Barrett admits All Blacks 'couldn't convert' as Wales end 73-year drought in Cardiff

Beauden Barrett conceded the All Blacks left a historic defeat to themselves after Wales ended 73 years of hurt with a resounding victory in Cardiff, with the stand-in captain pointing to three held-up tries and second-half indecision as the difference.

Barrett, who risks joining a short list of All Blacks captains with a losing record in the role, said the result was “tough to take” given how close New Zealand came to levelling the match in the final half hour. The Welsh defence made over 300 tackles across the game, with several forwards surpassing 30 individual tackles each.

“It’s a tough one to take, particularly when we were building a lot of pressure and we just couldn’t convert that into points,” Barrett told reporters post-match. “Numerous times we were held up and it just felt like we needed one of those to get right back in the game and level the scoreboard, and the whole game would have changed. So, yeah, frustrating.”

Barrett also credited the Principality Stadium atmosphere as a factor, describing the Welsh crowd as giving the home side the feel of extra players on the pitch. “It felt like a brick wall at times. You give them opportunities for the crowd to come into the game. It feels like you’re playing 16 or 17.”

New Zealand had recovered from a slow start to level the game at 21-all at half-time, crossing the Welsh line three times from their own 22 entries. Barrett said that clarity of execution — “doing the obvious” — drove that recovery, but it failed to materialise in the second period.

“We were a little bit indecisive or hesitant in our own half, which allowed them to score easy tries in that first half,” he said. “We found in that first half when we got down there, it was reasonably straightforward. But that didn’t happen in the second half.”

The All Blacks’ tendency to opt for direct, crash-and-bash carries rather than using wide support runners in space was a visible theme in the closing stages, with several clear gaps going unexploited. Barrett’s post-match message to the squad centred on converting pressure into points — a lesson that came too late on the night.