Rennie defends ten changes after All Blacks suffer historic defeat to Wales

New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie has stood by his selection decisions after the All Blacks suffered a historic 35-28 defeat to Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, a result that saw Steve Tandy’s side overcome their most storied opponents for the first time in years.

Rennie made ten changes from the side that beat Scotland the previous weekend, a call that drew immediate scrutiny once the final whistle sounded in front of a crowd of more than 55,000. Asked post-match whether he regretted the rotation, the 62-year-old was unequivocal.

“No, we had a good enough side on the field tonight to win, and I think if you look at the stats, we had plenty of opportunities,” Rennie said. “Those guys created a lot of chances, and we just weren’t clinical enough, and they were very good defensively. So, no, I have no regrets about the side that we picked. There’s really good competition for places, there’s not a lot between certain positions.”

The statistics told a story of New Zealand dominance in possession and territory that ultimately went unrewarded. Wales were forced to make 346 tackles compared to the All Blacks’ 134, and for the final 25 minutes the hosts were camped deep inside their own 22, holding New Zealand up over the line on several occasions — a defensive effort that proved decisive.

Rennie was candid about the manner of the defeat, pointing to a slow start in both halves as a key factor. “We started both halves poorly, conceded 14 points quickly and just felt a little bit disconnected,” he said. “We had plenty of possession, plenty of territory, and plenty of opportunity to score where we could have squeezed them up to pick them off, and we need to be a lot better than that.”

Despite his frustration, Rennie was generous in his assessment of the Welsh performance. “Give credit to Wales. They were really clinical, they got their chances, and then they defended for massive amounts of periods. They were the better side tonight.”

The head coach also acknowledged that the underperformance was not solely a player issue, signalling a broader review of the team’s preparation and processes. “When you underperform, it’s not just about the players. We’ll have a look at everything we do,” he added.