The Wallabies have surged halfway towards the coveted ‘grand slam’ on their British Isles tour by consigning hapless Wales to a record-breaking 11th successive Test defeat, a 52-20 thumping in gloom-laden Cardiff.
Queensland hooker Matt Faessler had the day of his rugby life on Sunday (Monday AEDT) as the first Australia hooker to score a hat-trick of tries in the same Test – and fullback Tom Wright also waltzed in for a consummate treble beneath the Principality Stadium roof to take player-of-the-match laurels.
Galloping lock Nick Frost and centre Len Ikitau also got in on the 8-2 try romp, while Noah Lolesio nailed six conversions, on one of Welsh rugby’s darkest days as they looked a weary rabble, put to the sword by the attacking flair of the Wallabies, who went past the half-century points mark through Wright with their last salvo.
Australia coach Joe Schmidt earned all the bragging rights in his 12th duel with fellow New Zealander Warren Gatland, who was left contemplating his future after overseeing the worst-ever sequence of losses for a proud rugby nation.
But even as he celebrated the latest resurgent Wallabies’ chapter following the fine win over England, Schmidt wasn’t getting overly excited about a rout that leaves them two wins from emulating the Mark Ella-inspired class of 1984.
“It’s too far away to contemplate,” said Schmidt, quizzed about the prospect of a slam with matches against Scotland and his old team Ireland to come.
“I think being competitive in the Rugby Championship has allowed us to build as we go along. Hopefully, we can build on what we’ve done in these first two games and go again at Murrayfield.”
What delighted him, though, was that even when down to 14 men just after halftime for 20 minutes after a yellow card for Samu Kerevi for a head-clashing tackle was upgraded and the Welsh were still just six points adrift, his shirt-handed side rampaged forward to score three tries in that spell.
It summed up a day of humiliation for the Welsh, whose disillusioned fans in an already less-than-full arena – only 56,188 attended the 74,000-capacity ground – streamed out in droves minutes before the end.
The Wallabies didn’t even need another Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii super show to gild the lily, with the newbie getting just a 17-minute cameo at the end of the annihilation, which had been inspired by Rob Valetini’s thunderous display on his 50th appearance.
Even with half-a-dozen changes to the Twickenham side, Australia were slick and cohesive from the start, their charging, multi-phased attack quickly earning its dividend when the inspired Wright weaved past wrong-footed wing Blair Murray to score.
Four minutes later, the unlikely Frost stomped through from 30 metres out after some great snaffling on the ground from Max Jorgensen, the last-gasp Twickenham try-scoring hero, whose neat reverse offload launched a counter-attack.
When Faessler then burrowed over from a rolling maul with the Welsh defence in disarray – the third try in just nine minutes – humiliation beckoned for the home side.
But their fire was rekindled when No.8 Aaron Wainwright nabbed the 25th minute try that provided a platform for recovery, and a couple of penalties from Gareth Anscombe made it 13-19 at halftime.
Then came the pivotal 20 minutes. Kerevi, according to captain Allan Alaalatoa, was left “distraught” about his marching orders for a reckless shot on Jac Morgan, yet the Wallabies brushed off this potential calamity with Faessler powering over from another devastating maul.
Not content, the Queensland Reds hooker then peeled off another maul to plough over for a famous hat-trick. He admitted afterwards with a beaming smile it was the first treble he’d scored at any level.
James Botham, grandson of Ian Botham, had a score ruled out for an earlier forward pass, and, increasingly demoralised, three late tries poured on the Welsh misery.
Wright scuttled all the way to the line from his own 22 after intercepting a Sam Costelow pass – their third try during the red card period – and after centre Ben Thomas had earned a consolation score, Ikitau’s dancing, shuffling effort and Wright’s hat-trick finale, courtesy of Tate McDermott’s superb break, sealed the deal.
