Adrian CrawfordUpdated June 19, 2012 16:59:45
Australia rebounded from a shock loss to Scotland with a somewhat unconvincing 27-19 win over Six Nations champion Wales in a bustling encounter at Lang Park on Saturday night.
The fast-paced rematch of last year's World Cup bronze medal play-off was a thrilling treat for the 42,788 fans who turned out to see whether the Wallabies could reverse their fortunes after Tuesday night's boilover.
Robbie Deans will be pleased with the result but perhaps not the way it was attained, with his side conceding 13 penalties to Wales' 11, the consequences of which allowed the visitors back into the game via Leigh Halfpenny's boot in the second half.
But Deans said that his side was brave in its performance despite having to deal with a short turnaround, while Wales arrived in Brisbane a week ago to acclimatise.
"We still haven't had a full training run as a group," Deans admitted.
"We're still in recovery mode and recovery is going to be important for us again [this week]. They put in a huge effort tonight and again last Tuesday.
"It's do or die next week."
Australia threw the ball around and played exciting running rugby in the first half and only the near-impenetrable Wales defensive ranks kept the scoreline to 10-3 at half-time.
While the Brisbane crowd was not disappointed there were some hairy moments as Australia turned around an early deficit to lead by 14 but then dropped the bundle to let Wales back to within a point.
A try to inside centre Pat McCabe, an omission from the Scotland Test due to Super Rugby duties, with 13 minutes to play gave Australia the breathing room it needed.
Blindside flanker Scott Higginbotham, who scored the first half's only five-pointer and the first of his career, told Grandstand that the performance was encouraging but a work in progress.
"To come out after three days to get a win is a good way to back up I think," he said.
"There's still lots of work [to do], I think we should look at conceding no tries and I thought there were a few little handling errors we can work on this week."
Pressure was the key word for both sides and both enjoyed sustained assaults on the other's line at different stages in the game.
But pressure eventually seemed to get the better of Wales, which conceded 19 turnovers to Australia's 12 and committed twice the knock-ons despite conditions remaining dry for the majority of the match.
Both Deans and visiting counterpart Rob Howley would be frustrated with the amount of loose defence and missed tackles around the ruck.
Wales' undefeated Six Nations campaign was built on a foundation of a stingy defence which allowed just three tries in the tournament; Australia scored that many on Saturday night.
But star full-back Halfpenny's boot kept the Welsh well and truly in the contest with three second-half penalties and the conversion to Alex Cuthbert's try.
Australian scrum half Will Genia was named man of the match for a superb effort out of the breakdown, while number eight Wycliff Palu, centres McCabe and Rob Horne and fly half Berrick Barnes all impressed.
"It was great to see Cliffy back out there," Deans said.
"He's got a presence no doubt - [Pocock] benefited from Cliffy's work alongside him [in the breakdown].
"Guys like Tatafu [Polota-Nau] and Cliffy have the ability to [stay on their feet] and they'll buy you a bit of time and dent the line a little bit as well."
Genia broke open the wall just one minute into the second stanza with a superb individual try, capping off his engaging battle with opposite scrum half Mike Phillips.
Genia laughed at suggestions that Reds team-mate and injured Wallabies fly half Quade Cooper had taught him the fancy footwork he had used to score.
"I stepped in and went back away, I got real slow though," he said.
"I thought he was going to catch me from behind."
Wallabies skipper David Pocock had his own duel to worry about, coming head-to-head with inspirational fellow openside flanker Sam Warburton around the breakdown.
As if to make up for Tuesday night's glacial clash in sodden Newcastle conditions, the first half at Lang Park was relentless in its attacking speed.
But despite the more free-flowing nature of the opening 40 minutes, the Wallabies were the only ones able to cross the stripe for a try on the back of some sustained pressure at the Welsh line.
Horne was the man responsible for driving Australia into prime position for its first successful assault on the line, albeit he had two attempts himself before Higginbotham was able to barrel over.
Waratahs centre Horne, who replaced Anthony Fainga'a in the line-up, chased through a kick and bundled up Halfpenny, forcing the ball loose and regaining possession but the line remained elusive.
Moments later the ball came to Horne on the left wing with the Wallabies enjoying an overlap in attack, but he held onto the ball a split second too long and another attack was defused.
Palu then took the ball at the normally stingy Welsh ranks and on the resulting drive Higginbotham was able to crash the stripe with the first Test try of his career.
Wales had an opportunity early in the first stanza through inside centre Scott Williams, but some desperate Wallabies defence hauled him in before he could do any further damage.
The Welsh has not won on Australian soil since the tourists prevailed 19-16 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1969.
Brisbane has been an especially unhappy hunting ground for the Welsh - their previous four visits had returned four losses to the tune of 129 total points, including a 63-6 thrashing at Ballymore in 1991.
The Wallabies won the previous four games coming in and seven of the last eight, only the first two of which (Sydney and Brisbane in 2007) were at home.
"Both sides will improve before Melbourne," Deans said.
"They'll obviously take out of this game little nuances they'll try to bring next week."
Howley said some of his troops will back up on Tuesday night in their tour match against the Brumbies in an encounter which will also act as a selection trial for next Saturday's rematch with the Wallabies in Melbourne.
In a blow to Wales, strike winger George North was taken off late in the first half with a leg injury and did not return.
Howley said he would be assessed by the team's medical staff in the next 24 hours.
Australia: 27 (S Higginbotham, W Genia, P McCabe tries; B Barnes 3/3 cons; 1/3 pens; 1/1 drop-goal)
Wales: 19 (A Cuthbert try; L Halfpenny 1/1 con, 4/4 pens)
Tags: sport,
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australia First posted June 09, 2012 21:47:00
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