Wallaroos claim quarter-finals spot in shaky win over Wales
Australia flirted with late disaster before finding a pathway into the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, beating Wales 13-7 on Saturday.
The Wallaroos are into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals after clinging on for a 13-7 victory over Wales.
Two converted Lori Cramer penalties were the difference in Whangarei, where Australia underwhelmed on their way to a tight victory.
Australia were dominant in possession but disjointed in attack, scoring just once despite 12 visits to the Welsh 22.
Running into the wind, Australia boasted a 10-7 lead at half-time, with Iliseva Batibasaga’s fifth-minute try cancelled out by Sioned Harries’ effort.
The stage was set for the Wallaroos to run over the top of Wales, but time and again Australia turned over possession in an infuriating afternoon for coach Jay Tregonning.
Kaitlan Leaney’s 70th-minute yellow card gave Wales a look at a mighty upset and their first-ever win over Australia, but the Wallaroos successfully starved them of the ball to prevail in unconvincing circumstances.
On the bright side Grace Hamilton was immense with 16 carries, a stat she now leads at the tournament, and after back-to-back victories for the first time under Tregonning the Wallaroos are alive in the tournament.
After losing to hosts New Zealand in their opening match, Australia bounced back to beat Scotland last weekend before their Welsh triumph on Saturday.
Australia must now play a waiting game to learn their next opponents in the tournament with the top eight sides ranked from their group stage play.
Wales, who also beat Scotland and lost to New Zealand, must wait to see whether they qualify for the next round.
On another blustery day at Northland Events Centre, Wales enjoyed the winds at their back early but started flat-footed, allowing Batibasaga to steal a fourth-minute lead.
The half-back looked to dish from a breakdown but found no takers, spinning 360 degrees and finding a path to the try line, running in under the posts unattended.
Lori Cramer converted for an early 7-0 lead.
Australia were dominant early, with 80 per cent possession up until the moment they let Wales back into the contest.
Four phases after a lineout – the source of four Wales tries at this tournament – Harries dived for the line and found it, and soon the score was 7-7.
Bienne Terita’s barnstorming run down the middle threatened to give the Wallaroos a second try, but they had to be content with a 10-7 lead after Cramer’s late penalty.
Arabella Mackenzie went over the line shortly after the break only to be denied by stoic Welsh defence.
What followed was 25 minutes of clumsy rugby with the Wallaroos flirting with disaster.
Tregonning fumed in the box, throwing his pen in frustration as opportunities passed them by.
In the 70th-minute Leaney offered Wales a pathway to victory when she shoulder-charged Alex Callender, but the Wallaroos finished the scoring through Cramer’s boot in the 78th minute.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments