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Wales have held off a storming second-half comeback from Australia to claim a thrilling 29-25 Rugby World Cup victory tonight.
Down 26-8 early in the second half, Australia nearly pulled off one of the great World Cup turnarounds, getting within a solitary point before falling just short, as one last attack was culled by a last-minute knock-on.
It was just Wales' second win over Australia at a World Cup, and their first in 32 years. Since a one-point victory in the 1987 third-place playoff match, Wales had lost their last five against the Wallabies, and had only recently just snapped a 13-game losing streak against their southern hemisphere rivals.
Now they've won two in a row over the Wallabies, are favoured to top their group, and must be considered one of the leading contenders to take home this World Cup.
They did it with a mix of old-school strategy and new-age flair. Dan Biggar got the Welsh on the board within 40 seconds – slotting the fastest dropped goal in World Cup history, and his boot came to the fore again shortly afterwards with a cross-field kick to Hadleigh Parkes, who leapt high to cross in the corner.
Unfortunately for Wales, Biggar had few further contributions, as, after the Wallabies had crossed through Adam Ashley-Cooper, he went off for a head injury assessment before the half-hour mark and never returned. However, his replacement Rhys Patchell proved just as accurate, knocking over back-to-back penalties, before Welsh halfback Gareth Davies intercepted a pass from opposite Will Genia – Australia complaining that Davies was offside - and raced 60 metres untouched to give his side a 23-8 halftime advantage.
Gareth Davies of Wales breaks away to go on and score. Photo / Getty
Patchell then emulated his predecessor by slotting a quick drop goal after the break, and 18 points down, Australia needed to produce something special.
They very nearly did. First Dane Haylett-Petty dotted down after a string of phases, with Matt Toomua impactful off the bench in place of Bernard Foley, and Australia's possession started to mount.
Then, after a long spell of pressure battering the Welsh line, captain Michael Hooper bashed his way over from close range, and with 13 minutes remaining, a scrum penalty gave Toomua a simple shot at goal, from which he made no mistake, reducing the deficit to just a solitary point.
That was as close as they'd come.
A penalty at lineout time gave Patchell another opportunity for three points, leaving Australia needing one last try to complete a superb victory.
They had the ball in hand with a minute to go, in Welsh territory, but as Samu Kerevi looked to burst through the line, he lost control, with Wales claiming the ball, and with it, one of their greatest World Cup wins.
Wales 29 (Hadleigh Parkes, Gareth Davies tries; Dan Biggar con, dropped goal, Rhys Patchell con, 3 pens, dropped goal) Australia 25 (Adam Ashley-Cooper, Dane Haylett-Petty, Michael Hooper tries; Bernard Foley pen, Matt Toomua 2 cons, pen). Halftime: 23-8
