- Warren Gatland’s side suffered their ninth consecutive defeat in Melbourne
- Australia made Wales pay dearly for several mistakes at the end of the match
- Dewi Lake would score two tries for the tourists, with Liam Williams also scoring.
International rugby matches can be decided by narrow margins and, at the highest level, mistakes by one team are often punished by the opponent.
These are two lessons Wales’ young players learned in abundance in Melbourne on Saturday as Warren Gatland’s side suffered their ninth consecutive defeat.
Wales did a lot of good things at AAMI Park. They scored four tries, two of which came from their excellent captain Dewi Lake, thanks to the source of profit that was their maul.
But after each of those efforts, as well as Liam Williams’ second-half try, Gatland’s side conceded crucial penalties that allowed Joe Schmidt’s Australia to counter-attack directly.
This took the momentum out of the Welsh revival attempt.
“We worked really hard to get our points and we showed a certain inexperience in giving them points away,” admitted Gatland, whose side are on a winless run that is now just one away from the worst in the country’s history.
Wales lost 10 consecutive games between 2002 and 2003. Gatland’s current crop will equal that run if they lose to home Australian side Queensland Reds on Friday.
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Gatland has won just six of 21 Tests since returning to the Welsh rugby top job at the end of 2022 and added: ‘That was disappointing because there were a number of points they didn’t have to work too hard for. I can’t fault the effort. We’ve got a young group who need to learn from these experiences. There were six points from two starts when we didn’t get out.
‘These are very important moments. I assure you that this team is going to be really good. There is great enthusiasm within this group. The difference is that they (Australia) are probably a bit more street smart.’
Wales trailed 17-0 after 25 minutes when the Wallabies went through through Filipo Daugunu and Jake Gordon. The second of those goals came after another Welsh error, when Cameron Winnett failed to catch a high ball. Daugunu capped a long-field attack started by Andrew Kellaway. Lake responded with two goals and Australia second-row Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was shown a yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Archie Griffin, but Noah Lolesio’s boot helped the Wallabies maintain control at 23-14.
When Williams crossed early in the second period and Ben Thomas converted after earlier missing a simple penalty with his first try of the day, Wales were two points within reach and sensing their first victory on Australian soil since 1969. Such a success would have been invaluable to the confidence of Gatland’s next generation.
But as soon as play resumed, Williams gave away a penalty which gave Australia field position from which Allan Alaalatoa charged in. Then came the decisive moment of the match.
It was another case of Wales shooting themselves in the foot. When Australia kicked into the box, there didn’t seem to be much danger. Williams leapt acrobatically into the air to keep the ball in play and pass the ball to substitute Kieran Hardy. But the two weren’t on the same page and home winger Daugunu kept up the pace and raced in to score.
It was an Australian goal wrapped in red by Wales. You can’t expect to win Test matches if you’re giving away tries to teams like that.
Gatland’s side will now have to deal with some nervous moments as they prepare to face the Reds. If they lose to a side from another club, the knives are likely to be sharpened even further.
Lake, James Botham and Griffin were Wales’ standout players in Melbourne and offered hope for the future.
“Losing is always a bitter pill to swallow, especially when you’re trying so hard. Unfortunately, we brought it on ourselves by allowing them to advance,” hooker Lake said.
“We have a never-give-up attitude, but that has to last 80 minutes. Small inaccuracies take their toll on us.”
Wales had late hopes thanks to a fine finish from Rio Dyer, but predictably, a lack of discipline allowed Australia to close out the game. Wales also need to look at their line-out.
Two key shots by Lake’s replacement, Evan Lloyd, missed the mark late.
This meant Australia finished their first series under new coach Schmidt with a 2-0 scoreline.
“I’m relieved. I thought the Welsh were great,” Schmidt said. “I love the way Lake leads them and when you’re up 17-0, you want to keep that lead on the scoreboard.”
“But from there, Lake took them back to the next round and from there it was all arm wrestling. We had to work hard. Our results were a bit fortuitous.
“I still think we have a lot to learn from each other.”
