Australia v Wales - 29/9/19, RWC, k/o 8:45 GMT - Match Thread - Aus 25-29 Wales

[Guest]

Massive game this. Surely decides who wins Pool D and - at this stage - avoids both NZ and England in the knock-outs.

A real 50:50, too close to call game for me.



Wales : L Williams; North, Jonathan Davies, Parkes, Adams; Biggar, G Davies; Wyn Jones, Owens, Francis, Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Wainwright, Tipuric, Navidi.
Replacements: Smith, Dee, Lewis, Shingler, Moriarty, T Williams, Patchell, Watkin.


Australia : Haylett-Petty; Ashley-Cooper, O'Connor, Kerevi, Koroibete; Foley, Genia; Sio, Latu, Alaalatoa, Rodda, Arnold, Pocock, Hooper (capt), Naisarani.
Replacements: Uelese, Slipper, Kepu, Coleman, Salakaia-Loto, White, To'omua, Beale.

Officials: Referee, Romain Poite (France) GOOD LUCK EVERYONE; Assistant referees, Luke Pearce (England), Karl Dickson (England); TMO Ben Skeen (New Zealand).

[Taylorman]

Oz to tip the scales. Tis a pretty good backline and the bench balance with Beale, White and Toomua has good urgency and means Cheika has finally noted where Beales strengths are, which is not starting, hugely defensively liable.

Kerevi needs to own the midfield more than he has this year. Arnold and Rodda should match Wales lineout time and pooper hasn’t gone well this year but it’s the best they’ve got.

Foleys just gotta do the things he normally does poorly, well. Kick, goal kick, tackle, and pass occasionally. I’m expecting oz to kick all day with that 9 and 10.

Practically talking myself out of them winning but the southern team to come through in the end, just.

[eirebilly]

This too me is the bench mark game for both these countries as to how they will progress in this RWC.

Very hard to call this one but I think Wales' defensive abilities might be just that much better than the Aussies and that will see them home.

[Taylorman]

Yeah could do, it’s tricky. Oz are so blinding unpredictable...literally anything can happen. The side is a very good side...IF they all played as well as they can but that rarely happens. Tricky...

[Guest]

Aussies are such great, natural sportsmen. I always gets the feeling that Oz can win and turn on the flashy stuff without trying too hard whereas Wales really need to graft for it. Some teams we seem to be able to beat with regularity. But Oz are just the sort of team that we struggle against time and time again, even if our peers, who we beat with regularity, don’t seem to struggle as much against them (thinking England, Ireland, Scotland in the last 10 years of so).

It’s going to be a clash of styles today. The loose, off the cuff stuff of Oz vs the methodological and planned systems of Wales. We used to be much more off the cuff and instinctive but at a time when we also had a very soft underbelly and weak forwards and defence. So Gats has brought in a more steely edge at the expense of some instinctivness and ‘off the cuff’ play. Not as nice to watch but we’ve been winning more silverware so an easy trade if you’re a Welsh fan! But can understand why others don’t like the direction Gatland has taken us, and therefore don’t like to see him leading teams like their Lions.

[Guest]

Can't help but feel this is the game where we'll miss Anscombe's running threat. With him starting and Biggar on the bench I'd be confident of Wales turning them over.

Still on a knife's edge. Oz have really rolled the dice. Have to hope they're shakey in the backline and get their systems wrong once or twice.

[Guest]

Let's hope Poite doen't ruin it

[Guest]

Solid Aussie contingent in the crowd. Possibly outnumbering Welsh fans 2 or even 3 to 1.

[Taylorman]

Cmon Ozzie! Oi Oi Oi!

[Heaf]

Soft by Oz ... good start for Wales

[Taylorman]

Good to see Poite as decisive as ever. Penalty aaaah...Wales!

[stub]

Great by Wales!

[hugehandoff]

Very impressed with Wales so far. Well played lads

[Heaf]

All Wales so far ...

[Guest]

Great start. 13 mins 10-0 Wales.

[Guest]

Just a penalty for me.

[stub]

Hooper in trouble

[Taylorman]

Ooh, the most carded man in history gets another?

[Old Man]

Nonsense penalty, Biggar fell into that tackle, all Hooper did was brace for the contact.

[Guest]

Great antipodean TMO work there

[hugehandoff]

Hooper lucky

[eirebilly]

I think Hooper is very lucky there, it was a clear no arms tackle. Had he have made contact to the head it would have been a red.

[stub]

Yeah, got away with that a bit

[Old Man]

Hooper was stationary and Biggar ran into him, how is Hooper lucky?

Biggar milked that well.

[stub]

Lol

[hugehandoff]

That scrum is a worry for Wales and a potential way back for Aus

[Guest]

Deliberate late shot with the shoulder. Pretty fair if he was off for 10.

[eirebilly]

Hooper was stationary and Biggar ran into him, how is Hooper lucky?

Biggar milked that well.

[stub]

Nice response from Aus

[stub]

Game on

[Heaf]

Didn't think it was a card as Hooper wasn't moving forwards but pretty much just stood his ground - dipped his shoulder into the contact though so pen was ok.

[eirebilly]

That was an incredibly well worked try for the Aussies. Wales scrum is a major concern...

[mikey_dragon]

They should have look at Tips being taken out at least.

[hugehandoff]

Great try Aus but in a tight game the kicking could be decisive.....bad miss from Bernard

[eirebilly]

Didn't think it was a card as Hooper wasn't moving forwards but pretty much just stood his ground - dipped his shoulder into the contact though so pen was ok.

Its the dipping of the shoulder into the contact that is the issue, had he had made contact with Biggar's head then it was a straight red cad. That is the kind of thing that needs to be removed from rugby. Hooper knew exactly what he was doing so can consider himself lucky not to be off for 10.

[Guest]

Rubbish! That came off the Ozzie’s head!

[Heaf]

Oz goal kicking an issue again ...

[Heaf]

Didn't think it was a card as Hooper wasn't moving forwards but pretty much just stood his ground - dipped his shoulder into the contact though so pen was ok.

Its the dipping of the shoulder into the contact that is the issue, had he had made contact with Biggar's head then it was a straight red cad. That is the kind of thing that needs to be removed from rugby. Hooper knew exactly what he was doing so can consider himself lucky not to be off for 10.

Possibly - could go either way - wouldn't have been surprised by a YC.

[Guest]

We cannot and should not try to play a loose game. We will come off 2nd best!

[mikey_dragon]

Poite very quick to penalise North for what Pocock and Hooper have been doing at every breakdown...

[mikey_dragon]

Thought Hooper maybe won it. Swings and roundabouts as some of you say...

[Heaf]

or Poite roulette

[mikey_dragon]

Good spot by TMO, I missed that.

[stub]

Another one in trouble?

[tigertattie]

Never a card

[Old Man]

This is becoming rather pathetic now.

[mikey_dragon]

Hooper might be doing us another favour here!

[mikey_dragon]

This is becoming rather pathetic now.

There’s been high and neck targeting from Aus. I thought WR were trying to cut that out? Hmm.

[Guest]

That Kiwi TMO hating on Oz at the moment!

[hugehandoff]

Good penalty.....I hate ball carriers leading with forearms and it needs to be eliminated from the game.

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