Wales beat Australia for the first time since 1987 with a 24-22 victory in a rugby union international on Saturday.
Missing five British and Irish Lions in Gavin Henson, Gethin Jenkins, Dwayne Peel, Ryan Jones and Tom Shanklin, Wales dominated possession through their forwards’ scrummaging and mauling advantage.
Flyhalf Stephen Jones kicked 14 points.
”The guys out there were magnificent,” Wales coach Mike Ruddock said. ”It’s got to be right up there as a top performance, if not the top performance, although in many ways the result was the most important thing.”
Australia scored three tries to two at the 74 000-capacity Millennium Stadium, but Wales’s first win against the Wallabies since the 1987 World Cup third-place play-off heaped more pressure on the embattled visitors’ leaders.
Captain George Gregan led the Wallabies for the 50th time in his 118th Test. Gregan, who was substituted with almost 30 minutes left, is reportedly considering retirement with his position in the team no longer assured, according to Australian media.
Australia coach Eddie Jones’s future is also in doubt after his team won one game on its four-Test tour this month. He is due to front the Australian Rugby Union board next month with the Wallabies winning just one of his past nine Test matches.
”We’re disappointed we lost the game,” Jones said. ”We created enough opportunities to be 10-12 points ahead at half-time and enough in the second half to be 15-20 ahead. That’s frustrating. The effort’s there; we’re just not finishing off.”
Wales winger Shane Williams’s score followed a penalty try, while centre Lote Tuqiri, lock Nathan Sharpe and fullback Chris Latham touched down for the Wallabies.
In the fourth minute, Australia were caught offside after a handling error and Jones kicked the penalty for Wales to lead 3-0.
Wales then broke out from their own quarter with several players handling — including a 20m, sidestepping run from prop Duncan Jones — before Jones knocked on 15m out from the try line.
Ten minutes later, Australia scored when flyhalf Mat Rogers sliced through Wales’s defence from a line-out and passed inside for Tuqiri to touch down under the posts. Rogers converted for 7-3.
The Wallabies had another great chance moments later, but flanker Phil Waugh was tackled 10m out with winger Drew Mitchell unmarked outside him.
In the 24th minute, Rogers missed a shot at goal after a ruck infringement, with Wales immediately counter-attacking to recycle phase after phase in Australia’s 22. But a spilt ball as the forwards prepared to drive over the try line enabled Australia to relieve the pressure.
In the 39th, a penalty against the Australia scrum — their weakness all match long — allowed Jones to kick straight for Australia to lead 7-6 at half-time.
Two minutes after the interval, Latham made a half-break into the Welsh quarter and his pass as he went to ground allowed Sharpe to score. Rogers converted for 14-6.
English referee Tony Spreadbury awarded Wales a penalty try in the 47th when Australia’s scrum collapsed for the second time 5m out. Jones kicked the conversion and the Wallabies led by one.
”The scrum has been undervalued in the modern game and it was great to get a penalty try,” Ruddock said.
Australia prop David Fitter was soon replaced by Al Baxter as Wales sought to exploit their advantage in the set-piece.
In the 55th minute, Williams kicked through from the halfway line for captain Gareth Thomas to collect and pass back for the Welsh winger to score out wide. Jones missed the conversion, but Wales led 18-14.
Two minutes later, Jones kicked a 50m penalty goal.
Rogers reduced the margin by three points in the 63rd, but Jones kicked another penalty two minutes later.
In the 73rd, Latham scored when he toed through a kick from Tuqiri, who had split the defence from 60m out. But Rogers’s conversion was wide and Wales held on to win.
Australia beat Ireland 30-14 last week, but lost to France 26-16 and England 23-18.
Jones will address the nine-member Australian Rugby Union board on December 8 and 9 to review the tour.
”I coached as well as I could today,” Jones said. ”We’ve got the nucleus to win the World Cup. Definitely we have to develop players up front, but this side will develop over the next 18 months.” — Sapa-AP