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Finished Eden Park

Wales 18 - Australia 21

Wales

Australia

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  1. Match facts: Wales v Australia

    Match facts: Wales v Australia

    Facts and figures ahead of Friday's World Cup bronze medal match between Wales and Australia at Eden Park. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:80'
    • Wales
    • Australia
    • FT So there you have it. Australia finish third, Wales fourth. Who will finish one and two though? You'll have to wait another 48 hours to find that out. But join us again here for full coverage of the final from Eden Park
    • 80+3 CONVERSION WALES! 18-21! Jones adds the extra two points this time and that will be the last kick of the match
    • 80+3 TRY WALES! 16-21! 28 phases and finally Wales find their way over the line. Bradley Davies could have had the try from five metres out but looks absolutely exhausted and instead passes out to Halfpenny, who goes over in the corner before running in towards the posts
    • 80+2 Shane Williams on the break ... he runs across field towards the left corner ... he is pushed into touch on the ground but he had just let go of the ball in time according to referee Barnes ... Wales still in possession ...
    • 80' The clock ticks over to 80 minutes with Wales still in possession. They have gone through 16 phases already and still continue ...
    • 77' O'Connor conversion from the left wing misses the left upright but it shouldn't matter too much as there are less than three minutes left on the clock now
    • 77' TRY AUSTRALIA! 11-21! This time Australia make no mistake. They have at least five men over on the left wing but in the end it is Ben McCalman who takes the ball over the line just a couple of metres out. That is game over
    • 75' Australia look away for a try as O'Connor breaks down the right wing ... he finds Anthony Luke Burgess inside him. Burgess has support too and offloads to Adam Ashley-Cooper. Ashley-Cooper gets to within a couple of metres before a great tackle from George North sees him drop the ball just short! That would have been game over
    • 71' PENALTY WALES! 11-16! Substitute Stephen Jones puts Wales vaguely back into contention as he kicks a penalty when Australia are penalised for offside. They still need a converted try though to get into the lead
    • 68' DROP GOAL AUSTRALIA! 8-16! Brilliant from Berrick Barnes who spots himself in the perfect position for a drop goal and thumps the ball in between the posts to further extend Australia’s lead. Wales now need a converted try and a penalty to take the lead
    • 66' O’Connor attempts another long-range penalty kick after Halfpenny fails to release the ball just inside his own half. The young winger’s kick drops just marginally short though
    • 62' Wales kick for touch after Australia are penalised for offside. But they don’t really look like they know what to do and eventually a frustrated Shane Williams puts up a kick that is neither drop goal nor for anyone in particular. It goes over the try line and Australia don’t concede any point again
    • 57' PENALTY AUSTRALIA! 8-13! O'Connor adds another three points after Huw Bennett is caught playing the ball off his feet. Australia now have a six point lead and Wales will need to score next if they are to stand any chance of turning this match around
    • 54' PENALTY AUSTRALIA! 8-10! Australia grab the lead back after O'Connor kicks another three-pointer from 40m out. Sloppy play from Wales
    • 53' Polota-Nau is the latest Aussie injury worry as he limps off to be replaced by the second Fainga'a, who started today on the bench - Saia, brother of Anthony
    • 52' Australia are called back for a forward pass! O’Connor was clearly in front of Higginbotham and Deans can only show a wry-smile when Barnes blows up that one!
    • 50' Again Wales fail with the spot kick as they fail to convert the try and they will have to settle for just the one-point lead with 30 minutes to go
    • 49’ TRY WALES! 8-7! A massive forward pass is missed by referee Wayne Barnes. Shane Williams does brilliantly well though. The ball is way in front of him but he toe-pokes upfield twice before picking up just before the try-line and dives over!
    • 46’ Nathan Sharpe’s 100th Test is ended as he limps off slightly to be replaced by Rob Simmons
    • 44’ Hook pulls his kick wide of the left upright. Wales have missed a handful of penalties in the last two games now and just think of the difference only one of them could have made
    • 44’ Slipper is penalised at the breakdown and Wales have another chance to get on the scoreboard first in this half
    • 43' Australia moving the ball around well, albeit in their own half, but Genia in the end decides to kick upfield. Halfpenny returns the ball and it is back in the hands of O’Connor. Not for long though as O’Connor puts up a poor kick, straight into touch, and only just into Welsh territory
    • 41' Berrick Barnes gets the second half underway ...
    • HT So just the one try in the first half - going to Berrick Barnes. Australia lead Wales 7-3.
    • 40' Digby Ioane is on the charge when the clock ticks over to 40 minutes. He is eventually hauled into touch by North and that will be half-time
    • 39' North is back on the field after having had that blood injury dealt with
    • 38' No, is the simple answer. Leigh Halfpenny steps up to the ball as the penalty is about 40m out. But he drills his kick well wide of the upright and Australia escape
    • 38' Anthony Fainga'a is caught coming in from the side of the ruck and that will be a penalty to Wales. Can they go in at the break just one point down?
    • 36' Australia look to break through Rob Horne. He has Digby Ioane on the outside but its a poor pass/spill in contact and the move breaks down. Its just become a little scrappy in the last 10 minutes from both sides
    • 33' Serious, serious amounts of blood spewing from George North's head after an accidental clash in contact. The youngster has blood all over his hand as well as down his arm and on his face and he'll have to go off for stitches to sort that out
