Finished Millennium Stadium
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Rugby - Australia's Pocock returns for Wales Test
Openside flanker David Pocock returns to the Australia side in one of three changes for Saturday's Test against Wales. More
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Live Commentary
Time:80'- Wales
- Australia
FT WALES 12-14 AUSTRALIA- 80+8 Sharpe's kick has the direction, not easy from the touchline, but not the distance. But Australia have the win
- 80+7 Nathan Sharpe will take the conversion! And the Welsh crowd are going to boo his attempt. That's not really on.
- 80+5 The crowd and the players are all silent as Halfpenny is still tended too on the pitch, being strapped into the stretcher. Fingers crossed on that one. It does not look good though
80+1 A pretty serious looking injury for Leigh Halfpenny as the clock ticks over to 80 minutes before being stopped. Halfpenny is being stretchered off, lets hop that is not as bad an injury as it looks
80' TRY AUSTRALIA! 12-14! Kurtley Beale has just about killed himself with that try as he is hauled up by his team-mates after a full 90 seconds just lying on the floor. Great work from the Wallabies but as Harris finds Beale inside him and the fly-half runs away for the try that wins the match- 80' Wales kick upfield and Australia are back in possession, albeit inside their own half ...
- 79' Australia make it into Welsh territory ... Barnes is clean through but Halfpenny somehow recovers to haul the Wallaby fullback down .... the ball is loose ...
- 78' Wales finally win a line-out but they don't set the ruck properly and Australia win the put in to the scrum, promptly a little scuffle
- 76' Australia, and more specifically Michael Hooper, are penalised for not releasing the ball and Priestland's kick upfield just sneaks into touch the right side of the tryline flag. That was hugely lucky for the Welsh fly-half
- 75' Just about five minutes to go and neither side really look like scoring a try. Has the match already been decided are will there be another couple of kicks to come to add some late drama?
- 73' Pretty shambolic from both teams now as neither side allows themselves too much of a chance to build any consistency or momentum. There's a lot of kicking at each other in the middle third of the park and also a lot of dropping the ball!
- 70' Another great kick upfield from Wales, albeit handing Australia a defensive line-out this time rather than earning themselves an attacking one. Still a chance to put some pressure on Australia on their five metre line though
- 67' There are a cacophony of boos and whistles as Mike Harris finally steps up to take the penalty kick, after lengthy treatment to Halfpenny, and he misses just short as his none kicking foot slips out from underneath him just as he plants it
- 66' Mike Harris chips upfield. Leigh Halfpenny gets to the ball just before him and receives a huge hit from Harris as punishment. And he is penalised for not releasing the ball. He is still down though and there is a long pause in the game as he receives treatment for that hit
- 62' Jones to Prietsland ... Phillips ... Faletau ... Wales are still deep in their own half after the re-start ... Halfpenny thumps upfield but only as far as Berrick Barnes. He kicks back to Liam Williams, who puts up a great kick that dribbles along the touchline after going 50m and it'll be another attackin Welsh line-out
60' PENALTY WALES! 12-9! An easy kick for Halfpenny right in front of the posts both in terms of direction and also distance and they regain the lead on the hour mark- 60' Cuthbert is on his own down the left wing, but Wales are playing advantage after an infringement from Nathan Sharpe, and they will come back for the penalty in front of the posts ...
- 59' The crowd climbs all over Drew Mitchell as he fails to collect the high ball and instead pushes it into touch handing Wales a second attempt in as many minutes at the attacking line-out
- 58' Australia are penalised for crossing giving Wales the chance to push for the try-line from an attacking line-out after Priestland's kick. But they lose the line-out yet again and Australia run from their own half
- 55' PENALTY WALES! 9-9! Halfpenny back on target after that missed kick at the end of the first half and he levels the score for the hosts. This second half has started in much the same manner as the first half began - stop-start from both sides
- 54' Wales get another chance to level the score when Australia are penalised at the breakdown ...
