The Wallabies have handed Wales an 11th straight defeat with a 52-20 drubbing in Cardiff. It’s their second win on their Spring Tour after beating England in London last week.
Wallabies v Wales
The Wallabies showed prolific try-scoring ability to walk over the top of a vulnerable Welsh side in the second half of the match. In the first half, Australia raced out to an early 19-0 lead through tries from fullback Tom Wright, second-row Nick Frost, and hooker Matt Faessler. Wales managed to work their way back into contention with a try and two penalties and by half-time, the margin was just six points.
Samu Kerevi, playing his 50th Test and back in the side for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, received a yellow card just after half-time for dangerous contact. The card was upgraded to red and the Wallabies were forced to play without a man for 20 minutes. The Aussies showed resolve and scored 21 unanswered points during this period.
The 52-point haul is the first time the Aussies have scored more than 50 since 2017. Wright was the player of the match with three tries. Faessler also scored three and became the first Wallabies hooker to do so.
What they said:
Captain Alan Alaalatoa said: “Very proud. It was really special. For us to connect like the way that we did today out there under pressure was massive for our group. And I think we’re going to go a long way from that”.
Wales coach Warren Gatland said: “There’s so much negativity around the game, what’s been happening on the field and regionally wise and financial and stuff. Whatever the best decision is for us to make a change to get some positivity in the game I’d support that 100%. If that means me [leaving] I’m comfortable with that.”
Around the grounds
On Friday, Ireland edged out Argentina 22-19 in Dublin.
On Saturday, South Africa beat England 29-20 in London. It’s the third straight loss for the English after being beaten by the All Blacks and Wallabies in the two weeks before.
The All Blacks played France and suffered the first defeat of their Northern tour, losing 30-29 in front of 80,000 at Stade de France.
What’s next?
The Wallabies travel to Edinburgh to play Scotland. The last time the two sides played was at the same venue in 2022, where the Wallabies won 16-15. Scotland have won two of their three Autumn Internationals thus far, beating Portugal and Fiji and losing to South Africa.
