Australia v Wales part two

Stronger starting Welsh line up for me than last week, with the possible exception of the forced change at 8, Jones for Faletau. Also would have kept Charteris in place of Bradley D, but good to see Beck, Rees and AWJ starting and Hibbard brought onto the bench. Now if only Priestland can have one o his decent games we may not need to bring on the equally unreliable Hook......

Gonna back Wales on the outright I think. With the better side out and Gatland making a Robert Duvall style I-love-the-smell-of-napalm-in-the-morning cameo, I'm feeling more confident. And at a better price than last week too.

Priestland due a good game so if he can pull the strings and have a good un Wales should go very close

hopefully keep this game to one thread

Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Cooper Vuna, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Will Genia, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 David Pocock (c), 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dave Dennis, 19 Michael Hooper, 20 Nic White, 21 Anthony Fainga'a, 22 Mike Harris.

Wales stronger.....?

Cant be seeing that with the incumbant 9/10, expecting the Aussies to win by around the same margin so the current odds for Wales are not for me. Plus the aussies will have rested up for a week after most played 2-3 games in a week last game out, quite a few factors that side with the Aussies & to many "ifs" for the welsh.

Aussie/Aussie at around 1.80 catches my eye along with the 1.53 on boks/boks for a double

I think Jones for Faletau may be a plus point. Jones went off the boil for a few years, but has been fantastic of late and it's tough to win down under with a back-row of such little relative experience. Jones has been around and done it all, so should add something to a pack that lost it's way early on last week.

A lot does depend on Priestland though and I still dont see any evidence that he is up to it. I'm expecting a similar game to last week, but if North and Cuthbert can last the match there is always hope. North against Vuna is a massive no-contest because the Aussie has no idea what defending is and North is freakish.

Australia by 1-12 my punt though.

Completely agree on Ryan Jones. His form, since Xmas in particular, has been outstanding while Faletau has been quiet of late. I'd be a bit more confident about an improved showing from Wales, but the same could equally be said of Australia who took their foot off the gas last week. Small lay of Aus for me to start with and see what happens in-running.

Just can't be having it that Priestland's not 'up to it'. One bad performance after a grand slam season. Heard the same cack last year about Flood after a couple of poor games that he was shyyyte etc, pure nonsense.

Wales were pretty poor last week and in posession looked a bit like their clueless selfs of a couple of seasons ago with no direct play. This was largely due to Roberts being injured imo. Don't expect the same this week with Gatland back.

Aussy to start well again -2 at evens first half cap, Wales +4 2nd half cap and Aussy to score a try before 27 mins, r jones & higginbitham to score a try.

It's certainly not one poor performance from Priestland, they are adding up now. I can't think of one decent game he has had for Wales without Roberts being beside him. Winning a grand-slam means the team went very well, but doesn't mean every player was fantastic and what would any no.10 give to have a bunch of 6ft 5in backs who can batter through regardless of where your pass goes? Seen it repeated a few times now - Wales going nowhere, get the ball to North, Wales on the front foot and looking dangerous. Copy that for Cuthbert or Roberts as well.

Same thinking for me though - Aussies always start fast and the first half handicap is never a bad option with them.

Don't forget time of their first try, comes in around 90% of their matches RM.

True indeed. Except when they play the mighty Scotland of course

Anyone able to explain why Aussies have drifted from 1.4s to 1.6? They seem massive at that price given the first test.

And now 1.6 to win and 1.8 HT/FT?

I've not got a lot of faith in the current wallabies. Notoriously inconsistent with a third choice 10. Aust in the middle of super rugby playing against guys that haven't played for weeks.As a result Wales off the pace first half. Smashed at the breakdown and sloppy ruck defence. Think they will improve massively and worth a nibble at the odds.

Anyway,I've got tickets to the 3rd test so I'm hoping it's a decider!!

I'm much happier this week. Glad to see Rees back in as hooker. That means it's the same front row that monstered the Saffers in 2009, so much so, that they broke Jenkins's cheek bone and dislocated Jones's shoulder to take them out of the game.

Rees is the only hooker we have that can actually throw a ball properly in a lineout.

Good to see North back and hopefully we won't see Hook being brought on, unless at #10.

Can someone tell me what the racing post have tipped for this game?

Australia HT/Wales FT for me.

To work out the RP tip, pick a market with 2 options and toss a coin to decide which one you back.

post have put up over the points and stephen moore to score anytime

Thanks

Well that didn't take long. Good start Wales.

