RWC 2015: Sam Warburton declares 'Wales can still win the Rugby World Cup'

Defeat to Australua has not dampened Welsh skipper's spirits of going all the way

Wales concede the penalty that ended the siege of Australia’s line (Reuters)

Wales captain Sam Warburton has backed his side to overcome both South Africa and New Zealand and book their place in the World Cup final despite yesterday’s 15-6 defeat to Australia.

Wales went into this final game of Pool A, the so-called Group of Death, knowing that victory would pave the way for a more comfortable route to the final, while defeat would see the Springboks lying in wait in the next round and potentially the All Blacks in the semi-final.

Australia took the lead on the half-hour and held on for the win despite being reduced to 13 men for seven high-pressure minutes in the second half, when Will Genia and Dean Mumm were both sin-binned.

Despite the defeat, Warburton said the players still believed they could win the World Cup. “It’s tough,” he said. “If we lost this one we knew we’d be put against the southern-hemisphere sides and that’s not an easy way. But we back ourselves whoever we play.”

The result stretched Wales’ losing streak against the Wallabies to 11 matches, back to 2008.

Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies, the man of the match, said the pool runners-up were “disappointed but we’re through to the quarter-finals and that’s the main thing”. He bemoaned Wales’ failure to score a try as they repeatedly put Australia’s defence under the cosh, especially when the Wallabies were down to 13 men, but in the end they failed to score. “We were over their try line three times,” said Davies, “but it’s fine margins.”

Winning captain Stephen Moore described the match as “one of the best wins I’ve been involved in with this team. We had to defend with 13 for a long period and real credit for sticking in for each other.”