 and 12-cap powerhouse Leicester Fainga'anuku in jersey 21 gives Dave Rennie fresh Test finishers against tiring Welsh outside channels in the final quarter, supported up front by 15-cap flanker Ethan Blackadder and 20-cap prop Pasilio Tosi.

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

25 minutes ago

Key positional battles: Morgan vs Lakai at the breakdown and Rees-Zammit vs Moorby out wide

Three tactical zones stand out when comparing the two team sheets. At the breakdown, openside flanker Jac Morgan (30 caps) and hooker Dewi Lake (35 caps) carry Wales's primary jackal threat against New Zealand's explosive ball-carriers Wallace Sititi (26 caps) and Asafo Aumua (28 caps), who thrive on two-second ruck ball for Cortez Ratima.

Aerial kicking and transition counter-attack define the wide channels.

With Richie Mo'unga (57 caps) and Beauden Barrett (148 caps) operating dual first-receiver hinges, New Zealand regularly pepper the touchlines with cross-field kicks toward wings Josh Moorby and Fehi Fineanganofo. Any loose kick into the Welsh back three hands counter-attacking space directly to 44-cap flyer Louis Rees-Zammit and elusive full-back Blair Murray.

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

25 minutes ago

All Blacks' four-from-four march: 41.0 points per match across Auckland, Wellington and Edinburgh

New Zealand have crossed the 30-point threshold in every single Nations Championship Test in 2026, averaging 41.0 points scored and 22.8 points conceded across four straight bonus-point wins. July began with a 34-32 cliffhanger over France in Christchurch on 4 July, followed by a 47-17 rout of Italy in Wellington on 11 July and a 40-21 triumph over Ireland at Eden Park on 18 July.

Last weekend in Edinburgh showed zero northern rust.

Playing at Murrayfield on 7 November, Rennie's side ran in 43 points to defeat Scotland 43-21, extending their tournament tally to 164 points before arriving in South Wales. Next Saturday, 21 November, the All Blacks conclude pool play against England at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

25 minutes ago

Wales's 2026 Nations Championship trail: home wins in Cardiff either side of tough southern tour

All 10 of Wales's tournament points in 2026 have come on Welsh soil. Tandy's side opened the inaugural campaign on 4 July at Cardiff City Stadium by beating Fiji 39-24, collecting five points before heading south for two brutal road Tests.

July's tour brought consecutive defeats in San Juan and Durban.

Argentina beat Wales 35-21 at the Estadio del Bicentenario on 11 July, and South Africa shut the Welsh scoreless 43-0 at Kings Park on 18 July. Returning to the Principality Stadium last Saturday, 7 November, Wales steadied the ship with a gritty 28-21 victory over Eddie Jones's Japan, taking their record to 2 wins and 2 defeats ahead of back-to-back home dates against New Zealand today and Australia on 21 November.

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

25 minutes ago

Confirmed New Zealand XV: Richie Mo'unga at 10 and 148-cap Beauden Barrett at full-back

Dave Rennie fields 679 Test caps across the All Blacks' starting XV, anchored by playmakers at 10 and 15. Fly-half Richie Mo'unga (57 caps) partners scrum-half Cortez Ratima (26 caps), while 148-cap veteran Beauden Barrett marshals the backfield from full-back alongside wings Josh Moorby (8 caps) and debut-year flyer Fehi Fineanganofo (1 cap).

Chiefs midfielders Anton Lienert-Brown (94 caps) and Quinn Tupaea (32 caps) link up at 12 and 13.

Up front, George Bower (32 caps), Asafo Aumua (28 caps) and Fletcher Newell (44 caps) pack down ahead of locks Scott Barrett (92 caps) and towering second-row Josh Lord (18 caps). Dynamic number eight Wallace Sititi (26 caps) anchors a mobile loose trio completed by blindside Anton Segner (4 caps) and openside Peter Lakai (17 caps).

On the bench, 92-cap Rieko Ioane wears shirt 23 alongside George Bell (4 caps), Xavier Numia (6 caps), Pasilio Tosi (20 caps), Jamie Hannah (1 cap), Ethan Blackadder (15 caps), Leicester Fainga'anuku (12 caps) and scrum-half Kyle Preston (6 caps).

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

26 minutes ago

Confirmed Wales XV: Louis Rees-Zammit on the wing as Tomos Williams and Sam Costelow steer the backs

Steve Tandy has named a confirmed Welsh starting XV blending experienced Test forwards with pace out wide. Loosehead Nicky Smith (66 caps), hooker Dewi Lake (35 caps) and tighthead Archie Griffin (16 caps) form the starting front row, backed by locks Dafydd Jenkins (32 caps) and 69-cap second-row partner Adam Beard.

Openside Jac Morgan (30 caps) packs down alongside blindside James Botham (25 caps) and number eight Taine Basham (17 caps).

At half-back, 76-cap scrum-half Tomos Williams partners fly-half Sam Costelow (23 caps), feeding inside centre Max Llewellyn (14 caps) and outside centre Eddie James (11 caps). Out in the back three, Louis Rees-Zammit starts on the right wing in cap number 45 alongside left wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb (1 cap) and full-back Blair Murray (20 caps).

Wales carry heavy front-row experience on a 5-3 replacements bench featuring hooker Ryan Elias (51 caps), loosehead Gareth Thomas (43 caps), tighthead Dillon Lewis (60 caps), Ben Carter (22 caps), Taine Plumtree (15 caps), Reuben Morgan-Williams (3 caps), Daniel Edwards (13 caps) and 22-year-old Cardiff product Louie Hennessey (1 cap).

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

26 minutes ago

Nations Championship standings: France's win over South Africa opens top spot for All Blacks

Friday night's Round 5 opener in Paris altered the Southern Hemisphere race before a ball is kicked in Cardiff. France edged South Africa 21-19 at the Stade de France on 13 November, handing the Springboks their first defeat after four straight bonus-point victories (20 points entering the weekend).

New Zealand sit unbeaten on 20 points from 4 matches.

Across those four Tests, the All Blacks have racked up 164 points for and 91 against (+73 points difference) with 4 try-scoring bonus points, so victory in Cardiff lifts Rennie's men clear at the top of the Southern Hemisphere pool ahead of Finals Weekend on 27-29 November. In the Northern Hemisphere table, Wales occupy 5th place on 10 points (2-0-2, 88 points for, 123 against, 2 bonus points), trailing France (21 points from 5 games), England (15 from 4), Ireland (15 from 4) and Scotland (11 from 4), while leading 6th-placed Italy (0 points).

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta

26 minutes ago

Cardiff braced for Wales vs New Zealand in Round 5 of the Nations Championship

Prynhawn da and welcome to VAVEL's live coverage of Wales vs New Zealand from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Kick-off in Round 5 of the inaugural Nations Championship is set for 14:10 GMT (15:10 CET, 9:10 a.m. ET and 3:10 a.m. Sunday NZDT).

Under the roof in the Welsh capital, 73,931 seats await the unbeaten All Blacks.

Head coach Steve Tandy leads Wales into their second November home Test on 10 points (2 wins, 2 losses) after beating Japan 28-21 last Saturday, 7 November. Across half-way stand Dave Rennie's New Zealand on 20 points from 4 wins out of 4, fresh from a 43-21 triumph over Scotland at Murrayfield.

Stay with us right through the afternoon for confirmed 23-man team sheets, tactical match-ups, live tries, conversions, scrums and TMO calls as they happen.

Live updates by Jhonatan Andrés Martínez Cuesta