Wales v Australia
World Cup, Round Three
Wales lost a tight game against the Wallaroos, to leave them hoping against hope that the Sunday results go their way. It’s a tightrope walk at present.
Result Australia 14 Wales 7
Player of the Match: Grace Hamilton
The bare stats of the game tell their own story: one try each (to scrum-half Iliseva Batibasaga and No 8 Sioned Harries), but two penalties to Lori Cramer left the Welsh with only a losing bonus point. The tally of penalties conceded is revealing. It was the same for Fijiana as they fought a desperate battle against the more accurate French.
For Wales this was a dramatcally close battle, but fault-ridden. In the end they failed to profit from a late yellow card shown to Kaitlan Leaney; yet another penalty kick didn’t find touch, and the Wallaroos were rewarded for their approach to the game, based on aggressive off-loading.
Wales are a squad for the future; their contracts will take time to bear fruit. It’s significant that once again their captain Siwan Lillicrap, while gaining a merited 50th cap, still could not find a starting position. That is a unique weakness at this RWC.
Between now and the 2025 Cup they desperately need to sort out the No 10 position, the most garlanded in the history of Welsh rugby. Elinor Snowsill recovered her form splendidly in this tournament, but neither she nor her equally experienced team-mate Robyn Wilkins can be seen as long-term options for that key role.
For the second RWC running the Wallaroos have shown what an outstanding team they could become, if only Rugby Australia were willing to offer them some of the money thrown at their golden Sevens squad. They have secured their place in the quarter-finals that occupy next weekend.
Teams:
Australia: Lori Cramer; Bienne Terita, Georgina Friedrichs, Sharni Williams, Ivania Wong; Arabella McKenzie, Iliseva Batibasaga; Liz Patu, Adiana Talakai, Bridie O’Gorman, Michaela Leonard, Grace Kemp, Emily Chancellor, Shannon Parry (captain), Grace Hamilton
Bench: Tania Naden, Emily Robinson, Eva Karpani, Kaitlan Leaney, Piper Duck, Layne Morgan, Trilleen Pomare, Pauline Piliae-Rasabale.
Wales: Niamh Terry; Jasmine Joyce, Carys Williams-Morris, Hannah Jones (captain), Lisa Neumann; Elinor Snowsill, Ffion Lewis; Cara Hope, Kelsey Jones, Cerys Hale, Natalia John, Gwen Crabb, Bethan Lewis, Alex Callender, Sioned Harries
Bench: Carys Phillips, Caryl Thomas, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Georgia Evans, Siwan Lillicrap, Keira Bevan, Robyn Wilkins, Kerin Lake.
