Wallabies take momentum from Wales sweep
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Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says his side can take momentum into August’s Rugby Championship after Saturday’s 20-19 victory over Wales at Allianz Stadium completed an important clean-sweep of the Six Nations champions.
After a horror 9-6 loss to Scotland to open the June Test period, Deans and the Wallabies were under the blow-torch against the Welsh.
Australia’s stop-start performance in perfect conditions on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd in Sydney left plenty to be desired, but for the second week in a row the Wallabies proved they’re capable of showing composure under pressure.
Five-eighth Berrick Barnes was man of the match for the second straight week, twice getting his side off the canvas in the third Test when it looked as though Wales would break their 43-year drought in Australia.
Players now go back to finish off the Super Rugby season, but Deans says the Wallabies have something to hold onto when they go into battle against the All Blacks on August 18.
“There’s no doubt we’ll take something out of this, something of substance. To play against a side that’s as good as the Welsh and to actually experience a fair amount of adversity in each encounter but respond well to it, we’ll take forward with us,” said Deans.
“The leadership group’s done a great job, that’s been evident at the death in each instance, so that stuff comes forward.”
In last week’s second Test Barnes missed his attempt at a match-winning goal, and it was up to replacement Mike Harris to come on and clinch the game after the siren.
But this week Barnes started and finished the job for his side – booting five penalties.
The NSW playmaker threw the crucial pass for Rob Horne’s try in the 65th minute and after Leigh Halfpenny kicked Wales back into a 19-17 lead heading into the final 10 minutes, Barnes’ 76th minute penalty proved the difference.
“It was great to see Barnsey nail that one because just like last week it would have been a tough pill to swallow because he played very well,” said Deans, who also praised Kurtley Beale in his return match as the Wallabies stretched their unbeaten run against Wales to seven matches.
Beale made uncharacteristic errors throughout the match which put his side under pressure, but Deans said there were enough good signs in his return from a shoulder injury.
“He does that stuff others can’t do and with a bit more time in the saddle he’ll start finishing some of those things,” said Deans.
A rugby record crowd at Allianz Stadium of 42,889 deserved a flowing game, but referee Craig Joubert blew 24 penalties.
Deans described the Wallabies as “impatient” and “dysfunctional” at the set-piece, as they lost line-outs cheaply and were thoroughly outplayed at the scrum.
Wales went up 16-12 after No.8 Ryan Jones scored with 20 minutes left, and Horne’s reply wasn’t without controversy.
The outside centre almost lost the ball in Jonathan Davies last-ditch tackle, but the TMO ruled he had control.
Wales caretaker coach Rob Howley lost captain Sam Warburton to concussion in the first half, and lamented another close loss.
“Can we play them next week please?,” Howley said.
“Coming into this game everyone questioned how our mentality would be and I thought the group was outstanding.”
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June 24th 2012 @ 7:54am
TimB said | June 24th 2012 @ 7:54am | Report comment
The Wallabies might take some momentum out of the series but so will the All Blacks after a 60 – 0 demolition of the Irish.
June 24th 2012 @ 4:19pm
DingBob said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:19pm | Report comment
That’s right TimB and the big question is can the team that scraped past Wales beat the All Blacks?
June 24th 2012 @ 7:59am
Bazza all black said | June 24th 2012 @ 7:59am | Report comment
I guess the wallabies can be happy they won two tight games but they really need to lift their cohesion the four nations, the boks and Irish killers will be much more of a challenge.
Congrats on the win but don’t do the usual and talk about how the team are now world killers and have turned a corner.
August is going to be a great month for rugby!
June 24th 2012 @ 9:56am
Jutsie said | June 24th 2012 @ 9:56am | Report comment
The Boks? They were woeful last night.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:44am
Bazza all black said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:44am | Report comment
Yep, you are right I withdraw my boks comment.
I never write off the wbs as you can never be sure which team will show up in yellow but I was super happy with the commitments of the ab forwards and great start for the young ones.
I think we will take the 4 nations but will be more edge of the seat excitement.
Once again, I think the wb forwards are the weak point (except the magnificent pocock).
