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Australia secured top spot in Pool A with a 15-6 victory at Twickenham that booked a return to the stadium next weekend to take on Scotland in the quarter-final.
While the Wallabies were already assured of the place in the last eight along with Wales, the match was certainly by no means a dead rubber. Not only did the Wallabies take the bragging rights of the ‘Pool of Death’. They also ensured they cannot face either South Africa or New Zealand before the final.
Wales will now have to front up to the fact that if they want to go all the way, they will likely have to beat both of the Southern Hemisphere sides with the Springboks up first next Saturday.
It proved to be another day of dominance for Australian fly-half Bernard Foley, who kicked all 15 points for the Wllabies while Dan Biggar landed both of Wales’ penalties in a try-less affair.
So how did the players get on? Click on the gallery below to find out.
Show all 30 1 /30Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings <b>Australia:</b> Israel Folau - 6 out of 10 Unusually uncomfortable under the high ball and showed lasting effects of the injury that forced him off during England clash. However, he was more of a threat with ball in hand and could have had a try had he not slipped at decisive moment.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Adam Ashley-Cooper – 7 out of 10 Decision to rush Biggar and wrap up the ball proved to be match-winning. Reputation as a big-game player, and he proved it once again with the defining moment.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Tevita Kuridrani – 6 out of 10 Strong carrier especially during the closing stages, but Wales kept him quiet for the most part.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Matt Giteau – 7 out of 10 Offered Foley the perfect escape route when need, and took a more direct approach with the ball in hand as he tried to force his way over the gain line. His long range penalty effort fell short though, and he left after being roughed up for the second week in a row late on with Matt Toomua replacing him.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Drew Mitchell – 6 out of 10 Threatened to go all the way when he danced his way past three defenders after taking a wayward Biggar clearance. Faded in effect afterwards though, and left at the same time as Giteau.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Bernard Foley – 6 out of 10 Not quite his heroics of Twickenham a week prior, but he did score all 15 of the Wallabies’ points with his boot. Continues to impress at this tournament, even if he did miss a kick late on to put the result beyond doubt.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Will Genia – 5 out of 10 Cynical play earned himself a yellow card when he tackled Davies well short of the 10 metres he was supposed to be away after a quick-tap penalty. Hugely unreliable under the high ball, and it was no surprise to see him remain off the field when his sin-bin expired as Nick Phipps replaced hium. Place is under threat next week.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Scott Sio – 7 out of 10 An almighty battle in the scrum during the first half began to go his way as Australia asserted their dominance in the front-row. Very reliable around the fringes too when Australia were under the kosh.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Stephen Moore – 6 out of 10 Michael Cheika could’ve shot him with the look on his face after he needlessly gave Biggar an extra 10 metres to help him land a penalty. He was given a fair few warnings in the scrum too, but while it wasn’t his best days’ work, he certainly put in a shift defensively.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Sekope Kepu – 8 out of 10 The tighthead has James in all kinds of bother early on as the Welsh loosehead drew the attention of referee Jerome Garces. Continues to impress at this World Cup and has become one of the most pivotal members of the first XV.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Kane Douglas - 6 out of 10 Struggled once again in the lineout as the second-row combination missed the presence of Rob Simmons. May keep his place as a result of Mumm’s yellow card.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Dean Mumm – 6 out of 10 Put in a solid shift until he inexcusably took down Alun Wyn Jones in the air and received a yellow card when Australia were already down to 14. Could cost him a place in the quarters.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Scott Fardy – 8 out of 10 Has proven to be the quiet man of the Australian back-row, but he stepped up when needed today. Won turnover ball when Wales were on the front foot and proved to be a key cog in the Wallaby machine that repelled the Welsh dragon for a good 10 minutes.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Sean McMahon – 6 out of 10 Started ferociously in defence which sent the message out to Wales. Continued immediately after the break to fold over Anscombe, but departed not long after.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings David Pocock – 8 out of 10 He may be the best breakdown player in the world right now as he latched onto the ball time and time again whenever the Welsh support were slow to the ball. Continued to carry as a first receiver, though the sight of him limping off will be huge cause for concern for Cheika.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings <b>Wales:</b> Gareth Anscombe – 5 out of 10 Looked very nervous on his first start in the tournament as he kicked an attacking chip straight into touch early on. He struggled with the high ball too, though he did improve as the match wore on in that aspect.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Alex Cuthbert – 4 out of 10 Looks desperately short on confidence at the moment, which could be seen when his failure to take the loose ball led to an Australian attack. With his head down, Biggar gave him a consolatory tap – even though the ball was still live – and his late yellow card for a deliberate knock on sums up his current form.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings George North – 7 out of 10 Made a few of those barnstorming runs that terrorised the Wallabies in 2013, but Wales simply didn’t use him enough at 13. A lot of the ball that he found came from loose play or tracking back, and given he nearly scored in the opening two minutes, you wonder why Biggar didn’t go to him more.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Jamie Roberts – 6 out of 10 Another who was used more as a decoy runner than someone to break the gainline. Defensively sound as ever, but saw little ball until the second half.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Liam Williams - 6 out of 10 Tried to impose his running rugby throughout the first half with a certain level of success. His effect faded though as Wales narrowed.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Dan Biggar – 6 out of 10 Missed his first kick of the entire tournament and given that he didn’t have as big an influence in the game, it may have affected him. Departed for Rhys Priestland late on.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Gareth Davies – 6 out of 10 Probed around the fringes constantly, but his two decisions to dart down the blindside resulted in him running down a blind alley when other options were available.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Paul James – 5 out of 10 Struggled the most in the front-row as Kepu forced him to collapse on more than one occasion. Replaced midway through the second half, and enjoyed somewhat of a recovery before his departure.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Scott Baldwin – 7 out of 10 Very solid at the lineout but took an early knock when Wales were on the attack that appeared to limit his carrying. Won his battle with Moore in the scrum.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Samson Lee – 6 out of 10 Enjoyed a back-and-forth battle with Sio that he came out about even with. Departed after 53 minutes for Tomas Francis with questions quieting over his fitness.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Luke Charteris – 6 out of 10 His considerable height helped disrupt the Australian llineout no end but Gatland will have wanted more in the loose from the lock.
Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Alun Wyn Jones – 7 out of 10 Led the Welsh lineout by example and carried well. Neatly sidestepped by Folau in the second half, but then again who hasn’t been?
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Sam Warburton – 6 out of 10 Deployed at 6, his effect at the breakdown was nullified partly due to the extra time it took getting there and partly due to the Wallabies’ exceptional speed in beating him. Outwitted Pocock once to steal his offload, but apart from that fairly anonymous.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Justin Tipuric – 6 out of 10 Silly lapse in concentration when he came around the ruck and stole the ball from a clearly offside position cost his side three points, and he was not as prominent at the breakdown as we have come to expect.
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Australia 15 Wales 6 player ratings Talupe Faletau – 6 out of 10 A hit and miss of a game. Dropped the ball in the act of grounding and also gave away two penalties when Wales were up against it. He carried well though, and often appeared out wide to take possession beyond the gain line.
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