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Wales beat Ireland by six points in Dublin on the weekend. Since then, many Wallaby fans I’ve since talked to are worried that the man who scored most of the Welsh points – Leigh Halfpenny – could be the difference when Australia plays Wales in the Rugby World Cup.
While Justin Tipuric won the M.O.M award, it was Halfpenny, a man of many talents, who denied Ireland a win when he held up Irish hooker Sean Cronin over the Welsh line.
However, it must be said that Ireland, and referee Craig Joubert, helped Wales to victory when the Irish gave up almost twice as many penalties as the visitors.
It also must be said that when the Wallabies take on the Welsh at Twickenham on Oct 10, they’ll have to discover early in the match how the ref, in this case, Jerome Garces, intends to police the scrums and the breakdowns. Give the man with the golden boot a chance anywhere in your own half and it’s three points in the bank.
These warm up games are damn tough on the players. Dan Biggar was jolted by Rob Kearney after chasing his own kick. Roberts twice received treatment before leaving the field holding his head. Keith Earls left on a stretcher following a collision with George North. Luke Fitzgerald limped off 13 minutes from the end and Alun Wyn Jones was also knocked to the sidelines.
Next weekend, Wales play Italy, Ireland play England, the Wallabies play the US, France plays Scotland and, one day later, Canada plays Fiji. Could be by the time the Rugby World Cup kicks off, several first line guys will have to play through the pain.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.