June 24th 2012 @ 4:15pm
Mike said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:15pm | Report comment
I won’t be writing off the boks either. They’ve been going through a bad patch, but it can’t last.
June 24th 2012 @ 8:13am
Jerry said | June 24th 2012 @ 8:13am | Report comment
No one will have any momentum cause it’s 2 bloody months away.
June 25th 2012 @ 7:41am
Justin2 said | June 25th 2012 @ 7:41am | Report comment
Too true
June 24th 2012 @ 9:16am
Krasnoff of Noosa said | June 24th 2012 @ 9:16am | Report comment
Beale’s missed ‘behind-the-back’ flip passes can be put down to over exuberance on return from injury, but the concept of replacing the whole front three forwards was silly. For the sake of ‘giving the other boys a run’ Deans risked loss of momentum and caused a wobbly pack. Replacement selection was therefore poor—the Robertson/Alexander combo is at best shaky and will become the Achilles heel of the Wallabies in the coming big games if Deans plays them.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:47am
ilikedahoodoogurusnigha said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:47am | Report comment
That might be a tad unfair. I was at the game and from memory the only time the Wallabies pushed the Welsh scrum backwards was with Moore and Alexander in the front row….yes there were some scrum penalties with Alexander on the field…..but there was all game.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:06am
Blinky Bill of Bellingen said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:06am | Report comment
Maybe it’s ‘next morning blues’ but I really am struggling to find anything good to say about that Wallaby performance.
Far from momentum ……..I’d say we stalled. To be perfectly honest, apart from restarts I was flat out spotting any improvements.
As I watched the game and the Wallabies fluffing opportunities galore, the thought entered my head of ‘I wonder how this game would pan out if it was the All Blacks playing the Welsh’? Surely they’d hang onto the ball and sort out these boyyo’s! Or at least that’s what I was thinking as the game swung from one disaster to the next.
Well I didn’t have long to wait long did I? Soon after the Wallaby fiasco onto my large TV screen rolled the All Black machine to dismember the boys in green. Pace, Precision, Power. Well where I have read that before? It was all there in bucket loads and the Emerald Isle chaps were blown off the park.
Pace, Precision & Power pretty much summed-up what the Wallabies desperately need to find before they meet the All Blacks. Fail to do this and I’m afraid that the men who look as if they play in priests outfits will be reading us our last rights. Amen!
June 24th 2012 @ 10:13am
Lats said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:13am | Report comment
Another great game of rugby. No tries in the first half, but still enthralling stuff…cannot work out how Wales managed to lose that one… their scrum destroyed the Wallabies pack…. TPN still struggling with his throwing… Robinson no longer the best loosehead in the world methinks… why does our front row buckle like that, they are all big blokes, seem to go OK at S15 level. ??
Scrum getting pounded, lineout throws not hitting the mark..Barnes not finding touch at one crucial point… our continued soft turnovers should have cost us the game.
Wallabies won because of their defense, Barnes was magnificent in the line, made a couple of crashing tackles when a player was about to offload to a runner… Across the board the Wallabies dug in, but really, Wales had them on the ropes, was like watching the Ali vs Foreman rumble in the jungle… Foreman throws all the punches, Ali wins the fight!!!
Dragons again were very good, their relentless physical assault on the Australians eventually breached the line. A couple of 50/50 calls went against them.. don’t really know what was wrong with their rolling maul right at the end, maybe the biggest call of the game… oh well, thats rugby I guess.
Only problem on the day was the frightening performance of the All Blacks… seemed to be an avalanche of Black sliding across the try line all night… awesome…
June 24th 2012 @ 4:20pm
Mike said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:20pm | Report comment
“why does our front row buckle like that, they are all big blokes, seem to go OK at S15 level.”
And in previous tests. So what was different in this game? – the ref, methinks.