Does make you wonder how a ref sees that and doesn't get a card out. Classic Bakkies Botha style shoulder charge at a ruck.

Conservative play here from the Wallabies

Great try-saving tackle by Rob Horne there, but Davies was FAR too ponderous. Just needed to shift it on and Wales had a great chance.

13 makes a tackle,doesn't release the man, doesn't move, penalty against Wales

Great run Barnes

Its been coming for 20mins

Finally

Awful Phillips. A good half by Wales overall, but just a few areas of inaccuracy costing them.

And a try for Australia. Can't make mistakes like that at this level.

Aus 13-7 HT

Another case of well done, but not good enough,  for the NH team.

Simply need some ball second half.

Not sure how Long Wales defence can hold up,Wallabies are just bullying them all over the pitch.
As the possesion stats have just shown.

Draw price looks huge. Wales have been poor, but they were worse last week and came back then.

Aussies tend to be a first half team and Wales a second half team, so this is far from over.

Priestland showing that dithering style that is winning him so many caps.....

Yeah, great idea Priestland, just keep on giving it back to the Aussies under no pressure.

Wales again early in the half

Genia blunder! Didn't see any of those in the first test.

Ashley-Cooper jogged back and left a hooker and a lock to chase Davies.

Australia 13 Wales 14

44 mins

Wallabies all offside

hovering around that 1 or 2pt gap at the moment, frustratingly.

Phillips butetr fingers

*butter

What on earth is Phillips up to?

Welsh scrum massively on top, but Pollock has been taking lessons from Alain Rolland on how to not penalise scrum offences.

Amazing there was no Aus try there.

Clumsy from Vuna

How stupid was that?

Evans is right, if tip tackles are red cards then so is that.

Big big period for Wales now. These points and another score could see them home

It's only a red when a Welsh player does it.

Wales 20 Aus 19

60min

19-20

61 mins

Some of the kicking from hand has been atrocious, both teams.

And the sad thing is that both teams are so good at running the ball.

Philips off - great stuff

I hate 1pt gaps

Utter cack

No pens for Wales earlier when they pushed the Aussies up and back 5 yards at 3 different scrums, but a pen to Australia for yet another one that goes down.

Great finish coming up

some hit the 1.01 button early!

1.01 in huge trouble

Busted

FT/ Aus 25 Wales 23

1.01 cacing them selves,far too early,go & do something your good at

6k of it

Lead changed 9 times in the game

I assume it was a dodgy penalty

There we go again, well done but you lost. It's the Northern Hemisphere way.

Wales beat themselves.  No one else to blame at the end.

who are the 1.01 mugs that show up on rugby markets so often? where do they get their funds?

1.8 for Harris to make that kick looked big.That fella never seems to miss.

The 1.01 look like a mistake to me, all odds from 1.1 down was hovered up.

crazy odds moves when pen given at end

80 seconds to go and wales have the ball and an advantage with an auusie knock on. Really bad decision to kick and give Aussies the ball.

How in the name of god did someone back wales at 1.01?? A mistake?

Backing Wales is always a mistake

Maybe Wales will finally drop Priestland, although Phillips was making the major blunders today.

Wales inexplicably kicked the ball away virtually on the stroke of 80 mins

If you give the other team the ball with a minute to just play down the clock then you get what you deserve. Actually less than a minute to go when the scrum would have been set for the knock on.

Backing Wales can't be a mistake when they hit 1.01,not laying off is the mistake.

Priestland's kicking was absolutely atrocious.

This is the second time a last-minute poor kick has done for Wales in Aus. I can barely bring myself to type in the name Cooper after his effort a few years ago.

Don't know what people expect - Priestland's only tactic was to kick too long to one of the most dangerous backlines in the world. No surprise he did it at the end as well. As I said before, he's an imposter who is constantly bailed out by the quality players around him.

I agree...and it pains me to do so. Rhys started well in the W Cup but faded a bit even there. His confidence is fragile. Can't imagine what Hook was thinking. I'm afraid his time is up for the time being at least. That kick to nowhere in the 78 min was quite ludicrous...but par for him these days.

I agree ............ Matthew Morgan is better yhough he's currently playin the junior WC

Dan Biggar has played v well for the Ospreys for the last 2 months ... perhaps there will be opportunities to try either out 

perhaps  Biggar first while Morgan is given a year to mature.

