Wales are set to take on the All Blacks in Cardiff next year, after New Zealand’s fixture list for 2025 was revealed. The 2025 schedule for Scott Robertson’s team was unveiled by New Zealand, and the match against Wales marked the end of their Test season.
Prior to games against Scotland and England, the All Blacks begin their fall season against Ireland in Chicago, the same venue where they suffered their first defeat to the Irish in 2016.
It is believed that negotiations are underway to move one of New Zealand’s three July Test matches against France to the USA, thus the Ireland encounter may not be their only stateside meeting in 2025.
Wales will take on New Zealand for the first time since 2022, when the All Blacks ran riot at the Principality Stadium at the start of Wayne Pivac’s final campaign in charge – winning 55-22.
That remains the most points Wales have ever conceded at the Principality Stadium, surpassing the All Blacks’ previous visit in 2021 – when they ran out 54-16 victors.
Next year’s fixture could mark the first time Warren Gatland faces his homeland during his second spell with Wales, having ended his first time in charge with defeat to the All Blacks in the 2019 World Cup bronze medal match. News for The Daily Rugby
But there’s no assurance that Gatland will still be leading Wales by then. Following a season in which Gatland’s team lost 12 consecutive Test matches, an evaluation of Wales’ fall campaign is presently under progress.
Wales had only ever let up a half-century of points at the Principality Stadium in their two games against New Zealand under Pivac.
But since then, under Gatland, Wales has fallen out of the top 10 in the global rankings, losing 52 points to South Africa in 2023 and Australia in 2024.
