Six Nations Champions Wales Edge Australia In Thrilling Affair
29th September 2019
The Welsh were 23-8 ahead at half-time but they had to withstand a furious second-half onslaught when Australia fought back to within a point late in the game
- Six Nations champions Wales took a massive step towards topping Pool D with a thrilling 29-25 victory over valiant Australia in the Rugby World Cup on Sunday
- Wales, 43-14 winners over Georgia in their opener, will now be confident of finishing their pool unbeaten, with their next opponents Fiji in Oita on October 9 before taking on Uruguay in Kumamoto four days later.
- An electric game full of enterprising, interlinking play from both sides on a balmy late afternoon in the Japanese capital made for a marvellous spectacle of running rugby
TOKYO, Japan- Six
Nations champions Wales took a massive step towards topping Pool D with a
thrilling 29-25 victory over valiant Australia in the Rugby World Cup on
Sunday.
The Welsh were 23-8 ahead at half-time but they had to
withstand a furious second-half onslaught when Australia fought back to within
a point late in the game.
Wales, 43-14 winners over Georgia in their opener, will now
be confident of finishing their pool unbeaten, with their next opponents Fiji
in Oita on October 9 before taking on Uruguay in Kumamoto four days later.
An electric game full of enterprising, interlinking play
from both sides on a balmy late afternoon in the Japanese capital made for a
marvellous spectacle of running rugby.
The 47,885-strong crowd had barely taken their seats after
the anthems when Wales were on the scoreboard.
The ubiquitous Aaron Wainwright turned over esteemed Wallaby
jackler Michael Hooper from the kick-off, Gareth Davies finding Dan Biggar in
the box for a straightforward drop-goal with just 37 seconds on the clock.
Biggar went wide on his first penalty attempt minutes later
as Wales continued to attack with fluidity, George North being brought down
with the line begging.
The largely red and yellow crowd at Tokyo Stadium traded
respective ballads, 'Hymns and Arias' for 'Waltzing Matilda' with mutual
applause for both renditions. A hearty round of collective boos, however, rang
out when an image of England coach Eddie Jones was shown on the big screen.
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Biggar spurned a second shot at goal as Wales looked to
build on their momentum.
The ball was quickly recycled from the attacking line-out,
Biggar putting in an inch-perfect crosskick that Hadleigh Parkes gathered, the
Kiwi-born centre outleaping Marika Koroibete and spinning past Dane
Haylett-Petty to dot down in the corner.
The Welsh fly-half hit the extras but saw a second,
long-range drop-goal go wide.
Hooper escaped punishment for a late, high hit on Biggar,
French referee Romain Poite deciding a penalty was sufficient.
Wales lost their throw-in from the kick, handing Australia
the chance to fire back down the pitch, a Parkes tackle on opposite number Samu
Kerevi preventing a sure try.
The Wallaby forwards arrived en masse, and with the Welsh
defence scrambling, Bernard Foley crosskicked perfectly to veteran Adam
Ashley-Cooper, the winger stepping inside Josh Adams with aplomb to scramble
over for a deserved try.
Foley scuffed the conversion, but with both sides more than
willing to throw the ball around, it didn't seem to matter.
Biggar bundled Kerevi into touch after the strapping
Fiji-born centre had two-stepped around Jonathan Davies, but the fly-half paid
for that defensive showing by being subbed off with a head injury, replaced by
Rhys Patchell.
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Foley and Patchell traded penalties before Gareth Davies
pounced to intercept a deep pass from a stuttering Will Genia to sprint home
from 60 metres.
Patchell converted to make it 23-8 at half-time and dropped
a goal four minutes into the second period as Wales looked to turn the screw.
Australia were far from done, however, David Pocock
providing the perfect offload for Dane Haylett-Petty to score the Wallabies'
second try, Matt Toomua converting.
The Welsh defence, built around No 8 Josh Navidi and skipper
Alun Wyn Jones, winning a Wales-record 130th cap, could only hold firm for so
long as Australia proceeded to camp out in their 22m area with a series of
set-pieces, Hooper eventually being driven for an invaluable try Toomua converted.
Games between the two sides are traditionally tight and so
it again proved, Toomua hitting a 69th minute penalty to reduce Wales' lead to
just one point.
Patchell responded in kind, Tomos Williams kept an
Australian kick to touch in play and Wales saw out a tense final five minutes
to set themselves up as likely Pool D winners.