Disappointing end to exciting match
In an anti-climactic end to a terrific match, Wales and Australia opened the November international season with a 29-all draw at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.
After the Welsh had clawed their way back from 17-6 down after 20 minutes to lead 26-17, tries by Chris Latham and Cameron Shepherd took the Wallabies 29-26 ahead, but James Hook -- on for Stephen Jones and delivering a flawless performance -- kicked a nerveless penalty to level the scores.
Hook then had the final play of the match, a superb touch-finder to Australia's corner, but referee Steve Walsh then blew for the end of the match, leaving the Welsh scratching their heads and wondering about the time-keeping once again.
What a great day for rugby football! A great game on a great field before a great crowd -- a grand occasion. The sun certainly shone in Cardiff, literally and metaphorically. And the irony of it was that at the end there were two disappointed sides. Two.
Perhaps what the great New Zealander Tom Pearce famously said -- "drawing is like kissing your sister" -- applied here.
The Wallabies were disappointed, for they wanted a win and after 30 minutes a Wallaby win seemed the only possibility. And in the end they scored four tries to two, which suggests a winning effort. The Wallabies always looked more likely to score tries but as their ill-discipline gave Wales chances so Welsh lapses gave them tries.
The Welsh were disappointed as they came back to take a nine-point lead and then squandered it and yet that last kick of the match took them deep into the Wallaby 22, but there was no further play as the final whistle sounded.
It was a great game of concentrated effort by two skilful sides. The attacking and defending were of a high quality.
Millennium Stadium is such a wonderful palace of a ground and yet the playing surface remains a problem. It is unstable and may have had something to do with scrums that were wonky and players who slipped. For the Wallabies the scrums remain a problem. One of their collapsed scrums gave the Welsh three points for the penalty and near the end they were destroyed in a scrum within the Welsh 22 and Wales had the put-in to the subsequent scrums.
Line-outs on the other hand were good for the Wallabies as they took four off Wales.
The difference came in the penalties -- 9-4 in Welsh favour. In the second half Wales were not penalised once. Four of the penalties were naughty - stamping, punching, late obstruction and collapsing a maul.
But those are all such tawdry things. There were the glittering jewels of passing and running, and six thrilling tries. Six? Yes, even Matt Giteau's was fascinating as he caught the whole of the Wales napping, strolled, jogged, darted, tapped and scored while Wales waited for a kick at goal.
The Wallabies experimented with a backline shuffle. It certainly worked for Giteau who had a lively match at scrum-half while he was there, judging effectively, passing accurately if off steps, always testing the defence and kicking long. Mat Rogers was fairly anonymous at flyhalf, which may not have been a great success. Lote Tuqiri had some good moments at outside centre and Stephen Larkham did some useful things at inside centre. But it was not an experiment that could be regarded as a great success.
After Wales had won the singing and the weird hairdos, the Wallabies kicked off to get the November Tests going, and for 30 minutes they were in the ascendancy. Wales got only scraps of possession as the Wallabies went through their familiar phases. Their very first passing movement had them at the Welsh line on the Wallaby left after an astonishing, left-handed pass by Larkham had found Cameron Shepherd who had come off his left wing to be far out on the right. The attack yielded three points from a penalty when Tom Shanklin was off-side, but Wales were probably grateful that it was only three. They were probably astounded that it became 3-all when they went into Wallaby territory for the first time and Rodney Blake was penalised at a tackle.
On 12 minutes the Wallabies got the first try as they went through phases and then came back to their left when big Wycliff Palu surged through a gap and powered on till Kevin Morgan bravely stopped him. But the Wallabies were bashing at the line till they passed flat to their left. Mat Rogers flicked a dummy and they got a clever pass to Shepherd who was over. Giteau converted well. 10-3.
When Blake was penalised at a collapsed scrum, spiky and tanned Gavin Henson kicked a magnificent penalty from a long way out and at an angle. 10-6, a score which flattered Wales.
Three minutes later Giteau got the try. The referee played advantage on the Wallaby right as play petered out wide on their left. Giteau saw the chance, tapped, darted, dived and scored far out. He converted. 17-6 after 20 minutes.
It took the Wallabies 38 minutes to score again.
Shortly after Giteau's try, Welsh captain Stephen Jones went off with a twisted knee to be replaced by young James Hook, who proved that not only an old hand has a cool head.
The Wallabies had some good moments when Latham grubbered and when Vickerman broke. Giteau missed with two kicks at goal, the second hitting the upright. But it was Wales who scored.