One problem I think for Dragons may have been their mental and physical fitness. My wife pointed it out, after their major assaults on our line in first half, most of them had their heads down. Seemed to have really taken it out of them. The Australians all had their heads up ready to go.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:22am
justsaying said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:22am | Report comment
If I was a Wallabies fan I wouldn’t be too worried about the ABs’ performance. Ireland really were poor and the ABs were fired up from the fright they got last week. These results mean that the Wallabies, despite sweeping their own series against Wales, are likely to be written off prior to the RC, despite the fact that the matches on which such opinions will be based will be some weeks in the past by then. The ABs will be going to Sydney in August having to fight against complacency as well as a fired up underdog Wallabies side playing with home ground advantage. Provided the Wallabies can hold themselves back from any outspoken misplaced pre-match bravado to fire up the ABs, they have every chance of an upset in Sydney.
June 24th 2012 @ 12:20pm
Swapacrate said | June 24th 2012 @ 12:20pm | Report comment
No complacency, ask savea, guildford, thompson, cane, vito, nonu, jane, kahui, shields, andre taylor, retallick, afeaki, faumaina, and many more, if your complacent you may be dropped. The competition for places is hot.
We kept the old guard on for the world cup, there are some good young’uns coming through. WOW.
Wallabies will never be written off as well, I can hear the bragging already if the Wallabies won. Phil Kearns and Poeidevin give me strength, but good for motivation.
June 24th 2012 @ 1:19pm
justsaying said | June 24th 2012 @ 1:19pm | Report comment
I agree that there’s plenty of depth which helps stave off complacency but I don’t think it can be denied that the ABs have tended to button off in recent times when their opposition is written off. You only need to look at the second test vs Ireland and the RWC final to see what I’m getting at.
Wallabies will be written off in NZ. Maybe not in Australia, but they’re an optimistic bunch…
June 24th 2012 @ 4:21pm
Mike said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:21pm | Report comment
Well its good the kiwis have that sort of attitude. Challengers should.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:27am
Tigranes said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:27am | Report comment
Re: the All Blacks, everything they tried came off. Ireland were mentally destroyed after last week. Didnt contest breakdown, McCaw had a field day. Irish had no edge, Gear using his elbow to fend off that Irish winger showed the difference in attitude.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:51am
eatbingo said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:51am | Report comment
didn’t see that game but have noticed an alarming increase in the use of the ‘elbow fend’ by kiwi players
June 24th 2012 @ 9:44pm
Sprigs said | June 24th 2012 @ 9:44pm | Report comment
Is that legal?
If so, why not try a variation and use the fist to punch the tackling player?
June 24th 2012 @ 10:20pm
Damien said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:20pm | Report comment
I thought the fend was fine.
Gear was just bracing for the impact and when contact was made with Earles, Gear pushes him off Lomu style.
Earles was just unlucky to get his head in the wrong position. It would have been the same if Earles went low and collected a knee to the head.
Understandable if Gear clearly leads with an elbow or knee but I didn’t think that happened in this case.
Check it out here :
June 24th 2012 @ 3:04pm
Worlds biggest said | June 24th 2012 @ 3:04pm | Report comment
When or who announced Robinson as the worlds best loose head ?? The Wallabies are always a show against AB’s at home but not in NZ. They will go in as big under dogs for first Bledisloe. Let’s hope the ARU put a media ban on the players in the lead up.
June 24th 2012 @ 3:16pm
Lats said | June 24th 2012 @ 3:16pm | Report comment
Mate, 2010-2011 in the lead up to the world cup there was a lot of talk in the Australian press that Ben Robinson was the best loose-head in world rugby. He struggled against the hairy Welsh guy yesterday..(sorry, forget his name) ..
People have been continually talking up our scrum, but they got pummeled by England 2010, by Ireland last year at RWC.. and were embarrassed a couple of times yesterday by the Welsh… I mean, what a I missing???
Agree with the media ban, I cringe when I hear Wallabies talking up their chances against the All Blacks.
June 24th 2012 @ 4:23pm
Mike said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:23pm | Report comment
I can’t remember anyone, ever, suggesting that Benn Robinson was the best loosehead in world rugby.
However I can remember plenty of people suggesting he was the best loosehead in Australia. The difference is rather profound.
