That’s all from me, but our match report will be online shortly. That was a frantic, competitive game, and one where Wales can point to several missed opportunities, and perhaps a little injustice in Beale’s killer breakaway.
In the end, it’s another win for Australia, one they deserved on the balance of play. They have won 13 in a row against Wales and are getting back to their formidable best – England will be up against it next weekend. Thanks for reading. Bye!
A quick chat with Michael Hooper: “Another tough Test match, it’s never easy to win here. I’m really proud of them digging in at the end there. Wales had new threats that we hadn’t seen before. I’m happy we dealt with them, and we got the win tonight.”
Alun Wyn Jones says he’s happy with the performance, and thinks they “should have won the game”. Not sure about that, but it certainly wasn’t the one-sided affair some Welsh fans feared.
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We’ve just seen a replay of Davies’ injury – it doesn’t look good, his left knee buckling underneath him under a challenge. He’s been carted off the field now, looking despondent.
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Full time: Wales 21-29 Australia
Halfpenny misses a very tricky conversion that would have put Wales within a converted try. Wales do get the ball back, but a forward pass ends the game. One sour note after a cracking match – Jonathan Davies is down hurt, still getting treatment as the whistle blows.
TRY! Wales 21-29 Australia (Amos)
Wales switch play to the left flank, where a high, looping pass finds Hallam Amos. He looks certain to score, but Koroibete does brilliantly to get across and make things difficult. Amos touches it down a split-second before he’s forced into touch, and after a long wait, the TMO awards the try!
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79 mins: Hooper is back on, but Coleman has gone off with an injury so Wales still have an advantage. Can they make it count? Biggar kicks for the corner and from the resulting maul, Dacey is the latest man to come up a foot short...
78 mins: With Hooper about to return, Wales make another charge for the line, with Aled Davies offloading to Jones. Amos picks it up and is held up under the posts, but the ball goes loose yet again!
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76 mins: Australia scrum, with Kurtley Beale making up the numbers and looking amusingly awkward. More changes for Wales: Kristian Dacey and Aled Davies replace Ken Owens and Gareth Davies, while debutants Sam Cross and Leon Brown are also on. Tomas Francis and Aaron Shingler are the men making way.
74 mins: Davies finds himself short of options after a ragged scrum, and tries to cut a path to the line. He comes up short, but Navidi relays to Jones – he dives for the line, but knocks the ball on! Gatland is a picture of frustration.
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73 mins: Davies waits patiently, then offloads as the Australia scrum collapses. Hallam Amos can’t find the space on the far side, but we’ll go back for another scrum. Hooper will be back on in four minutes, so they can’t take too long here...
72 mins: Wales win the lineout, and set up a maul that fails to roll. Gareth Davies looks for a gap, with Wales hesitant to swing the ball into the open field. Penalty advantage, so Jonathan Davies goes for a kick to the corner. It’s terrible, but no matter – they’ll reset for a scrum.
70 mins: Hunt needs treatment for a cut, and Australia have a scrum inside their own 22, with a man less in their pack. The ball runs loose, Australia are penalised for a wonky drive, and Biggar kicks for the corner...
69 mins: Gatland, perhaps recalling when Wales failed to make the man advantage count at the World Cup, throws on three fresh players – Nicky Smith, Cory Hill and debutant Owen Watkin. Rob Evans, Jake Ball and Owen Williams go off.
67 mins: Australia get a penalty just behind the halfway line, and Hodge decides to try and twist the knife – but his kick drops just short. Wales collect and rally upfield – and Michael Hooper is penalised at the breakdown! True to his word, Jackson orders the captain to the sin bin.
65 mins: Changes aplenty, with Hallam Amos replacing Steff Evans for Wales. Allan Alaalotaoa, Matt Philip and Ben McCalman are on for Australia, replacing Kepu, Simmons and Hannigan.
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TRY! Wales 16-29 Australia (Beale)
Evans is under pressure from Kuridrani down the left, and as he cuts back inside, Kurtley Beale steals the ball craftily – and despite what looked like a knock-on, races downfield for the try! Foley converts after a quick review, and that’s a hammer blow for the hosts.
