As someone once said, it’s never just a question of nudging in front of Australia in any sporting contest.
Ask the Wales rugby players of 2012.
They had Sam Warburton, Mike Phillips, Leigh Halfpenny, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts and Ryan Jones on the pitch when they agonisingly lost 25-23 to the last kick of the game in the second Test in Melbourne.
A week later they had the likes of Adam Jones, Phillips, Jones, Dan Lydiate, Halfpenny, Davies, Davies and George North on the field when they fell 20-19 in Sydney, with a Berrick Barnes penalty five minutes from time securing victory for the hosts.
The despair didn’t end there for Wales.
Later that year, Warburton, Roberts, Jenkins, Phillips, Halfpenny and others couldn’t stop Kurtley Beale from breaking Welsh hearts with an 80th minute try that secured the Wallabies a 14-12 win in Cardiff.
Always, these guys play to the final whistle.
One writer once argued that only when an Australian team are buried 12ft under with a padlock securely applied to the coffin can opponents feel sure their work is done for the day.
Credit to the Welsh side on the field in those final moments for getting the job done last Saturday, then.
Yes, Australia were down to 14 men.
But they were still dangerous and Wales finished the game with a team nobody would have imagined closing out victory over Rugby Championship opponents a year or so ago. It was the first time Wales had completed three consecutive wins over Australia in 46 years.
The Welsh pack contained a teenager and two others who were 22 or under. One of the props had just three caps, the first gained at the age of 27, and holding matters together at lock was a player who had previously started just three Tests in the engine room.
The finishing Wales line-up deserves closer scrutiny, particularly the forward unit that didn't contain one first-choice player, while plenty are arguably not even second or third choice.
Although Wales have been far from convincing over the past few weeks, the almost unthinkable team that finished things off actually offers some real reasons to be positive going forward.
Gareth Thomas
Ospreys TV once asked him what superpower he would like to have.
Thomas replied that he wouldn’t mind being able to make himself invisible.
For the early part of his time in the professional game, it seemed selectors were giving him a hand on that front: in his first three years at the Ospreys he made just seven starts.
But good things come to those who wait and eventually the west Walian started making regular appearances in the run-on Ospreys side.
A Test spot still seemed some way off, mind.
But a couple of big scrummaging displays last season, one of them against Connacht, helped catch the eye and Thomas won his first cap in the summer, at the age of 27, reward for perseverance.
He almost cost Wales with a yellow card against Australia but put in some carries and tackles in those tense final exchanges.
Elliot Dee
A neck injury appeared to have ended the 2021 autumn Test hopes of a player who'd won 30 of his previous 40 caps off the bench.
But he featured for Dragons A against the Scarlets and that was good enough for Wales Pivac — back Dee came into the set-up.
There were three good runs from him during his time on the pitch, helping Wales over the advantage line.
Dillon Lewis
He’d made a big impact off the bench a week earlier, and the Cardiff player didn’t do badly again with his defending and punchy carrying.
Ben Carter
This time last year he hadn’t even made his regional debut.
When it did come Carter banged in 31 tackles without missing against Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun.
Call that some impact.
He’s still only 20, but he came on after 15 minutes on Saturday and fronted up against the likes of Will Skelton, Rory Arnold and Izaac Rodda, giants all.
Seb Davies
He had started only three Tests in his preferred position of lock, with his other appearances in the run-on side coming at flanker and No. 8.
Not in doubt was his ability to get around the field.
For Cardiff, Davies is one of the most mobile and athletic locks in the United Rugby Championship.
If there was a shade of concern about his ability to operate in the trenches, the 6ft 6in forward delivered on the day with a hard-working effort that included 10 tackles.
Christ Tshiunza
The young giant only finished school in Whitchurch last year.
And, barely a month ago, he was playing university rugby.
But get used to him, because he's going to be around for a long time.
Against Fiji, the 19-year-old came off the bench and helped check the islanders with some uncompromising defence.
He was to the fore with a couple of serious drives to the Wallaby line in the final stages on Saturday, one of them coming close to registering a try.
For the Wales coaches, it was more than a bit encouraging.
Taine Basham
Celebrated his 22nd birthday earlier this month.
He had started this season in low gear, with a couple of appearances off the bench for the Dragons.
But his first start of the campaign saw him put in one of the displays of the campaign with an immense effort against Connacht. There followed another powerful display against the Stormers.
He’s played so well in the autumn Tests that one rugby writer was moved to include him in his World XV.
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Aaron Wainwright
A fringe player when Wales won the Six Nations last year, with Taulupe Faletau occupying the No. 8 jersey.
But Wainwright has stuck at it and performed manfully in Faletau's absence in recent months.
Looking at the backline that finished, only Liam Williams and Josh Adams were nailed-on Wales starters heading into this autumn.
Rhys Priestland is 35 in January, Johnny McNicholl appeared ed to have drifted out of the Wales picture earlier this year and Gareth Davies had seen Tomos Williams usurp him as Pivac’s top scrum-half pick.
And Willis Halaholo’s autumn campaign had seemed in danger of coming to nothing after illness, while Nick Tompkins had been on the margins for the Six Nations.
But the unlikely XV were able to find the skill and spirit to hit back from a losing position in those final seconds.
It spoke volumes for all concerned.
Wales team that finished against Australia : Liam Williams; Johnny McNicholl, Nick Tompkins, Willis Halaholo, Josh Adams; Rhys Priestland, Gareth Davies; Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Dillon Lewis, Ben Carter, Seb Davies, Christ Tshiunza, Taine Basham, Aaron Wainwright.
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