    • 32' O'Connor drops the high ball and Wales have another chance to push for the line. But Jamie Roberts loses the ball forward in contact and Australia have the chance to clear ...
    • 28' O’Connor hits the upright! The ball bounces back out and Wales have possession ...
    • 27' Australia run the ball from their own half and put Wales under some pressure again. Paul James is penalised for illegal scrummaging and O’Connor will kick for the posts looking to re-establish the seven point lead for the Wallabies ...
    • 23' Australia were pushing for the line when Cooper went off but Ryan Jones turns the ball over just five metres out from his own line and he offloads to Hook, who clears upfield
    • 22’ Another serious injury for Australia as Cooper goes down like he’s been shot after attempting a quick change of direction. The Aussie medical team are clearly concerned about his ACL and eventually he limps off supported by two of them. Fainga’a comes on as his replacement meaning Barnes will switch to fly-half and Fainga’a goes in to join Horne in the centre.
    • 20' PENALTY WALES! 3-7! Salesi Ma'afu infringes in the scrum just over five metres out from the tryline. Wales opt to go for the three points instead of pushing for the try and James Hook quickly gets three points on the board for Wales
    • 18' Wales are beginning to put some phases together now as they push deep into the Australian half looking for some retaliation ...
    • 15' Cooper is looking much better than pretty much any other match in this tournament and he does well under the high ball despite yet more attention from the Welsh backlline
    • 13' CONVERSION AUSTRALIA! 0-7! O'Connor has no trouble adding the conversion from right in front of the posts and Australia have made a bright start to this clash
    • 12' TRY AUSTRALIA! 0-5! Berrick Barnes, in for Pat McCabe, runs on to a pass for Cooper. Wales have no defence whatsoever and Barnes runs through the middle of two of them for an easy touch down
    • 10' Kurtley Beale is heading off the pitch. It looks like he has aggravated the hamstring injury that kept him out of the semi-final against NZ. He is being replaced by Rob Horne, who will slot in at centre so Ashley-Cooper will move to full-back
    • 8' Australia, still keeping Wales under pressure, win a penalty just in front of the posts. They are still looking for the try though and Cooper takes the quick tap and go ... but Ashley-Cooper knocks on and the move breaks down without any points on the board
    • 6' Shane Williams concedes the first penalty of the day. It's on the half-way line though and Australia will kick for the corner. Cooper puts the ball out mid-way between the 22 and Welsh try-line ... this will be Australia's first chance to push for the line ...
    • 2' Cooper is still being booed every time he gets the ball and is clearly being targeted by Wales (understandably so, he has been a little dodgy under pressure in this World Cup) as he just gets an offload away on the half-way line to Kurtley Beale
    • 1' James Hook gets the clash underway ...
    • - The anthems over and done with we are just about ready for kick-off at Eden Park ...
    • - Australia: 15-Kurtley Beale, 14-James O'Connor, 13-Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12-Berrick Barnes, 11-Digby Ioane, 10-Quade Cooper, 9-Will Genia, 8-Ben McCalman, 7-David Pocock, 6-Scott Higginbotham, 5-Nathan Sharpe, 4-James Horwill (captain), 3-Salesi Ma'afu, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-James Slipper/////Replacements: 16-Saia Faingaa, 17-Ben Alexander, 18-Rob Simmons, 19-Radike Samo, 20-Luke Burgess, 21-Anthony Faingaa, 22-Rob Horne.
    • - Four of the changes were enforced by injuries to McCabe (shoulder), lock Dan Vickerman (shoulder, leg and nose), prop Sekope Kepu (eye) and hooker Stephen Moore (sternum).
    • - Kurtley Beale returns at full-back after missing last weekend's match with a hamstring problem, while Berrick Barnes replaces Pat McCabe at inside centre.
    • - Australia lock Nathan Sharpe will win his 100th Test cap after coach Robbie Deans brought the 33-year-old lock back into the side. Deans has overhauled the team that were humbled by the All Blacks at Eden Park last weekend with an entirely new front row and two thirds of his back row also changed.
    • - Wales: 15-Leigh Halfpenny, 14-George North, 13-Jonathan Davies, 12-Jamie Roberts, 11-Shane Williams, 10-James Hook, 9-Mike Phillips, 8-Ryan Jones, 7-Toby Faletau, 6-Danny Lydiate, 5-Bradley Davies, 4-Luke Charteris, 3-Paul James, 2-Huw Bennett, 1-Gethin Jenkins (captain)/////Replacements: 16-Lloyd Burns, 17-Ryan Bevington, 18-Alun Wyn Jones, 19-Andy Powell, 20-Lloyd Williams, 21-Stephen Jones, 22-Scott Williams.
    • - Coach Warren Gatland made three changes to the side which lost 9-8 to France in the semi-finals, one forced by captain Sam Warburton's three-week ban after his dismissal for a spear tackle on French winger Vincent Clerc.
    • - George North has been the most elusive player at this RWC, beating more defenders (23) than any other player in the tournament.
    • - Quade Cooper has made 487 metres with the ball in hand in this tournament, more than any other player, however he has also conceded 10 more turnovers than anyone else (21).
    • - Toby Faletau has made more carries (74) than any other player at this tournament, he has also made the most tackles (also 74), without missing a single hit.
    • - Adam Ashley-Cooper and Quade Cooper are two of just four players to have played every minute of the 2011 Rugby World Cup so far.
    • - Nathan Sharpe will become the fifth Wallaby and 21st player from any nation to win 100 caps if he features in this match.
    • - Australia have only failed to score a try in one of their last 22 matches against the Welsh, averaging 3.7 tries per game, Wales have scored just 1.2 in the same period.
    • - This is the fifth RWC encounter between these teams, since winning the third place play-off at the 1987 RWC in New Zealand, Wales have lost the ensuing three matches.
    • - This will be the 31st meeting between these two sides; Wales have won 10 of the first 30 games (D1 L19) but only two of the last 17.
    • - Hello and welcome to LIVE coverage from the third place play-off between Wales and Australia at Eden Park

