Wallaroos overcome red card to outlast Wales in dramatic WXV finish
The final round of WXV1 kicked off in Auckland with a confident Australian team coming off the back of an upset win over France facing a Welsh side hungry for their first win of the tournament.
Australia survived a red card to start the second half to outlast Wales in what would be a nailbiting Test that came right down to the wire. The win hands Jay Tregonning the “fairytale finish” Australia wanted to give their departing head coach.
The conditions were perfect as Wales got the game underway, kicking off into the Mt Smart sky and looking to pin the Wallaroos deep in their half early.
The Welsh defence was well-organised and consistent, but the lack of pressure at the breakdown allowed the Wallaroos to attack for endless phases.
Unable to break the Welsh line, Australia started to bring some cross-field kicks into their attack, an adjustment that finally fractured Wales’ line and handed the Wallaroos’ electric backs a chance to stretch their legs. The ball movement was exceptional once space was found, offloads were given inside and out as Australia sniffed the try line.
It was Maya Stewart who finished the play for the Wallaroos, running it in after Carys Dallinger dodged three tacklers and drew in a fourth to create the overlap.
Welsh prop Sisilia Tuipulotu was a physical force all evening, winning every collision she was involved in and driving her way upfield regardless of whether it was in a carry or tackle.
Following Stewart’s try, Wales set up camp in Australia’s half. Also finding success in high-phase attack, the Welsh piled pressure on and Australia eventually cracked, allowing a lineout drive just five metres out. Carys Phillips rumbled over hanging on to the back of the Welsh maul.
Keira Bevan’s conversion handed Wales the lead at the half-hour mark.
Points were hard to come by, and both teams struggled to get any pay out of their high-phase attack. Australia’s decision to take the three points when awarded a penalty in the 33rd minute was a reflection of the game’s tight nature.
Dallinger’s accuracy with her second kick of the night lifted Australia to an 8-7 lead at the break.
A monster Welsh clearance off the kick-off had Australia on the back foot to start the second half. Throughout the first 40, Australia had proved more capable in exiting their half, but Wales denied them a chance to kick on their own terms.
A counter-attacking opportunity was cut short for Wales when Jasmine Joyce was hit high by Siokapesi Palu, who after a review was handed a red card.
Forced to play out the remaining 39 minutes with 14 players, Australia were backed in their own 22. After two chip kicks fell just out of reach of the Welsh chasers, the forwards decided it was their turn for a strike and set up another rolling maul.
The drive was sacked illegally by Australia and the one-player disadvantage turned to two as a penalty try was awarded to Wales and Sera Naiqama was handed a yellow card.
Wales looked sure to take control with the numerical advantage but a sloppy lineout handed Australia possession in the Wesh half.
The Wallaroos’ attack while down two players was daring and ambitious, putting in another chip kick which was regathered and winning a breakdown penalty. Kicking for the corner, Australia set up their lineout without a blindside flanker or lock.
Cue Eva Karpani, the hat trick hero and Player of the Match from a week ago. The prop snaffled the ball at the back of the dysfunctional Australian maul and simply refused to be tackled, powering through three tacklers for one of the most impressive scoring efforts of the tournament.
The Wallaroos roared as the Welsh lead was reduced to one. The cards had galvanised Australia, who proceeded to defend with renewed energy, holding Wales out to win the 10 minutes Naiqama spent sidelined.
Both sides struggled to make it into the 22 as the final quarter started in a fashion similar to the first.
A break from Carys Dallinger off a scrappy lineout earned Australia an attacking opportunity near the try line, a significant overlap on the right side of the field made it look as if it was the Wallaroos with the extra player on the field. It was again some ambitious cross-field kicking that put the Wallaroos in a position to score and Lori Cramer was the player to pounce on the ball and ground it.
A wide conversion from Dallinger just snuck through the posts to make the lead six.
Ivania Wong looked to put the game beyond reach five minutes later as fatigue hit Wales and Australia found their rhythm on attack.
The mad closing period was only just beginning though as Kelsey Jones crossed in the corner. With the Australian lead reduced to six just two minutes from full-time, Lleucu George found touch with a 50-22, winning her team one last crack at a win.
The final play of the game was a rolling maul, desperately defended by Australia who won the penalty. The final whistle was blown after some pushes and shoves were reviewed and Australia hung on for the dramatic win.
Comments on RugbyPass
“See you in the final” from a winning (Irish) team is just away of wishing a team well for the rest of the tournament. It’s actually saying I hope we both make it to the final. Etzebeth was the only player who PUBLICLY said that his team would make the final after that match. Does anyone honestly think Ireland who took 100 years to beat NZ and got hammerred by them in 2019 would for the slightest moment not take the perilous threat as seriously as it should be taken? Getting sick of Boks and Kiwis who spend all year every year trying to out boast eachother accusing others of arrogance. Respect people by trying to understand them before hitting a pretty humble people with this crap.
8 Go to commentsThe feelings of gratitude I feel when thinking about the Boks is difficult to describe. It really means a lot to people here. I would flat out ask Ox for a big hug if I met him in person. And then probably pass out after the squeeze. Totally worth it.
