AUSTRALIA MADE A hugely encouraging start to their European tour on Saturday, extending their winning run against Wales to 13 matches with a 29-21 triumph in Cardiff.
The Wallabies out-scored their hosts four tries to two at the Principality Stadium, their victory effectively sealed by an opportunist Kurtley Beale score in the 63rd minute.
Michael Hooper was sin-binned soon after, but Australia defied the loss of their captain for 10 minutes to record yet another win over Warren Gatland’s men.
Tatafu Polota-Nau, Adam Coleman and Hooper were the other try-scorers for a Wallabies side now unbeaten in seven matches, while Wales wing Steff Evans crossed in the first half of his home debut.
However, it was also Evans who was stripped of possession by Beale in the second half as Australia’s full-back stole the ball in a tackle before strolling clear to score under the posts.
Hallam Amos’ subsequent 80th-minute score was no more than a consolation for Wales, who will be concerned by a late ankle injury to Jonathan Davies that left the British and Irish Lions centre writhing in agony as the full-time whistle blew.
Wales scored first through a Leigh Halfpenny penalty in the ninth minute, but Australia looked the sharper early on and claimed the opening try when hooker Polota-Nau – who will join Leicester Tigers from next month - was driven over with alarming ease from a lineout.
The hosts hit back in style, Evans going over on the left after the ball had been worked from one wing to the other following a scampering Gareth Davies break.
Yet Australia, with a host of able kickers across their backline, were soon ahead again thanks to a wonderful assist from Will Genia. Marika Koroibete was stopped inches short of the Wales line and Genia’s flat, cut-out pass gave Coleman the simplest of walk-in finishes.
After a 51-metre penalty from Reece Hodge – back on the wing with Bernard Foley fit again - and a more routine three-pointer from Halfpenny, Wales coughed up possession as half-time neared and were punished ruthlessly, Hooper stretching over for Australia’s third try.
The conversion was missed and Wales narrowed their deficit from nine to six through Halfpenny 12 minutes into the second period before the full-back failed to hit the target with a kick from halfway.
At that point, the game was in the balance, but Beale’s eye-catching score settled any Australian nerves.
A series of infractions from the visitors culminated in Hooper being yellow-carded with 12 minutes remaining, but Wales’ subsequent pressure went unrewarded before Amos touched down in the final minute for a try that was followed by Jonathan Davies’ worrying injury.
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Sorry to hear of the family’s loss, I’m sure the systems he has setup can work well without him when it needs to
Best wishes joe, we’re all thinking about you and your family
@John: we’re not
@Pat Andrews:
If you commented you are thinking about him and his family
(Good Or Bad ??)
@Pat Andrews: d1ckhead
Ive a really mixed feeling on how will we do at the WRC. In one way i feel some of the pressure is off after a poor six nations. After NZ we needed to be brought back down to earth
@Donnacha Bhoicaire: Unpopular opinion but I think this Irish side peaked somewhere between late 2016 and late 2018. Two year cycles are about what you get in rugby these days, New Zealand being an exception. Don’t think they’ll ever drop back to the perennial ‘valiant in defeat’ team they once were, the structures in place are too good and there’s an excellent talent pool there. But it’s incredibly difficult to maintain performance levels the likes of which we’ve seen from them over the last 4-5 years. You’ve also had serious leaders retire and there are some ageing and injury prone legs in the preferred starting line-up these days. Can’t see Ireland getting past the QF’s again at this WC although I’d be happy to be proven incorrect.
@Quoka: spot on
@Quoka: I don’t think that’s unpopular at all, it’s more like consensus. Once again we’ve peaked between cycles and we’re arrived with a gameplan and a group of players a little bit past their best.
Whatever about the quarter finals I hope we’re fully awake to the threat of Scotland and the hosts since everyone seems to be talking about South Africa on presumptions of an easy group.
@Rochelle: it was nice of Joe to share the game plan for the World Cup with you.
Your not an Irish fan because it hurts that joe as an ex Leinster man is our coach. Your a bitter thing who’d rather see Ireland lose so you can blame joe sexton Healy etc
@Quoka: yea no yea, would be shocked to hit a semi.
@Donnacha Bhoicaire: It’ll be the same as it was before, we’ll come through the group really well, the media will lose the run of themselves and say how we should go all the way now that we beat the host nation and the best Scotland side in years, then we’ll lose to SA in the QF.
@Rochelle:
“the threat of Scotland”
What is different is that S A has made a great jump in standard:: When all these teams were selected (the pools set up ) S A were having a nightmare with poor coaches and the SA government sticking their noses in sport ::But they woke up and got a very good coach and the government stepped aside and SA was back up to where they always were :: So Ireland were placed in pools with teams below them at THAT TIME (we were 2 or 3 in the world) but things changed inside S A to bring us to this point ::To get passed into the SF we have to beat either now a very strong SA or NZ ( but first we have to win our pool::) So this year has become a very hard year !!
@Martin Quinn: With SA hitting form at the right time, I actually don’t think it matters whether we come 1st or 2nd in our group now
Okioki i runga i te rangimarie
@Paul: He is not Maori…
@Chris Thorne: How do you know he’s not?
@Eddie Hekenui: Just a guess which is probably right. Either way, it’s ridiculous saying it in Te Reo just because he is from New Zealand.
@Chris Thorne: He could be part Maori, have Maori family or the person who passed away might be Maori or part Maori. And regardless it’s just a nice thing to say and something that is said in New Zealand by many when there is a death. Nothing ridiculous about someone being decent and paying their respects.
@Eddie Hekenui: I’ve been to both pakeha funerals and Maori Tangi, and the only place I heard it was at the Tangi. So no, it is not said by many in New Zealand…
@Chris Thorne: And Maori’s make up what 15-20% of the population plus whatever percentage have Maori heritage or family. That’d be many people in my books. Plus I’ll say again you’ve no idea the heritage of the person who died. They might very well be Maori and regardless it’s just a nice thing to say. You’re just being needlessly obtuse.
@Quoka: I also feel we put too much stock in world rankings and November internationals. The world cup is really the best, arguably only, way to assess comparative strength between NH and SH, as the last world cup clearly shower.
@Alistair Fyffe: *clearly showed….
@Alistair Fyffe: i just hope Ireland has a November international this year .
Condolences to Joe and his family.