The Wallabies have ended their spring tour in spectacular fashion with a commanding 33-12 victory over Wales in Cardiff.
Stung by last week’s sobering loss to Scotland at Murrayfield, the Wallabies rebounded with their biggest win over Wales since 1996.
In an utterly dominant performance, the Australians ran in four unanswered tries to silence the 74,339-strong crowd at Millennium Stadium.
The Wallabies had stars all over the park, none more so than dynamic halfback Will Genia and inspirational captain Rocky Elsom, who both produced mighty all-round performances.
Matt Giteau delivered a masterclass from five-eighth, putting last week’s Murrayfield disappointment behind him to terrorise the Welsh, who badly missed injured captain Ryan Jones and then lost world player of the year Shane Williams in the fifth minute with a hamstring tear.
Giteau finished a deserving man of the match after having a hand or boot in three Australian tries, while also controlling the game beautifully with a clever and well-executed tactical kicking game and tackling everything in sight.
But the awesome Australian forward pack was the cornerstone of the Wallabies’ success, with the scrum smashing Wales and front-rowers Benn Robinson and Ben Alexander also outstanding in the loose.
The face-saving victory eased the pressure on coach Robbie Deans, who was under fire in Australia following a dire run of just two wins from their past 10 Tests.
Restoring pride in the gold jumper, the Wallabies refused to concede a try despite being under relentless pressure in the final 10 minutes.
The tourists really should have had the match in the bag at halftime after scoring three tries to nil in the first 40 minutes.
But four penalty goals kept Wales’ hopes flickering until Giteau put replacement hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau over in the 62nd minute to give Australia an unassailable 21-point lead.
The Wallabies turned a sloppy start into a positive one with Giteau overcooking his opening kick-off before the dominant Australian pack earned a scrum penalty from Wales’ optional restart.
Giteau quickly atoned with a 50-metre penalty goal in a big confidence booster after his terrible night with the boot in Edinburgh.
Playing with attacking intent, Australia converted their early dominance with an eighth-minute try to Digby Ioane after Giteau ran to the line and put a lovely grubber kick behind the Wales defence for his outside centre to pounce.
Giteau pushed his sideline conversion attempt left and the hosts stayed in touch with a long-range penalty to winger Leigh Halfpenny, leaving the Wallabies ahead 8-3 after 18 minutes.
It was 13-3 two minutes later, though, when good support play from tireless props Alexander and Robinson put Drew Mitchell away and the winger put lock James Horwill over in the left-hand corner.
This time Giteau hooked his conversion attempt and Wales five-eighth Stephen Jones reduced Australia’s lead to 13-6 with a 22nd-minute penalty goal.
But the Wallabies, playing all the rugby, deservedly skipped 14 points clear after flanker David Pocock slammed the ball down for Australia’s third try in the 24th minute and Giteau slotted the extras.
But two more Jones penalty goals, either side of one from Giteau, left the Welsh in touch at 23-12 down at the break.
This time, though, there was no second-half collapse from the Wallabies, who put the 2008 Six Nations champions to the sword.
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.
Six months after the Wallabies’ worst World Cup result, Rugby Australia has announced a $9.2 million deficit from the 2023 season. The Roar can…
In 15 minutes, Tim Ryan didn’t just put a smile on Joe Schmidt’s face, he announced himself to the Australian public by scoring a…
Written off ahead of the weekend in several quarters, the Crusaders have responded with full vengeance after smashing the fourth-placed Rebels 39-0 in an…
Ned Hanigan is one of the in-form forwards in Australian rugby who looks set to finally turn promise into quality on the international stage,…
As calls grow for the entire Rugby Australia board to be overthrown, new chairman Daniel Herbert described the agitators behind the movement as hypocrites…
Three things in the world of rugby have caught my eye this week, and got me thinking very hard about the way forward, and…