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62 mins: Wales with much more possession and momentum in the second half, but the key pass has been lacking. This time, Davies’ pass to Steff Evans is a fraction behind him, allowing Australia to steal the ball...
61 mins: Foley shifts from the up-and-unders to send a longer kick to Halfpenny. Wales push forward again and Navidi is in space – but holds on too long and tries a flashy pass to Liam Williams that floats into touch.
59 mins: Leigh Halfpenny takes the kick on from a few inches behind the halfway line. He has the distance – but it just drifts wide right! A tricky kick, but that would have been a nice bonus. Second change for the Wallabies – Stephen Moore is on for Polota-Nau.
57 mins: Silky stuff down the left from Evans, who kicks through to Davies and cuts outside to offer support. Australia hold firm and Wales move back inside, Hanigan taking Halfpenny off his feet with a ferocious tackle. Australia are penalised in the breakdown, and Jackson warns that the next one will result in a yellow card.
55 mins: No sign of the tempo slowing up – particularly from Wales, as Gareth Davies bombs down the right wing from a scrum – but just runs out of space. Australia take the lineout, McMahon grinding out a few extra yards, and Foley kicks clear.
53 mins: Wales have looked vulnerable after scoring throughout this match – but they’re back on the offensive here, until Faletau unexpectedly spills Halfpenny’s pass. First change for Australia, with the much-travelled Karmichael Hunt replacing Kerevi, who may have picked up a knock.
Wales 16-22 Australia (Halfpenny penalty)
Leigh Halfpenny doesn’t miss those, and Wales are back within a converted score.
50 mins: This feels more like your classic Gatland in the second half, with Jonathan Davies among the backs trying to blast a hole in the defence from the lineout. Coleman concedes two penalties in quick succession, and Wales opt to take the regulation three points...
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49 mins: Biggar kicks into touch, and Wales will have a lineout deep in Wallaby territory. A quick word on tackles – Wales have made 115, with Josh Navidi the team’s leader with 15 of them.
48 mins: From the scrum, Foley has far too long to line up his kick – but in the end, it’s looped into Steff Evans’ path. Jonathan Davies and Jake Ball try to make a dent in the Australian defence, and the visitors are penalised.
47 mins: You can hear the collective groan in Bristol as Jonathan Davies’ loose pass gives possession away – but Wales regroup and lovely hands from both Rob Evans and Faletau finds a gap for Steff Evans – but Hooper and McMahon, imposing as ever, shut the move down.
45 mins: Wales enjoy a spell of possession and Faletau finds Liam Williams on the overlap. His low kick is collected and cleared smartly by Beale, under pressure from Williams and Halfpenny.
43 mins: It means Australia are straight back at the hosts and even after a turnover, Wales hand the ball straight back. It’s a scrappy, tired-looking spell of play that ends in a forward pass from Genia to the on-rushing Rob Simmons. That said, Wales have had to soak up three minutes of pressure, unnecessarily.
Peep!
We’re back under way, as Jonathan Davies collects Foley’s kick-off. Biggar tries to kick for touch with his left, but it’s short and Reece Hodge collects it. They really need to stop doing this...
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Half time: Wales 13-22 Australia
Foley misses a tricky conversion, but the Wallabies have a nine-point lead. That was a cracking first half, but Wales must somehow rebound from that stoppage-time try, which was a bit of a sucker punch. Back in a bit.
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TRY! Wales 13-22 Australia (Hooper)
This one will hurt Wales, who had chances to break away but ended up pinned back as Will Genia looked for an opening. He found it in Kurtley Beale in front of the posts, who offloaded to Hooper. With a spare man outside, he darted inside and barrelled over, despite Gareth Davies’ best efforts.
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40 mins: Australia work through the phases from the lineout, inching towards the try line as the clock ticks past 40...
38 mins: Steff Evans’ clearing kick swirls into Foley’s vicinity, and he switches play left – but it’s knocked on, and Wales look for a breakaway. Davies’ looping pass to Evans drifts out of play, before Biggar has another word with one of Australia’s hulking forwards. Not sure which one – not sure it matters.
Wales 13-17 Australia (Halfpenny penalty)
The full-back runs through his pre-kick routine and slots the penalty between the posts. The gap is back down to four points, with three minutes of the half to go.