53' Michael Hooper comes on, prompting a re-shuffle in the Australian scrum as they have pulled a second rower off to make way for him. Pocock stays on.- 52' Wales lose the line-out but Australia knock-on five metres out and Wales have the chance to clear their line finally
- 51' Ioane is almost immediately involved in a chance as the Wallabies push towards the Welsh try-line. Wales scramble them into touch though and have a defensive line-out
- 48' Digby Ioane is on for Nick Cummins as Australia look to create some opportunities for themselves - not somthing they have found that easy today against a solid Welsh defence
- 45' Wales steal the ball ... Jonathan Davies from Jamie Roberts, chips upfield ... Beale is there with more than enough time to collect the loose ball dribbling along the turf and averts the danger for the Wallabies
- 44' Berrick Barnes is furious with himself, and maybe his shocking moustache, as his kick upfield goes out on the full to hand Wales back possession
- 42' Priestland ... Ryan Jones ... Warburton ... Roberts ... Wales inching towards the Wallabies' 22 ... Reed ... Preistland ... Jonathan Davies ... Scott Andrews, drops the ball and Australia regain possession
- 42' Wales have started the second half exactly where they left off the first - in attacking mode
- 41' Priestland gets the second half underway fro Wales ...
- HT WALES 6-9 AUSTRALIA
- 40+1 ... could. But doesn't. Halfpenney skews his kick and Wales will have to settle for a three-point deficit heading into the break
- 40' A huge cheer goes up from the crowd as it is Australia this time who are penalised for failing to role away from the ball. Halfpenny could put Wales back level with the last kick of the half ...
- 39' It's the ball on the floor that's costing Wales as Australia win the penalty when the hosts fail to release the ball. They were just inside their own half though and Australia will kick for the attacking line-out
- 37' PENALTY AUSTRALIA! 6-9! Better from Beale this time as he puts the ball right through the centre of the posts to hand the tourists a narrow lead heading towards the interval
- 37' Wayne Barnes has a chat with Sam Warburton as Wales again are penalised at the breakdown when they fail to roll away from the tackle. Beale, just over 10m into the Welsh half this time, will kick for the lead again
- 34' Palu is perhaps a little lucky to escape a sin binning as he is rightly penalised for failing to make any attempt to use his arms in the tackle. It's pretty harmless really as he got down low for it but it wasn't so much of a tackle as a shoulder shunt and Wales will have the chance to run from just inside their own half
- 33' Beale has a chance to put Australia back in the lead when Wales are penalised at the breakdown. It's 10m into Welsh territory but again he doesn't have the direction and Wales escape
- 30' Wales are finding gaps, this time on the right wing again as Liam Williams chips forward up the line. That was never going to work though and Beale temporarily ends the danger for Australia
- 28' PENALTY AUSTRALIA! 6-6! Halfpenny finds himself in the receiving end of a collective sigh from the Welsh crowd as he infringes from the re-start and Beale levels the score once again for Australia
- 27' There's a knock-on from the restart but Wayne Barnes blows his whistle when Polota-Nau goes down injured in the midst of play. Wales will have the put in to the scum just inside the Australian half
- 25' NO TRY! Wycliff Palu did brilliantly well to touch down just before Faletau got there, skidding along the ground after tripping just shot of the line. This match has sparked into life now - exciting stuff
- 24' Jonathan Davies finds Leigh Halfpenny from his own half ... Halfpenny breaks before chipping ahead ... he has Faletau in support but goes himself ... Faletau gets there first, just, but has he been beaten to touching the ball down? The decision will go to the TMO ...
- 23' PENALTY WALES! 6-3! Another solid kick from Halfpenny, although it was right in front of the posts, and Wales look a different side since that Cuthbert break down the right wing. They look much more confident on the attack as they take the lead
- 22' Wales get themselves a second penalty - this time well inside Australian territory - when Pocock is penalised for playing the ball off his feet
- 19' PENALTY WALES! 3-3! Leigh Halfpenny restores parity with a huge kick of his own as he also scores from the half-way line. The atmosphere is building now as the crowd and the players settle into this match
- 16' PENALTY AUSTRALIA! 0-3! Beale absolutely spanks the ball down the centre of the field and through the middle of the posts. Australia take a narrow lead that is probably deserved in terms of territory and possession
- 15' Penalty against Matthew Rees on the half-way line when he comes in from the side. This time Australia decide they will kick for the points. It's right in front of the posts but smack on the half-way line
- 13' Phillips finds Priestland ... Wales are going to run this from their own line ... Priestland to Cuthbert ... Cuthbert skips past one tackle and is away down the right wing. He is very close to the touch line though and Berrick Barnes forces him into touch with a very solid tackle. Promising from Wales though
- 12' Jamie Roberts does very well to hold Mitchell up and they win the put in to the scrum after the ball ends up unplayable at the bottom of the ruck. Wales still practically on their own try-line though
- 11' Wales's scrum collapses and Australia fashion themselves an attacking line-out just five metres out from the Welsh try-line ...
