Australia Suffers Embarrassing Defeat to Wales
By losing to Fiji a week ago, Australia turned what many pre-tournament believed would be a battle for the top spot in the group into a must win for the Wallabies.
Though Wales were slight favourites heading into this pivotal matchup, most believed the match would be a tight one with Australia essentially fighting for their World Cup lives. However, as is illustrated by the lopsided 40-6 final score line, the match was anything but competitive.
The Welsh, who are now 3-0, jumped on the Wallabies early and took advantage of Australian mistakes en route to the decisive victory.
It took just three minutes for Wales to score the first try of the game. Off a lineout Jac Morgan took an inside pass then swung it to Gareth Davis who took it in for the score. It was a lackadaisical defensive effort from the Wallabies who were expected to come out soaring given what was on the line.
Following the try Ben Donaldson kicked a pair of penalties at the eight- and 13-minute marks to cut the Welsh lead to 7-6. The Wallabies showed fight by dominating possession in the early goings of the match and crushing Wales in terms of meters made, but once again mental mistakes and undisciplined play killed the Australians.
By the end of the first half, Wales had kicked three more penalties to hold a 16-6 lead.
The second half picked up just where the first had finished, with a Welsh penalty just two minutes in that stretched the lead to 13.
Just six minutes later the rout was on as Wales scored a beautiful try and put through the extras to go up 26-6. Two more Welsh penalties, a drop goal, and a last minute try to add insult to injury would see the match to its final score of 40-6.
The loss was both the biggest ever for Australia against Wales and at the World Cup.
Australia’s Chances at Advancing Slim to None
The Wallabies are now hoping for a miracle to avoid the embarrassment of becoming the first team from the country to bow out in the pool stage.
They must take care of business against Portugal and then hope that somehow Fiji gains only four points from their remaining matches against Georgia and the aforementioned Portuguese.
Shocking Eddie Jones Rumour Causes a Stir
To make matters worse for the Wallabies, the Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier in the day that coach Eddie Jones had conducted a secret zoom interview with Japan to take over as coach of their program following the World Cup.
When asked about the rumour, Jones, who just began a four-year contract to coach Australia, stated “I don’t know what you’re talking about mate.”
Asked about the rumour and his future with Australia Rugby multiple times, Jones became visibly agitated and said, “I have committed to coach Australia.”
Many fans have called for Jones to be sacked and blame him heavily for the poor form the Wallabies have displayed since his arrival.
This situation, combined with the poor performance on the field illustrates the state that Australian Rugby is in right now and proves they have a lot of work to do to get back to where they want to be.