35 mins: Wales get a penalty advantage, and an Australian offside as Michael Hooper steps up early. It was actually called by Jaco Peyper, the assistant over on the far touchline. Halfpenny with a chance to reduce the deficit from 33 metres...
Wales 10-17 Australia (Hodge penalty)
Hodge lines it up and fires a heat-seeking missile right between the posts. I’m not sure it was possible to kick that better.
32 mins: Navidi gets isolated from a loose pass and is penalised for not releasing, the crowd growing restless with this stop-start stuff. The penalty is a long way out – 51m, close to the touchline – but Reece Hodge will have a bash...
30 mins: Liam Williams needs treatment after a hefty challenge, before the teams reassemble for a Wales scrum. After referee Glen Jackson warns the Welsh front row, the scrum moves and the hosts are penalised. Tomas Francis is the culprit, and Welsh frustration almost boils over with a few pleasantries exchanged.
28 mins: Wales stand up to the latest wave of Australian pressure and win a penalty, but a precise kick from Genia keeps them pegged back in their own half. Another penalty allows Biggar to kick for touch, and Wales have a dangerous lineout...
27 mins: A break in play as Coleman gets treatment for what commentator Jonathan Davies calls “a bang in the undercarriage” – a phrase that’s even better in a broad Llanelli accent.
26 mins: Wales have made 53 tackles so far to Australia’s 23, and the visitors keep the pressure on to force a knock-on. Australia have a scrum inside the Welsh 22, and this spell before the half-time break feels like it could be significant.
24 mins: Tevita Kuridrani did the damage there, his dummy taking Rob Evans out and leaving a gap for Coleman. Halfpenny is shaking off that collision – he was left in a tangle of limbs with Hodge in making that clearance.
TRY! Wales 10-14 Australia (Coleman)
Australia pick up the loose ball and after a period of terrific defence, Genia passes inside to Adam Coleman, who goes over untouched. Foley converts, and it’s not been dull so far.
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21 mins: 12 phases of relentless Australian pressure but Wales keep hanging on as Foley looks for gaps. A grubber kick looks to have set Reece Hodge up in the corner – but Halfpenny throws himself at the ball to scramble it away...
20 mins: Steff Evans will be pleased with that – he finished that off forcefully after a shaky first 15 minutes. Unfortunately for Wales, an immediate penalty has them straight on the back foot...
TRY! Wales 10-7 Australia (Steff Evans)
This is a terrific try from Wales! Davies gets backup from Jones and Faletau, who swings the ball left. It goes through Jonathan Davies, then Leigh Halfpenny, who finds Evans on the overlap. He has Kurtley Beale in his path but powers past him for the try – and Halfpenny converts from the far left touchline!
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17 mins: Wales are finding gaps, and scrum-half Gareth Davies bursts clear from a lineout. He jinks left and right, drawing defenders and opening up space on the opposite flank...
15 mins: Owen Williams gets involved for the first time as a flowing move makes space outside the narrow Wallabies defence. Jonathan Davies makes ground, but Steff Evans’ knock-on sucks the life out of the breakaway. Australia scrum, and Foley tidies up with a kick to touch.
TRY! Wales 3-7 Australia (Polota-Nau)
Polota-Nau takes the lineout and races to join the back of the maul. It rolls with little Welsh resistance over the line, and Australia lead! Foley then does the necessary to extend that lead.
11 mins: A lovely diagonal kick from Bernard Foley traps Steff Evans in the corner. He is bundled into touch, and just like that, Australia have a lineout just a few yards from the line...
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@niallmcveigh Aus Test match sharp maybe a tad fatigued but their tails are up after beating the AB’s a real test for Wales, Beale at 15 & WG at 9 the standout stars 4 the visitors who’s defence will be tighter than earlier in the season! Away win just!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) November 11, 2017
9 mins: Australia pile forward but concede another soft penalty deep in Wales territory, with Rob Simmons coming in at the side. A few sloppy mistakes from the visitors early on.
Wales 3-0 Australia (Halfpenny penalty)
It’s tucked away, ‘Bread of Heaven’ blares out, and everyone seems a little more hopeful in Cardiff.