- 10' An early engagement from Australia in the scum, just outside the Welsh 22, and Priestland will have the chance to clear again into Australia territory. Berrick Barnes has gone down and Wayne Barnes is on the whistle again. He's obviously seen something potentially dangerous there because there was no penalty offence. It's not been the most flowing of starts though
- 9' Priestland, battling for confidence already, completely misses the tackle on Ashley-Cooper, who sprints away towards the tryline but his pass to Mitchell outside off him on the 22 is forward and Wales will escape again
- 8' Charteris is back on the field much to the delight of the crowd
- 7' Wales this time win the penalty when Australia fail to roll away and they get into Australia territory for the first time in the match when Priestland clears upfield.
- 6' Wales get penalised for a second time for not releasing from the tackle (the warning from referee Wayne Barnes comes "you must clearly come off the ball") and this time Australia go for the attacking line-out as the penalty was on the half-way line
- 4' So Wales escape the early score but they may have just taken yet another early injury blow as Charteris wanders off slightly dazed to be replaced by Ryan Jones. Hopefully for Wales he'll just be off for the five minutes allowed to receive a bit more treatment and not for the whole match.
- 4' Beale is apparently favoured for kicking duties over Berrick Barnes, winning his 50th cap, today. But maybe that was a poor decision as Beale hoiks up a looping kick that is never on target
- 3' Scott Higginbotham escapes the tackle of Charteris, who stays down for Wales. Good hands from Beale ... Barnes ... Cummins ... Tapuai ... Australia are awarded a penalty after Wales fail to release in the tackle
1' Australia get the clash underway through Kurtley Beale, who kicks towards Alex Cuthbert ...- - The anthems over and done with - actually pretty stirring today. Well they always are in terms of emotion but not always in terms of quality of singing. But today was good and we are just about ready to get the clash underway ...
- - Wales run out as we discover that while Wales may not have won any of their last six matches, one of their starting number today, Leigh Halfpenny, has not won in any of his last 15 matches. Not a stat anyone wants, let alone a pro sportsman!
- - Nathan Sharpe leads Australia out for his 116th and final cap. He will be a big loss for Australia when he retires from rugby at the end of this match
- I'm going to be here to take you through this clash and I am predicting a tight Australia win, albeit it a tense match with highlights from both sides. Anyone else got any predictions? Get in touch on twitter - @pippawdavis. FOLLOW ON TWITTER
- Australia, meanwhile, look like this: Berrick Barnes, Nick Cummins, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Ben Tapuai, Drew Mitchell, Kurtley Beale, Nick Phipps, Wycliff Palu, David Pocock, Scott Higginbotham, Nathan Sharpe (captain), Kane Douglas, Ben Alexander, Tatafu Polota Nau, Benn Robinson. Replacements: Stephen Moore, James Slipper, Sekope Kepu, Dave Dennis, Michael Hooper, Brendan McKibbin, Mike Harris, Digby Ioane.- - So Wales line up like this: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Liam Williams; Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Scott Andrews, Ian Evans, Luke Charteris, Aaron Shingler, Sam Warburton (capt), Toby Faletau. Replacements: Ken Owens, Ryan Bevington, Samson Lee, Ryan Jones, Justin Tipuric, Tavis Knoyle, Dan Biggar, Scott Williams.
- - Australia have also had their injury worries though but today marks the return of flanker David Pocock. He is playing his first match since the Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand in August and he will replace Michael Hooper. Two other changes for the Wallabies see Kane Douglas return from a knee injury in place of Sitaleki Timani and hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau comes in for Stephen Moore.
- - Wales's injury woe continued this week with lock Ian Evans being ruled out of today's clash. He was replacing the concussed Bradley Davies but now will himself be replaced by Cardiff Blues player Lou Reed. Gethin Jenkins returns in place of Paul James while Aaron Shingler is preferred at flanker to Ryan Jones, who is on the bench. Dan Biggar, Ryan Bevington and Samson Lee are the other new replacements.
- - More than just a match for pride from the Welsh perspective though, they desperately need to win this match to avoid dropping into the third tier of seeds for the next World Cup. But if they are to avoid that they are going to have to do something they have not managed in seven attempts over the last four years (including three clashes Down Under this summer) - beat the Wallabies.
