Wales suffered their eighth successive defeat as Australia won against two weak teams in Sydney.
Both teams have been through tough times, not just on the pitch but also with financial and sports governance issues. Warren Gatland’s men have not won a single game in the Six Nations this year, but at one point it looked as if they would end their miserable run in the Southern Hemisphere.
Had Wales missed a second-half try from James Bottom, they could have claimed their first win in Australia since 1969. But Tom Wright’s brilliant effort ultimately secured the Wallabies victory in their first game under new coach Joe Schmidt.
Wales’ first-half effort was never in doubt, and they went into the break trailing 13-10. Ben Thomas, making his third international and first start, opened the scoring with a sweet penalty. Thomas usually plays centre for his club Cardiff, but here he is playing fly-half for his country.
His kick came after James Slipper was penalised for a Noam tackle on Wales captain Dewi Lake. Wales’ game was then characterised by a lack of discipline, scrum woes, shaky lineouts and a number of basic mistakes.
Australia ultimately showed too much quality for Wales as they won 25-16 on Saturday.
Wales suffered eight straight defeats in their first games of this summer’s tour.
Wales’ Evan Lloyd watched on after the home defeat at the Allianz Stadium.
Noah Roletio kicked two penalties for Australia and also missed a sitter.
Wales’ penalty count was quickly mounting and they looked to be in real trouble when Taniela Tupou broke a scrum and fired home from close range just minutes later.
Wales supporter Gareth Thomas was sent to the concession stand to make matters worse, but Gatland’s team responded impressively.
Their driving maul was a source of joy and even without Thomas, the Red Pack went on to win a penalty try, with Australian flanker Fraser McWright paying the price with a yellow card.
Wales desperately needed the automatic seven points, especially with Lake struggling at the lineout and the scrum being turned around. Tufuo, known as ‘Tonga Thor’, was dominant.
Wales could have turned things around even from a three-point deficit. Their lack of power and Boulk’s struggles in the contact zone and his inability to get over the gain line remain a major issue. Australia have certainly let their guard down after a strong start. It remains a mystery why Wales continue to miss out on soon-to-be Leicester prop Nicky Smith, given that he is a strong scrum-measuring player.
At full-back, Liam Williams’ experience was a plus for Wales, who made one excellent 50:22 kick. When the giant Toofo was absent at the start of the second half, Wales’ chances were definitely improved, and Gatland’s team equalised in the 46th minute thanks to Ben Thomas’ kick.
Taniela Tupou (centre) opened the scoring with an early try against Wales at the Allianz Arena.
Taine Plumtree scored a try in a game that Wales had some good moments but ultimately failed to score.
Wales thought they had levelled in the second half but James Bottom (centre) had a try disallowed.
Warren Gatland will take positives from the defeat but he will be keen to stop the losing streak.
The penalty came after Wales finally got the ball forward thanks to Aaron Wainwright’s storm in his 50th cap. Wainwright left the field in the final minutes. Then a crucial jackal from Christ Tshiunza helped Wales to stop the dangerous Australian pressure. Clean line breaks were rare.
That was until Wallabies wing Filippo Daugunu sprinted past Mason Grady and into a gap. Daugunu ignored Andrew Calloway outside and looked to have squandered the opportunity when Grady came back to tackle. But his momentum carried him over the line on the wet surface.
Once again, Wales responded. Well, it seemed likely anyway.
Once again, Wales’ lineout drive was the lead. The forward maul was a rare glimmer of hope for a desperate 2024 Wales side and it looked to be working again when substitute Botham crossed the line just minutes after coming on. But referee Pierre Brusset confirmed the score with TMO Marius Jonker and sent off for interference by a combination of Chiunza and Tommy Riffel. It was a slightly harsh decision and one that seemed to frustrate Wales manager Gatland.
Scrum-half Ellis Bevan dropped a sitter in the first half, but the second-capped player responded with a superb 50-22 kick to the disallowed try. Ben Thomas’ 66th-minute penalty went over the bar to level the game at two.
Considering how well Wales’ driving had progressed up to that point, one wonders whether kicking it into the corner for a lineout might have been a better decision.
Filipo Daugunu scored for the Wallabies to put the home team back ahead.
Tom Wright’s second-half try gave the home side some breathing room as the new regime under new manager got off to a perfect start.
Former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt has had limited time with his new squad but has seen a marked improvement in their performances.
Nonetheless, it would have been a great final if they had gotten the three points.
But Wright ended the game with a moment of brilliance. He returned a Wales kick in a thrilling way, leaving Nick Tomkins floundering in defence. Wright’s brilliance would have won any game. Tom Linagh, one of seven debutants for Australia and son of Wallaby great Michael, converted and Wales never got back from there.