7 mins: Jake Ball wins it and Faletau runs full pelt into the Australian defence, and finds out it’s made of brick. Wales keep battling and get a cheap penalty as Australia drift offside. Leigh Halfpenny will line it up in front of the posts...
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5 mins: The visitors are penalised in the scrum, but are quickly on the attack again. Ned Hanigan is held up by Alun Wyn Jones but switches the play left. It’s lost by Beale and a downfield kick by Biggar, and some terrific chasing by Liam Williams, puts Foley under pressure. He clears away, and Wales have a promising lineout.
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3 mins: Australia lineout which is launched deep by Tatafu Polota-Nau, but it’s not straight. The atmosphere is oddly subdued inside this gigantic stadium.
2 mins: Australia win the scrum but Liam Williams is on hand to force his opposite No14, Koroibete, into touch.
Peep!
Wales kick off, Australia launch an up-and-under and Talupe Faletau is penalised for an early knock-on.
The national anthems are belted out, and we’re moments away:
It’s Armistice Day, so both captains lay a wreath of poppies on the pitch, before the Last Post and a minute’s silence.
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Here’s Warren Gatland’s pre-game thoughts on Owen Williams, Steff Evans and Josh Navidi, all making their home debuts today.
“Looking at the size of the Australian side, I’m wondering do we need someone more physical in midfield? But looking ahead, we need a playmaker, someone like Gavin Henson, a ball-player at 12, and Owen can do that.
“Josh Navidi has done well for Cardiff, he can play it all across the back row, he’s a very strong ball carrier. Steff has a licence to get on the ball, and try to excite the crowd.”
England have prevailed, beating Argentina 21-8 at Twickenham. Elsewhere, Scotland edged a thriller against Samoa by 44-38. England take on Australia next weekend, while Wales welcome Georgia, New Zealand and South Africa later in the series. Woof!
This will be a tough assignment for Wales, with Australia the more settled side. Gatland’s shake-up is partly tactical, but there are plenty of injuries too, with George North, Sam Warburton, Rhys Webb and Justin Tipuric – four of his strongest players – all unavailable. The visitors’ biggest miss will be Israel Folau, who is taking a break from international rugby and missing the autumn Tests.
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England are on course for victory over Argentina at Twickenham, with just under 15 minutes to play. Join m’colleague Simon Burnton for that one:
The teams
Wales: Leigh Halfpenny, Liam Williams, Jonathan Davies, Owen Williams, Steff Evans, Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Rob Evans, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Jake Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (c), Aaron Shingler, Josh Navidi, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Kristian Dacey, Nicky Smith, Leon Brown, Cory Hill, Sam Cross, Aled Davies, Owen Watkin, Hallam Amos.
Australia: Kurtley Beale, Marika Koroibete, Tevita Kuridrani, Samu Kerevi, Reece Hodge, Bernard Foley, Will Genia; Scott Sio, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Sekope Kepu, Rob Simmons, Adam Coleman, Ned Hanigan, Michael Hooper (c), Sean McMahon.
Replacements: Stephen Moore, Tom Robertson, Allan Alaalatoa, Matt Philip, Ben McCalman, Nick Phipps, Karmichael Hunt, Henry Speight.
Preamble
Crash! Wales have had a rough time of it against Australia recently. Biff! Twelve defeats in a row going back to 2008. Kerpow! Beaten by a nose in both of the last two World Cups. Bash! Taking Ls in their last seven home Tests to the Wallabies. Oof! Going down by 24 points last year as Bernard Foley worked his magic.
The home fans would love the punishment to end today, but Warren Gatland is more concerned with the long game, with the Wallabies in Wales’s 2019 World Cup pool. There are changes in personnel and philosophy as Gatland looks to inject some pizzazz into his brawny backline with Gloucester’s Owen Williams in at centre.
Going toe-to-toe with an improving Australian side, who have Kurtley Beale and plenty more ready to punch holes in the home defence, could prove another bruising experience. On the other hand, if Gatland’s bold selection moves pay off as they did in New Zealand, this could be a thriller. Kick off is at 5.15pm GMT, an eye-watering 4.15am in Sydney.
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