"Wait is Over"- The longest ever losing runs for Tier One nations after Wales end 18-match streak

It’s a long-awaited moment of relief for Wales after two turbulent years marked by Six Nations defeats, World Cup heartbreak, and coaching upheaval. In this piece, we look back at some of the longest losing runs endured by rugby’s top-tier nations, from early struggles in the sport’s infancy to modern-day collapses under intense scrutiny.

Wales have finally broken free from a tough spell, ending their record 18-match losing streak with a hard-fought win over Japan in Kobe this weekend. It’s a huge relief and a breath of fresh air for a team that’s endured a challenging couple of years.

After finishing fifth in the 2023 Six Nations, only managing to beat Italy, Wales showed some promise at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. They topped their pool unbeaten and celebrated their biggest-ever victory over Australia, though their run ended in heartbreak with a quarter-final loss to Argentina.

But 2024 was brutal. A whitewash in the Six Nations saw them lose to Italy at home, and November brought back-to-back tough defeats, including a historic first loss to Fiji at the Principality Stadium.

Their struggles continued into 2025, slipping to 12th in the world rankings and suffering record consecutive losses in both Six Nations and overall competitions. The pressure eventually led to the departure of long-time head coach Warren Gatland, with interim coach Matt Sherratt stepping in. Sherratt steadied things but still oversaw them reach 18 defeats in a row, before breaking the duck this past weekend over Eddie Jones' Brave Blossoms.

Should Wales have lost in Kobe, they would have had the outright worst record of any tier one nation. Although, France at the time of their record run would almost certainly have not been classed as being at the top level of the game.

From 28 January 1911 to 17 February 1920, France endured a tough stretch, losing 18 games in a row, mostly in the Five Nations, with just one match against South Africa mixed in. Their long wait for a win finally ended in April 1920, when they triumphed over Ireland in Dublin, claiming their first victory in nearly ten years.

There were some pretty bad defeats in this run, including a 37-0 landslide against England to start it off, which would have been 51-0 if using today's scoring. It also began during France's only second-ever Five Nations campaign, with the outbreak of World War 1 then affecting the rugby calendar for a few years.

Scotland’s post-World War Two era was a challenging chapter in their rugby history, marked by their worst-ever losing streak. Between February 1951 and February 1955, they endured 17 consecutive defeats - a harsh run that included a brutal 44–0 thrashing by the touring Springboks in 1951, where South Africa scored nine tries, setting a then-record margin of defeat.

During this difficult stretch, Scotland managed to score just 54 points across 17 games, highlighting how truly miserable the times were for the men from the North of the border.

While this dark period is long behind them, it’s worth noting that Scotland’s struggles haven’t entirely disappeared in modern times. They’ve picked up four Wooden Spoons in the Six Nations era and remain one of only two nations, alongside Italy, never to have won the Six Nations Championship.Though their losing streak isn’t as long as France and Wales' 18-game droughts, it is extremely close.

This losing record is the oldest on the list and began just under a decade after the IRFU was formed and the sport was still in its infancy. The fact that this record hasn't been broken since is certainly a positive for Irish rugby, who have since developed into a serious contender at the pinnacle of the world's game.

Between 1882 and 1886 though, they were beaten 13 times in a row, only a year after they achieved their first-ever Test victory against Scotland. During this period, they had a game against Wales that they turned up two players short for, and even had to borrow two players from their Celtic cousins.

This era of newfound amateur rugby was extremely different to this day and age. However, the fact remains that Ireland endured their longest losing streak in this time, playing against the other home nations throughout four underwhelming years.

Australia’s early days in international rugby were a real test of resilience. Between 1899 and 1908, they faced a tough patch with a record 12-game losing streak. This was a time before rugby league had even taken hold in the country, so rugby union was still finding its footing and building a following.

Their very first international match came in 1899 against the touring British Isles team. Australia celebrated a promising 13–3 win in that opening game at the Sydney Cricket Ground, yet the visitors took the spoils throughout the next three Tests.

Back in the early days, the team was a mix of players from New South Wales and Queensland, even switching jersey colors depending on where they played, all under the Australian Coat of Arms.

Their first Test against New Zealand in 1903 ended in a tough 22–3 defeat in the midst of this run, but it sparked greater interest in rugby across Sydney and Brisbane, laying the foundations for the game’s future in Australia.

England’s toughest run in the modern era came in the mid-2000s - a period that, while not marked by consecutive losses, still saw eight defeats in nine Tests. Coming so soon after their historic 2003 World Cup triumph, it made the slump even harder to swallow.

Following a third-place finish in the 2004 Six Nations, head coach Clive Woodward stepped down, and Andy Robinson took the reins, yet results didn’t improve. A disappointing 2005 Six Nations campaign saw England end up in fourth place, before the men from Twickenham managed a morale-boosting win over Australia that autumn for their only win of this run.

It was quickly followed by defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, and by the end of 2006, England had lost eight of their last nine matches - officially their worst stretch of form - and Robinson resigned. In came Brian Ashton to steady the ship. Though the team started the 2007 Six Nations with a Calcutta Cup win over Scotland, the run was still an embarrassing period for England.

1949 stands out as the darkest year in All Blacks history, a rare low point for one of rugby’s most dominant teams. That year, New Zealand lost all six of their Test matches, marking their worst-ever run of defeats. While six losses may seem modest compared to other nations’ records, for the All Blacks, it remains a striking anomaly, especially considering the unique challenges they faced at the time.

Due to the problems with apartheid in South Africa, Māori players were excluded from the tour, forcing New Zealand to field a team of only white players. In protest, the touring side refused to perform the haka. Simultaneously, another New Zealand team, made up of the best Māori and reserve non-Māori players, hosted Australia at home.

Both New Zealand sides, split by politics rather than sport, struggled. The Springboks swept the series 4–0, while Australia won the Bledisloe Cup on New Zealand soil for the first time. It was a year shaped as much by injustice off the field as by results on it and was a tough but defining chapter in All Blacks history.