The All Blacks confirmed first position in Pool D of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, but Wales made them work all the way for their 53-37 win at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney.
In a World Cup already peppered with some fine encounters, it was feared that the final pool game of the tournament, between favourites New Zealand and the erratic Welsh, would fail to provide a decent climax.
But if this was meant to be walkover, no one told the Welsh players -- and they put in a performance that will lift the spirits of their nation.
Indeed, if ever there was a game to re-establish a team's credentials this was it -- in a mere 80 minutes Wales, written off by many as also-rans -- propelled themselves back into rugby's Major League.
Wales will now meet England in a quarter-final encounter in Brisbane, and could upset the sweet-looking chariot should they be able to maintain the kind of intensity and passion that they displayed against the All Blacks in Sydney.
New Zealand -- who now meet South Africa -- signalled their intentions directly from the kick-off with an explosive onslaught that left the Welsh defence clutching at thin air.
It was obvious that after three relatively easy games, New Zealand's runners were straining at the bit, and they quickly reduced Wales to bystanders as they began stringing together the phases.
Soon enough, after a series of flowing moves, winger Joe Rokocoko announced his return from injury with a try in the corner.
Wales looked in trouble, and things took a turn for the worst when fullback Garan Evans was stretchered off after colliding with his captain Colin Charvis in a tackle.
But the injury break gave the Welsh a chance to take stock of what needed to be done and they immediately went about attempting to wrestle the game from New Zealand's grip.
Suddenly, the All Blacks were on the back foot and Wales showed polished ball-retention skills, and some fine hands.
Wales found themselves playing the All Blacks at their own game, running with ball in hand and counter-attacking fluently.
The Wales backs were playing the kind of instinctive rugby that was long the hallmark of their forebears, and a chip and chase from fly-half Stephen Jones soon lead to Mark Taylor try.
Rokocoko replied immediately with a second try before Leon MacDonald profited from a quick penalty by Justin Marshall to squeeze in at the corner.
Lock Ali Williams was next on the scoresheet after he collected a cross-field kick from Carlos Spencer, and -- with the bonus point secured after only 20 minutes -- one could have forgiven the Welsh had they laid down to accept their fate.
But some determined Welsh running seemed to faze the New Zealanders and Wales start to sense that their defence was not as water-tight as they suspected.
A great break from wing Shane Williams split the All Blacks in two, and centre Sonny Parker slid into the corner for a try against the country of his birth.
Jones had added two penalty goals to the scoreboard, and -- when Wales were awarded a penalty within range of the posts at the stroke of half time -- all eyes went to the sticks.
But Charvis opted to kick for the corner and was rewarded for his bravery when he scored a try from the line-out.
Wales came into the second half overflowing with confidence and a Jones penalty kick soon gave them the lead.
Williams -- a constant source of inspiration for Wales -- soon added to New Zealand's woes by scoring in the corner, and Wales were suddenly heading to an unexpected victory.
The All Blacks knew they were in trouble and decided to pack away the dance shoes and pulled on the walking boots.
Slowly, but surely, the New Zealand pack bullied Wales back to their line and launched a series of short-distance raids.
Doug Howlett crossed the line with a diagonal dart to reduce the deficit to a point, before Spencer added another in similar fashion.
New Zealand were in the lead now and smothered the life out of the Welsh attack by keeping the ball tight and only rationing it out to when they were certain of control.
Howlett added another try to leave Wales seriously behind, and when Aaron Mauger added his side's eight try, it was all over for the brave Men in Red.
Man of the match: With the game free-flowing out of New Zealand's hands, veteran All Black scrum-half Justin Marshall gathered in the reins and forced his forwards to buckle down to the basics. His shrewd distribution and tactical awareness put his team back into the driving seat.
Moment of the Match: We are absolutely spoilt for choice in this department! There were plenty of dazzling individual moments, but if there was one thing that stood out it was Wales' indomitable spirit. Nothing exemplified that more than the moment before half-time when they were awarded a kickable penalty, but opted to kick for the corner. Welsh people worldwide must have winced at the decision, but skipper Colin Charvis had faith in his forwards and he dived over a pile of bodies for the try.
Villain of the Match: It would be foolish to besmirch Wales' performance, but one can't help but think of what might have happened had Wales coach Steve Hansen selected his strongest starting line-up. You win the award then, Mr Hansen, for not demonstrating the kind of belief that your players held today.
The Teams:
New Zealand: 1 David Hewett, 2 Keven Mealamu, 3 Greg Somerville, 4 Brad Thorn, 5 Ali Williams, 6 Richie McCaw, 7 Reuben Thorne (c), 8 Jerry Collins, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Carlos Spencer, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Leon MacDonald, 13 Aaron Mauger, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 15 Mils Muliaina
Reserves: Marty Holah, Rodney So'oialo, Mark Hammett, Kees Meeuws
Unused: Daniel Carter, Byron Kelleher, Ma'a Nonu
Wales: 1 Adam Jones, 2 Robin McBryde, 3 Iestyn Thomas, 4 Brent Cockbain, 5 Robert Sidoli, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 7 Colin Charvis (c), 8 Alix Popham, 9 Gareth Cooper, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Tom Shanklin, 12 Sonny Parker, 13 Mark Taylor, 14 Shane Williams, 15 Garan Evans
Reserves: Mefin Davies, Gethin Jenkins, Dafydd Jones, Dwayne Peel, Ceri Sweeney, Gareth Thomas, Chris Wyatt
Attendance: 80112
Referee: Watson a.
Points Scorers:
New Zealand
Tries: Howlett D.C. 2, MacDonald L.R. 1, Mauger A.J.D. 1, Rokocoko J. 2, Spencer C.J. 1, Williams A.J. 1
Conv: MacDonald L.R. 5
Pen K.: MacDonald L.R. 1
Wales
Tries: Williams S.M. 1, Taylor M. 1, Parker S. 1, Charvis C.L. 1
Conv: Jones S. 4
Pen K.: Jones S. 3
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