  • Summary

    Wales versus Australia
    Williams 49’, Halfpenny 83’ Tries Barnes 12’, McCalman 76’
    Jones 84’ Conversions O'Connor 13’
    Hook 20’, Jones 71’ Penalties O'Connor 54’, 58’
      Drops Barnes 68’

Live Team Line-Up

  • Wales

    Manager: Warren Gatland

    On the Field

    • Jenkins
    • Bennett Substitution Out (70′)
    • James Substitution Out (64′)
    • Charteris Substitution Out (55′)
    • Davies Substitution Out (70′)
    • Lydiate Substitution Out (64′)
    • Faletau
    • Jones
    • Phillips Substitution Out (64′)
    • Hook Substitution Out (51′)
    • Williams Try
    • Roberts
    • Davies
    • North Substitution In (37′) Substitution Out (33′)
    • Halfpenny Try

    Subs

    • Jones Substitution In (51′) Substitution Out (37′)
    • Williams Substitution In (70′)
    • Jones Substitution In (55′)
    • Powell Substitution In (64′)
    • Bevington Substitution In (64′)
    • Burns Substitution In (70′)
    • Williams Substitution In (64′)

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

  • Australia

    Manager: Robbie Deans

    On the Field

    • Slipper
    • Polota-Nau Substitution Out (52′)
    • Ma'afu Substitution Out (60′)
    • Horwill Substitution Out (71′)
    • Sharpe Substitution Out (46′)
    • Higginbotham Substitution In (34′) Substitution Out (31′)
    • Pocock
    • McCalman Try
    • Genia Substitution Out (68′)
    • Cooper Substitution Out (22′)
    • Ioane
    • Barnes Try
    • Ashley-Cooper
    • O'Connor
    • Beale Substitution Out (10′)

    Subs

    • Burgess Substitution In (68′)
    • Alexander Substitution In (60′)
    • Faingaa Substitution In (52′)
    • Horne Substitution In (10′)
    • Simmons Substitution In (46′)
    • Fainga'a Substitution In (22′)
    • Samo Substitution In (71′) Substitution Out (34′)

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

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