June 24th 2012 @ 6:23pm
Lats said | June 24th 2012 @ 6:23pm | Report comment
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/rugby-union/robinson-back-in-running-for-cup/story-e6frg7o6-1226097133306
“Arguably the best prop in the world.. etc etc..”
June 25th 2012 @ 11:41am
Mike said | June 25th 2012 @ 11:41am | Report comment
Congratulations on finding one journalistic piece. I agree that the suggestion that he is No 1 in the world is unsustainable.
The only thing that matters is whether there is an obvious better proposition at loosehead for Australia. I can’t think of one. Robinson’s only “blemish” is that his Welsh opponent in the third match switched to trying to pull him down, and a gullible and incompetent referee easily fell for it.
June 25th 2012 @ 6:25pm
Lats said | June 25th 2012 @ 6:25pm | Report comment
“I can’t remember anyone, ever, suggesting that Benn Robinson was the best loosehead in world rugby.”
and
“Congratulations on finding one journalistic piece. I agree that the suggestion that he is No 1 in the world is unsustainable.”
You were the one who started the debate champ, take your medicine. I don’t have time to google all the other articles or live comments from TV commentators… I didn’t say he was number 1 either, I said the Australian press had been talking him up, which is correct.. you were the one who said it wasn’t.
There are two kinds of people in the world, those that can admit they have made a mistake, and those who can’t, the difference is quite profound.
Lol
June 25th 2012 @ 6:29pm
Mike said | June 25th 2012 @ 6:29pm | Report comment
When there is medicine to be taken, sure, but you haven’t dished out any. Both my statements were correct – go back and actually read them this time.
Its obvious that there are no other articles about Robinson being best in the world so this is all just another bizarre suggestion by you, right up there with “their scrum destroyed the Wallabies pack”!
June 24th 2012 @ 4:25pm
Mike said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:25pm | Report comment
I also can’t remember anyone “talking up our scrum”, except by saying that they are holding their own, which they are. We don’t need a dominant scrum to win games.
June 26th 2012 @ 9:36am
Lats said | June 26th 2012 @ 9:36am | Report comment
Lol… ok… how about you blog on some NZ rugby sites and talk up our scrum… see what the response is.
June 24th 2012 @ 9:46pm
Sprigs said | June 24th 2012 @ 9:46pm | Report comment
I think that “hairy guy” is Ian Anderson. After the game he plays the flute for Jethro Tull.
June 24th 2012 @ 3:48pm
chuck said | June 24th 2012 @ 3:48pm | Report comment
Gregg Martin All Blacks are on the slide down wards after the wallabies one point win and 60-ZIP to the all black Ashly Cooper we going too ambush the all blacks right bring it on if that’s not talking yourself up what would you call it if any team that going to make Robbie Deans Tenure a night mare are the World champions All Blacks then his head is back on the chopping block the all blacks will be wanting to put their name on that champion cup first like every other cup thats played for
June 24th 2012 @ 4:28pm
Mike said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:28pm | Report comment
who is “Gregg Martin”?
June 24th 2012 @ 4:37pm
Mike said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:37pm | Report comment
Chuck, you wrote: “Ashly Cooper we going too ambush the all blacks right bring it on if that’s not talking yourself up what would you call it”
What did Ashley-Cooper actually say? He was reported in the NZ Herald yesterday as saying: “We’re well aware we’re sitting at No 2 but we want to be at No.1 … and to do that we’ve got to win those two tests [the first two Bledisloes].”
Is that what you call “talking yourself up” – saying that we want to beat the All Blacks, and acknowledging that if we want to be No 1 we have to win consistently against them?
Now I agree that this morning the same article was run with a banner headline over it (presumably added by a kiwi journalist): “Wallabies preparing to ambush All Blacks”. But Ashley-Cooper didn’t say that. Didn’t even hint at it. You kiwis thought it up, so don’t go blaming us for “talking ourselves up” over something written by a kiwi hack!