Rugbyman is spot on.Priestland has been carried by a very decent Welsh backline these past few years and looks completely out of place in a team with genuine aspirations of breaking into the worlds top 3.Some of his kicking these past two tests has been absolutely horriffic,he lacks intelligence,offers nothing creativly and is,quite simply,costing Wales test matches.Im not Hook's biggest fan(i think he lacks heart) but with the giants around him,he can simply be a no10 and control the game.

Just re-watched the game and i thought the ref was diabolical.He gave a pen in the second half to Aus because Bradly Davies didn't roll away from the ruck and when Pocock went over to him you could hear the ref say to him"you must let the player get away from the tackle area.You was holding him down and he couldn't roll away".!!!!!!!

Also when are refs going to use some common sense and ask themselves why on earth a team pretty much dominating a scrum would bring a scrum down on purpose???!!!It's just so annoying.

Thought Warburton was outstanding today and knocked Pocock back in the tackle all game.He'll be a great leader for the Lions,imo.

Imo one of the main reasons for us losing this test match was out inability to win our own line out ball.  I think at least 3 times in the first half alone we lost the ball on our own throw and if i am right at least one of these occasions led to Australia scoring points.  Our lineout has been a problem for as long as I can remember

Wales have definitely played below expectations in these 2 matches but there are answers to the apparent problems,

Matthew Rees undoubtedly adds grunt to the scrum but appears to be a liability in the lineout. Ken Owens certainly didnt let Wales down in the 6N and may well have to be brought back-after all any Welsh 8 picked should be able to deal with the Aussie scrum.

I have been convinced for some time that Priestland is a weak link at 10. I am bemused that Wales have stuck with him, after all there are options. Selection must be doing James Hook's head in, as others have said they have plenty of muscle around to compensate. Also Dan Biggar played really well for the Os towards the end of the season and I was surprised he didnt get to go on tour.

And yes Clarkey we heard the conversation too, and felt that the Aussies were getting some decidely "friendly" decisions, that being one of them-there were at least 3 dodgy looking knock on decisions. The look on Bradley's face was disbelief at the decision against him.

Wales are very close to beating these SH sides regularly far closer than other NH sides.

If Mike Phillips had been on pich with 90s secs remaining CERTAIN they would have just played 3-4 phases to see out time and RETAIN posession!

Simple as that!

Halfpenny was immense and some of the younger players including Priestland will learn much from this tour.....

Does nobody AGREE or DISAGREE with my comments above regarding Welsh lineout ball. Its as if I'm invisible, no comments whatsoever. I'm not an expert on rugby but love it and would like some of the experts on here to give me some valuable input regarding my comments above. Cheers

Dancing Brave read my first paragraph!!!!

Wales couldnt stop the Aussies applying pressure due to the lineout problems.

Most teams nowadays dont like kicking to touch. However if a team has a dodgy lineout then it makes things easy for the opponents as they can go to touch knowing they have an excellent chance of winning the lineout. Wales had this problem last Saturday and it probably cost them the game long before other things became an issue.

Rees as always been average,at best,at throwing in but he's world class in the scrum and around the field.

Lineout was poor last Saturday but I don't think it altered the result.Wales lost due to having a poor no10 and no southern hemisphere intelligence.

Wales had a number of problems including the lineout.Throw ins very poor at times.Accuracy of kicking also poor,with an alarming number of balls going out on the full.That surprised me. Also the accuracy and effectiveness of the cleanout is not good enough.
Having said that the game was there to be won. Kicking to the wallabies with 90 sec to go was not the smartest idea. The penalty the replacement hooker gave away at a subsequent breakdown was a real coach killer. What was he thinking?When you're leading by one point with seconds remaining you don't even challenge for the ball,let alone give away a mindless penalty. Then he got busted for pulling down the maul!

Wales are close though. Maybe this week!

Dancing I agree about the lineout seemingly it's always been poor no matter who throws in,surely this is a basic skill and not actually that hard.
Priestland need sto step down his kicking is woeful no fan of Hook though.

GPT that's why it was surprising that Biggar isnt touring

Just watch the quality of Aus ruck ball compared to Wales.The ball is presented perfectly to Genia compared to the scrappy ball Phillips gets.I know Phillips is very slow to get the ball away at times but our rucking on this tour has been awful.

Having said all that,the progress Wales have made these past few years has been really good.Just a few years ago,we would have given our right arm to be within 10 points of Aus in a test match...........now we genuinely expect to beat them.