1 Go to commentsFarrell seems to be an outstanding coach and Ireland a very well prepared team. But they looked like they had no plan B against NZ. Maybe they really were looking past them, as Eben says.
8 Go to commentsMaybe if you come once in your life in France you won’t writte so much nonsense 🙃
1 Go to commentsWhy did they kill 14 people at a gaelic football match? What had happened earlier that day? Dowson sounds absolutely pathetic, believing what the Irish say about his people, rather than believing what his people say about the Irish.
4 Go to commentsI haven't really experienced the Irish as arrogant but I guess the players maybe got ahead of themselves after a big win. Just thought it being Ireland and their love afair with WC QF exits and it being the ABs maybe they would have taken it a bit more seriously. Maybe they did and just lost anyways, who knows.
8 Go to commentsNot surprising, they tend to get very carried away with themselves very quickly. I’ve never seen a team so devastated at the final whistle than those irish players in that QF, you’d think they had lost the final.
8 Go to commentsJust a roundabout way of claiming to great fun. Self -praise is no praise, frenchie.
1 Go to commentsIreland have played the ABs since the first game 1905 a total of 37 times. The ABs have won 32 and Ireland 5 times. If we look since the first WC, then they have played each other 28 times. All Ireland’s 5 wins have come since 2016. So the ABs won 23 games. Since Ireland won their first game in 2016, they have won 5 and the ABs 4 times. Fairly even. Whatever anyone says, beating ABs consistently is bloody difficult, and when you manage to win a few, show respect to them. Period.
205 Go to comments‘Mom'.
1 Go to commentsA specialist in hitting smaller guys hard and late. Serial cheap shot merchant who deserves more than the usual token sanction for such actions.
1 Go to commentsI like to see the Crusaders lose as much as the next non-Crusaders fan, but the fact that most of their best players have not been available this year is being hand waved away like it shouldn’t effect them. It’s no coincidence that their first dominant performance came when they had more of their best players back. This is not rocket science. If they can stay fit their team at the business end of the season will include Tamaiti Williams, Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell, Scott Barrett, Quentin Strange, Ethan Blackadder and Cullen Grace in the forwards - most of whom have barely, or not played this year. That is an outstanding pack that have not played together this season. McLeod, Havili, Aumua, Reece, and Halfpenny will be a very different prospect behind their first choice pack as well. Having said all that Penney’s record is scratchy at best, but given the players that have left and their injury list I’m reserving judgement. Penney’s appointment, a bit like Foz, has a similar stench of the incumbent having too much say in his replacement. They are lacking a truly high quality and experienced 10 which will make it hard for them to go the whole way IMO, but the list of teams who would want to play them in the finals will be very short.
17 Go to commentsWhere’s this people's champion come from? Irish people yes….other people? Their arrogance has become breathtaking. Not tested? Oh dear.
205 Go to commentsIf a coach having Crusaders heritage is so sacrosanct, why did the Crusaders not pursue Vern Cotter as Scott Robertson’s replacement?
17 Go to commentsFinau is definitely operating on razor thin margins. He hasn’t done anything wrong… yet. But a player going into contact 6 inches lower than he is expecting, without him even knowing, will end in disaster. You can imagine a situation where the pass dies on Edmed and he has to bend down a little lower to catch it at the last second. Finau’s hit would have been catastrophic. The margins are just too fine. He needs to study how PSDT, at 6’7”, manages to drop his tackle height and exert just as much force with close zero danger of taking someone’s head off. Given how poorly NZ has adapted to lower their tackle height, and that this issue which has plagued the ABs for years and played a big part in them not winning the World Cup, I thought NZR and all SR coaches would be prioritising sorting this issue out. If I was Razor I would be on the phone to Clayton MacMillan and Samipeni Finau saying exactly that. Finau is a monster and shaping up to be the closest thing to Kaino since Kaino, but I wouldn’t risk selecting him for the ABs at the moment.
18 Go to commentsThe surprising stat I saw in the Blues game when showing Sotutu equaling the Blues forwards record was that Akira has not scored a try since 2019. Now my memory is pretty bad when it comes to those sorts of the things, I can remember his AB try though, but anyway I can’t see I can remember his last blues touchdown or any in recent years. Surely that still has to be a bogus stat. Maybe excludes SRA games?
3 Go to commentsDude to me looks pretty fast for a big man, nearly 2m and 130kg, in his workout vid he was signed off. Possibly a bit slow on his reads movement wise though, but I’ve not got anything to compare him to. Hope the dude nails it and finds his sport, could have been a devastating lock in rugby if he wasn’t a footballer growing up.
4 Go to commentsWell, does that make it every year Moana has lost it’s best player the following year? Normally it’s more immediate I guess, at least there best player had a follow up year this time.
1 Go to commentsFinally, an answer to Dan Carter.
1 Go to commentsNever read such tripe. He was hit just as he passed the ball which was reviewed and deemed legal by yes the Australian TMO and referee
18 Go to comments