- - Australia have not exactly had it all their own way either though - opening their tour with a heavy loss to France before putting it together to beat England a week later at Twickenham. Only to put in another poor performance in Rome last week when they just managed to scrape a win against Italy.
- - Wales have endured a pretty poor series - struggling throughout as they succumbed to defeats at the hands of Argentina, Samoa and then New Zealand last week.
- - Hello and welcome to LIVE coverage of Wales's final autumn international of 2012. Today they take on Australia at the Millennium Stadium.
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Summary
Wales versus Australia Tries Beale 80’ Conversions Halfpenny 19’, 24’, 56’, 61’ Penalties Beale 16’, 28’, 37’ Drops
Live Team Line-Up
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WalesManager: Rob Howley
On the Field
- Jenkins
- Rees
- Andrews
- Evans
- Charteris
- Shingler
- Warburton
- Faletau
- Phillips
- Priestland
- Williams
- Roberts
- Davies
- Cuthbert
- Halfpenny
Subs
- Williams
- Jones
- Owens
- Bevington
- Knoyle
- Tipuric
- Biggar
- Lee
Injured
None
Suspended
None
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AustraliaManager: Robbie Deans
On the Field
- Robinson
- Polota-Nau
- Alexander
- Douglas
- Sharpe
- Higginbotham
- Pocock
- Palu
- Phipps
- Beale
- Mitchell
- Tapuai
- Ashley-Cooper
- Cummins
- Barnes
Subs
- Moore
- Ioane
- Slipper
- Dennis
- Kepu
- Hooper
- Harris
- Mckibbin
Injured
None
Suspended
None
- Robinson
What are the repercussions for Wales now. Are they to be confined to the third tier WC?
No pride no passion, nuf said
I am as sick as a parrot over this one
Wales lose again....thank God they don't have the 'we did nt play well cus Gatland was not around' excuse!
Could we please retire Mathew Rees and Rhys Priestland from international rugby. Enough is enough. Mike Phillips was brilliant.
hahahahahahahahaha ho ho ho hee hee hee, i just cant stop laughing
Why did dopey Warberton opt to kick the half way line penalty to touch with 3 mins to go when he has a kicker that can kick penalties from the half way line? Then when they caught the ball from the line out, why did they just dry and keep possession when they were only 5 metres from the try line? I know (and for the record I am Welsh) because they are as thick as #$%$!
Three points up, one minute to go, we have the ball. So, what shall we do? I know,kick it to Australia. Have you ever seen such clueless leadership and decision making? Wales have lost too many games from being ahead in the last few minutes. This has to be addressed.
Oh boys, what happened? How did you let the Aussies through at the last minute? Hoping Leigh Halfpenny is ok and that everything looked worse than it really is. Need you back on the pitch Leigh!
No excuses very good game kick possession away again and again like a bunch of wolly,s the bench should have been use on the 60 minute mark dan biggar ect , fresh legs were needed badly ,it is time to change the coaching stall from top to bottom , gatland has no idea and can not take wales any further change him now if this team is to improve for the world cup in three years time.
pfffffff
Come on Wales you can do it, Cymru am Byth.
A very poor game but I haven't laughed so much in ages - Wales actually thought they were going to win !
Watch the other game all blacks being taught a proper lesson by the best nht.
I'm just sick of watching Wales run sideways - have they forgotten which way to go!
Hope the Welsh can win this. They so deserved a better return for their efforts in Aus. It would be a nice way for them to round out a difficult year with a win.
Wales can beat Australia. After the great draw against New Zealand, the Aussies have not performed to standard. Saying that, Wales have been lack-lustre under Howley's management but showed some energy against the All Blacks. It's sad that Howley cannot inspire Wales, as I respect him for being a better scrum-half than his critics gave him credit for, but the team don't play for him. If Gatland's leadership has helped the Welsh over their slump the I am still optimistic of a Welsh win. Maybe including Priestland might turn out to be a tactical blinder but I doubt it if he keeps giving the ball to the opposition at a distance where no-one can follow-up. Due to injuries we cannot play the team that opened against the All Blacks, which is a shame as I think that would be better than what is represented here. There are too many Welsh players who give away penalties in this side, something the Aussies will feed upon. But I could be wrong.