Suddenly they got possession as they kept the ball in hand, possession begetting possession and their try when it came was a splendid one.
From a scrum Shanklin was a decoy and Henson squeezed a pass to fullback Morgan who switched with shorn Shane Williams who scored far out in the corner. Hook converted. It was astounding to look up at the scoreboard and see 17-13 after such Wallaby domination.
But Wales were not done yet. They came running at the Wallabies again and when Tuqiri was off-side, Hook made it 17-16, the half-time score.
The tackle situation throughout the match was well protected, the Wallabies more firmly, but the first turn-over at the tackle came to Wales in the second half.
They also got the first points when Shane Williams chipped, chased and was impeded by Larkham. Hook goaled and a miracle seemed imminent as Wales went ahead 19-17 with 29 minutes to play.
Wallaby hands wobbled in this half and when it happened a second time Shanklin kicked on and the Wallabies were forced to scamper in defence. Stephen Hoiles, on for Palu, got back and fell on the ball, but it squired from him back into the Wallaby in-goal where Martyn Williams delighted himself and whole of Wales by scoring a try. It was farish out but Hook converted. 26-17 with 23 minutes to go.
That lasted just on a minute. It may have been that comfort produced relaxation but suddenly Giteau, now at centre with Larkham off injured, cut clean through and sent Tuqiri racing for the line. He looked certain to score but Shane Williams felled him. But the Wallabies were at the line. They went left and Shepherd forced his way over for his second try. 26-24 with 22 minutes to play.
They nearly scored again when Wales won a defensive line-out and made a regulation maul. Suddenly Rocky Elsom burst out of the maul and looked about to score but three Welshmen banged at him and he lost the ball forward for a scrum to Wales -- an excellent scrum as they surged forward on their own ball.
The Wallaby try was the result of an aberration. Morgan received the ball inside his 22. He had time and space. The touch-line was not far away on his left. Instead he chose to kick a long diagonal to his right where one of the world's best counterattackers, Chris Latham was waiting.
Latham got the ball on the half-way line, not far from touch and started running. He ran for 50 metres, beating four Welshmen who would stop him as part of a threadbare defence and over he went in the left corner. Giteau missed the conversion but the Wallabies were winning with 15 minutes to play.
With nine minutes left Al Baxter was penalised for collapsing a maul and cool Hook kicked the penalty goal which drew the match.
The last nine minutes were thrilling but scoreless, though it took Matthew Rees's fingertips to grab Stepehen Hoiles from behind and prevent a possible try.
It was astonishing that when the final whistle went on this great encounter, some people booed. It may have been an anticlimax but not a bad one. But once again, the Welsh were left confused at the whistle, when they clearly expected another play where the whistle blew. What is it with the Welsh and stadium clocks ... are we to coin the phrase a Welsh minute?
Man of the Match: There were Dwayne Peel, the Williamses Martyn and Shane, Ian Gough Jonathan Thomas and James hook -- at least those. There were Matt Giteau. Daniel Vickerman and, our man of the match, Chris Latham for Australia. Latham was everything he could have been on defence and attack. Australia have a whole lot to thank him for.
Moment of the Match: All the tries in their different ways but our choice is Chris Latham's 50m burst for a score. He is always looking for a try.
Villain of the Match: There was nothing bad enough to be described as villainy, but interestingly in view of the recent instruction on stamping by the IRB was the penalty -- and only that -- against Nathan Sharpe for doing just that early in the match.
The scorers:
For Wales:
Try: S Williams, M Williams
Con: Hook w
Pens: S Jones, Henson, Hook 3
For Australia:
Tries: Shepherd 2, Giteau, Latham
Cons: Giteau 3
Pen: Giteau
Teams:
Wales: 15 Kevin Morgan, 14 Gareth Thomas, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Gavin Henson, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones (captain), 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 Ryan Jones, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Ian Gough, 4 Ian Evans, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Thomas, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Gavin Thomas, 19 Alun Wyn Jones, 20 Mike Phillips, 21 James Hook, 22 Mark Jones.
Australia: 15 Chris Latham (vice-captain), 14 Clyde Rathbone, 13 Lote Tuqiri, 12 Stephen Larkham (vice-captain), 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 Mat Rogers, 9 Matt Giteau, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Daniel Vickerman (vice-captain), 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Rodney Blake, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Al Baxter.
Replacements: 16 Brendan Cannon, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Stephen Hoiles, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Mark Gerrard, 22 Adam Ashley-Cooper
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Paul Honiss, Bryce Lawrence (both New Zealand)
Television match official: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)
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