Wales put one foot in the World Cup quarter-finals and announced themselves as major title contenders after beating Australia 29-25 at Tokyo Stadium.
The Six Nations champions took charge of Pool D with a second successive win that could lead to a last-eight clash against France or Argentina.
Australia, though, might be hurtling towards a knockout tie with England, who are coached by former Wallabies boss Eddie Jones, despite staging a spectacular second-half fightback.
Hello all and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of this morning's Rugby World Cup clash between Australia and Wales.
I'll be bringing you all the live action, reaction and analysis from Tokyo - so make sure to stay tuned!
I'll be bringing you all the live action, reaction and analysis from Tokyo - so make sure to stay tuned!
I'm back and in place at the Tokyo Stadium. It looks like it's going to be a hot one today... The temperature is pushing up to 30C, with humidity levels currently at 71%. The conditions are going to be draining out there - fitness will play a crucial role in the final 20 minutes when the tanks are close to empty.
Right, let's take a look at the teams.
First, Wales. Warren Gatland has named an unchanged side from the one that ran out against Georgia at the start of the week. There had been doubts over Hadleigh Parkes, after he broke a bone in his hand during Monday's match, but looks like he's been given the green light to partner Jonathan Davies in the centre.
There is one alteration on the Wales bench as centre Owen Watkin comes in for full-back Leigh Halfpenny to offer cover for Parkes.
It's also another big game for captain Alun Wyn Jones. The lock will win a record 130th cap, surpassing the previous mark set by Gethin Jenkins.
Gatland's stuck with a winning formula for today's match. Wales flew out the blocks on Monday, scoring after just two minutes, and looked to be cruising before the Georgians fought back in the second half.
Despite allowing their opponents back into that match, you still feel this is Gatland's strongest available XV. The forwards will have a fight on their hands - especially with the threat posed by David Pocock and Michael Hooper - and the set-piece is going to be another focal point as the Aussies attempt to exploit one of Wales' weaker points.
There's also going to be a lot expected of the Welsh back three. When they're firing on all cylinders, Liam Williams, Josh Adams and George North can prove to be an unstoppable force. The Six Nations champions will need to utilise the high ball to put the trio to good use and keep the pressure on Australia's own backline.
Anticipating that the high ball is going to be fiercely contested, Michael Cheika has made a number of changes to the side that beat Fiji.
The half-back pairing of Will Genia and Bernard Foley has been recalled, while Dane Haylett-Petty replaces Kurtley Beale at full-back. Beale isn't known for his aerial supremacy, the hope being that Haylett-Petty can offer more resistance in the air to Wales' flying backline.
And the suspension of Reece Hoodge has forced a swap on the wing, with utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper stepping in to fill his place.
It's a side oozing with experience, which will no doubt come in handy as this Test heats up throughout the afternoon.
There's been plenty said in the build-up to this match. I met with Shane Williams earlier in the week who, among other things, spoke on what this game will mean for the two sides moving forward. That, and more, below:
Bit of a tangent here, but on my travels I've picked up a lot of useless trivia that I'm not really going to be able to put to use in the future. So, on the topic of Wales, here's one for you. According to one train conductor I spoke to this week, the equivalent of the Welsh population passes through Shinjuku station (a bit left from the centre of Tokyo) on a daily basis. It's apparently the largest station in the world - and I can confirm it's an absolute labyrinth to navigate.
See, what did I tell you, completely useless. You can keep that one for a rainy day, folks.
Some head-to-head stats for you:
- Australia and Wales have played on 42 occasions, with Australia leading the head-to-head 30-11 with one draw.
- Australia and Wales have played six matches at the Rugby World Cup over the years, Australia winning five of them. Wales's sole victory over the Wallabies came in 1987.
- Wales ended a run of 13 consecutive defeats against Australia when they won their last encounter 9-6 in November 2018.
Although everyone is fully aware that today’s game is likely to decide the winner of Pool D, thereby setting up a possible quarter-final showdown with either France or Argentina, Warren Gatland hasn’t been getting ahead of himself.
“We have not really looked too far ahead,” he said this week. “If you do get out of the group, all quarter-finals are going to be pretty tough. It is about taking one game at a time and trying to build and create momentum.
"We feel as if we are a team who are capable of doing that, the longer we go in tournaments we feel as if we get better and more cohesive.
"It is a pretty good start in the first game. It is going to be a tough Australian team, but we have had some close battles in recent times and were good enough to get a win last time. I think it's going to be a great game."
Australia head coach Michael Cheika was a bit more outspoken in his pre-match press conference as he addressed Reece Hoodge's suspension for his dangerous tackle on Fiji's Peceli Yato.
“There has been some chat about the players not being told about the framework: the judge put it in there," Cheika said this week. "I want to make a couple of points. The framework is for referees, not the players, and used to decide whether there are red or yellow cards in a game. In my view, the officials in this tournament are using that framework very well.
“Second, our players are coached to tackle around the middle where they can dislodge the ball. We do not need the framework to tell them how to tackle. I am not sure where that is coming from and I do not know why it was put in the judgement.
“I do not know why they did it. I do not particularly want to talk about this today because there is a part of it which is us versus everyone else. We know that and we are not going to let it derail us. We will suck it up and get focused on what is important – the match on Sunday. We are not going to let them get to us. We will concentrate on our footy and do our best for Australia.”
‘It is now or never for Wales – they won’t get a better chance to beat Australia’
Rugby writer Sam Peters has cast his eye over today’s fixture. Give it a read. Offers some great insight on the dynamics of this rivalry:
Australia done with their final preparations and head down into the tunnel.
Wales not far behind. Just under 15 minutes to go until kick-off!
A reminder of how today's teams line up:
Wales XV: L Williams; North, Jonathan Davies, Parkes, Adams; Biggar, G Davies; Wyn Jones, Owens, Francis, Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Wainwright, Tipuric, Navidi.
Replacements: Smith, Dee, Lewis, Shingler, Moriarty, T Williams, Patchell, Watkin.
Australia XV: Haylett-Petty; Ashley-Cooper, O'Connor, Kerevi, Koroibete; Foley, Genia; Sio, Latu, Alaalatoa, Rodda, Arnold, Pocock, Hooper (capt), Naisarani.
Replacements: Uelese, Slipper, Kepu, Coleman, Salakaia-Loto, White, To'omua, Beale.
And here come the teams! Five minutes until kick-off. It's going to be a big one!
Wyn Jones bursts out onto the pitch ahead of his teammates. Steady big fella, you're going to need some of that energy for later on.
Right, national anthem time. Brb.
Considerably more Aussies here at the Tokyo Stadium, with large chunks of the stadium filled out by those in yellow. A big effort on their national anthem too.
Okay, here we go. Seconds away.
KICK-OFF! Dan Biggar gets us under way, sending it high and deep.
1 min: Australia 0-3 Wales (Biggar drop-goal)
The perfect start for Wales! Michael Hooper claims possession off the kick but the Welsh are straight in to force the turnover on Australia's 22. After setting themselves up, it's sent back to Biggar who guides the ball straight through the posts.
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