Wales vs. Australia: Score and Report from Autumn Rugby International
Australia once again broke the hearts of the Welsh fans late, taking the lead with six minutes remaining and holding on to beat Wales 33-28 at Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
The match started at a frantic pace, with Alex Cuthbert dropping the kick-off, giving the Wallabies excellent field position. Sam Warburton got over the ball at a ruck to win the penalty, however, immediately making his presence felt.
The hosts drew first blood after just two minutes, with Leigh Halfpenny working the ball to Warburton. The skipper gained 30 metres before playing the ball to scrum-half Rhys Webb, who used his speed to get past his marker and score the opening try. Halfpenny added the conversion, giving Wales a 7-0 lead.
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Play went end to end, both teams pulling no punches. The visitors equalised after 14 minutes, a pure power move through Michael Hooper and massive full-back Israel Folau.
The full-back then took advantage of a poor pass from Webb, intercepting it and scampering 80 metres for the easy score, via Rugby World:
Speaking to BBC Sport, former Wales international Jonathan Davies thought it was an awful decision to try that pass:
"Why oh why do you need to push it there? It's the dreaded miss pass.
It was on there and Wales tried the miracle ball. Once Folau caught it, it was good night"
The insanely high pace didn't let up, and Wales got back on level terms minutes later. Dan Biggar fed the ball to George North, getting past his marker before running nearly the length of the pitch. With options available, he played the ball out to Cuthbert, scoring an easy try.
It took just five minutes for Australia to retake the lead, Tevita Kuridrani lowering his shoulders on the 22 before diving in.
Another Webb pass was intercepted deep in Australian territory, this time by Bernard Foley, as mistakes from the home side started to make the difference. With half-time fast approaching, Halfpenny was forced to leave the pitch with an injury, and he wouldn't return.
Wales were able to tie things up in injury time through Alun Wyn Jones, with Biggar taking over conversion duties. The Times' John Westerby loved what he was seeing:
The try came after a series of penalties, with the hosts refusing to kick and being rewarded for taking some risks.
The Wallabies went up 24-21 early in the second half, Foley kicking an easy penalty, only the second the Welsh squad had given up all day.
Biggar appeared to suffer a groin injury in the process, and he was replaced by Rhys Priestland. Wales' pace and intensity dropped as a result, and after losing their two kickers, it looked as if Australia would run away with the win.
The hosts weren't too happy with the introduction of Will Skelton, either, as explained by the Daily Mail's Nik Simon:
"Amazed by the size of Will Skelton in person. An absolute mountain of a man. Makes regular int'l locks look small. pic.twitter.com/homBIIGUVx
— Nik Simon (@Nik_Simon88) November 7, 2014"
Discipline started becoming an issue for the Welsh, who started giving up penalty after penalty. Foley expanded the Wallabies' lead to six points in the 56th minute, but Wales nearly reclaimed the lead minutes later.
With the line in his sights, North took a short pass and made his way over the line, but the Australian defence made a heady play, holding him up and denying him the score, via the team's official Twitter feed:
The great attacking move brought life back to the hosts, however. Wales were dominating the scrum and were finally rewarded minutes later, forcing a penalty try which Priestland converted.
The Welsh home crowd grew anxious, knowing full well the Aussies have made a habit out of breaking their hearts late, and sure enough, the visitors nudged ahead with six minutes left to play. Seeing no space on either wing, Foley dropped back and calmly scored the drop goal.
The Wallabies now slowed down play, forcing penalties deep inside the Welsh half, and Foley extended their lead to 33-28, giving the hosts less than a minute to find a try and avoid the defeat. It didn't happen, as Australia recorded their 10th straight win over Wales. BBC's Jeremy Bowen couldn't believe it:
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika spoke to BBC Sport at half-time, saying he was happy the players were taking to the new system so well before correctly predicting how the second half would play out:
"It's been not too bad for game one with a new system in place. We've attacked pretty well and if we can keep that going for 80 minutes, it'll be a case of who can last the pace."
Wales put together a fantastic first half but allowed Australia to hang around with a handful of mental lapses, and the pace of such a frantic first half will always take its toll late.
The hosts can be satisfied with how they dominated the scrum, but a lack of discipline and composure in the second half cost them dearly. Saturday's match was the perfect opportunity for the Welsh to finally break their losing streak against the Aussies, and instead, players and fans will go home disappointed after another avoidable loss.
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