June 24th 2012 @ 6:55pm
Thurl said | June 24th 2012 @ 6:55pm | Report comment
Sorry Mike, but the article was written by the Australian Associated Press and included this line…”Ashley-Cooper believes the skill involved in dominating a team over a short space of time can lay solid foundations for a one-week ambush of World Cup-winners New Zealand, including a crunch trip to their Eden Park graveyard.”
Maybe not a quote, but definately a hint and not written by a Kiwi Hack
June 24th 2012 @ 9:48pm
Sprigs said | June 24th 2012 @ 9:48pm | Report comment
The story was taken from the interview on Fox during The Rugby Club, and AAC did not give any hint that would justify that heading.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:01pm
Jiggles said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:01pm | Report comment
No hint at all. Sprig is right, the quotes came from the Rugby Club, and there was no hint at “ambush” or anything like that. AAC was saying the All Blacks are a very very good side, and to become the no 1 team in the world they are going to have to gain consistency and become much better than they currently are. All truths if you ask me.
If you don’t read the quotes properly and just look at what some Hack writes, you are definitely part of the idiot demographic these articles target.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:22pm
mikeylives said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:22pm | Report comment
*NEWSFLASH* This just in – Thurl thinks Chuck is hyper-intelligent and would like to marry him.
Don’t deny there aren’t hints of truth in it.
June 25th 2012 @ 11:53am
Mike said | June 25th 2012 @ 11:53am | Report comment
Just to add to the points above, Thurl, you may have noticed that the story ran on the New Zealand Herald site on Saturday without that headline. I forget what it was but nothing controversial.
Then on the Sunday, NZ Herald put a new banner on the same article: “Wallabies preparing to ambush All Blacks”. This ‘story’ has been a purely NZ creation, and its not the first time.
June 25th 2012 @ 2:45pm
Thurl said | June 25th 2012 @ 2:45pm | Report comment
Mike, Journos don’t get to choose their headlines, editors do. So changing a headline does not make it a NZ creation. The story is accredited to the AAP. Its an Australian story that maybe the herald have put a new headline to,… so what….obviously to pull a few more readers. personally I couldn’t care less what AAC said, but you need to know where to point your indignation
June 25th 2012 @ 2:47pm
Mike said | June 25th 2012 @ 2:47pm | Report comment
I don’t have any indignation at all Thurl, just pointing out the facts. If you want to quibble whether it was a kiwi journo or a kiwi editor who thought up the line about “ambushing”, be my guest.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:34pm
Damien said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:34pm | Report comment
I saw that headline too and the first thing I thought was not that AAC /Wallabies are arogant or anything of that sort but there will be some AB fans out there who will take it WAY out of context.
Seriously, sometimes it feels like any time any player says something even remotely hinting that they are not afraid of the AB’s its ‘talking themselves up’. Even Hansen got into the act last year.
The AB’s right now are almost like Mike Tyson when he was on top of boxing. Back then most of his opponents were beaten before they even stepped in the ring.
Its abit like the WB’s now I reckon. They definitely respect the AB’s its just they don’t fear them like some other teams. This despite their poor record against them.
The difference with the WB’s is that they actually believe they can beat the AB’s which is a good start..
June 25th 2012 @ 5:43am
Damo said | June 25th 2012 @ 5:43am | Report comment
What ‘an AB fan taking things way out of context’? Who’d ‘ve thunk it?
This is just another thread for Kiwi trolls ( I know you are not all trolling) to write in on Aussie Watch.
Is it part of NZ national service to keep Aussie ‘arrogance’ in check?
AAC said nothing about ‘ambushing’ the All Blacks. He spoke graciously of the old enemy that he obviously holds in great respect. Something the NZ captain seems incapable of in recent post test speches. Have a look at your own player’s comments boys. McCaw speaks as if no other country exists.
AAC was not getting ahead of himself. Some posters seem to have read the headline and flicked into Aussie Humility Check, that must be part of the curriculum in NZ schools.
BTW despite the problems that Oz rugby has,(many of which are pointed out to us daily by bored or churlish kiwis on this site) the Wallabies are capable of surprising the flat track bullies from across the ditch. And they have done so a couple of times in the last two years.