Wales vs. Australia: The Key Battles

The last big hurrah of the autumn brings together the majority of the key names from the summer’s Lions series.

Wales provided the bulk of the side that overcame the Wallabies in that dazzling last test.

Yet their success in Welsh rather than Lions red has been hard to come by over Southern Hemisphere opposition.

Indeed, Warren Gatland’s men have not put one over Australia in eight Tests.

They go into the battle without first-choice centre pairing Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies and tight head Adam Jones, but the rest of their Lions men are present.

Australia have grown in confidence this autumn and will be out for revenge after their 2-1 series loss to the Lions—also coached by Gatland—in July.

Can Wales put the same pressure on the Aussie scrum that we saw the Lions exert? Will the battle of the back row be won by the men in red again?

Will those giants of the backfield provide us with another chapter of thrills and spills?

Let’s look at the pick of the head-to-heads.

Warburton vs. Hooper

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It’s always entertaining when we get to watch two genuine No. 7s go head to head.

Michael Hooper is having a fine tour so far and was outstanding against Ireland. Meanwhile, Sam Warburton is one of the game’s outstanding turnover merchants, and will be relishing another crack at the Wallabies.

As Lions skipper, he limped out of the second Test in the summer, and it was left to colleague Alun-Wyn Jones to lead the side in the final, victorious contest.

The Cardiff man will want to make sure Australia know how good he is when fully fit. 

Phillips vs. Genia

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Two scrum halves with something to prove renew their rivalry from the Lions tour.

The clubless Mike Phillips has maintained fitness and looked sharp for Wales since his controversial dismissal from Bayonne.

In Will Genia, he faces a man searching for a return to his very best, but still a potent weapon.

Genia only needs half a sniff of a break and he is alive to the opportunities around him, as he showed in the first Lions Test.

In boxing parlance, styles make fights, and this contrast of Genia’s guile with the Welshman’s power has the makings of a great scrap. 

North vs. Folau

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What a tussle these two had in the summer.

No one who watched the series will forget George North’s stunning try or Israel Folau’s impressive score in the first test.

The moment in the second test when North hoisted the former Aussie Rules man over his shoulder and hefted him downfield was pretty unforgettable, too.

There aren’t many more exciting players in world rugby than these two in full flight. While the Australian has shuffled to fullback since they came face to face on the wing in the summer, the paying public would all love to see them go at it again in Cardiff. 

Hibbard vs. Moore

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There are summer reunions all over the park this Saturday, and the one at hooker is another of the tastiest.

Richie Hibbard was overlooked in the first Test in favour of the smaller Tom Youngs.

However, his power was called upon for the second and third tests, and he delivered impressively.

Meanwhile, Stephen Moore is Australia’s Mr. Consistency.

He rarely has an off day and allies solid set piece work with a high level of industry around the park. His props sometimes let him down, but there is no questioning Moore’s quality.