Wales didn't play well but walked away with the win.
Fully agree with Mike in that Wales are vulnerable to being bullied. They're snappy, accurate and look dangerous on the counter. Lots of positives for them.
They don't however, seem to have any answers for the power game.
How many times did Australia walk over their line and carry it in another five or ten meters?
One wonders how they'll respond when they're not leading on the scoreboard at half time.
They were very brave in trying to defend but found it almost impossible to stop Australia going forward.
Slowing play down is easier than speeding it up. If your weakness is the easiest attack option for the opposition then you've got real problems. That's the one base that must always be covered and it looks like Wales don't have the players for that.
It's the equivalent of not having a ground game in MMA. You can punch like Ali but even an averagely skilled wrestler will beat you once he takes you down. Which is also the easiest attack option.
Worse still, they don't have any exceptional fetchers in their side, diminishing their counter attacking strength.
I might be wrong but I can remember only one ruck turnover affected by Wales today, and it was a scrappy one.
They won't be able to rely on intercepts or solely on quick phase play if they want to win the cup.
What a great match though.
Total adrenaline dump for me when the final whistle blew.
That's how I know that I just saw a game I want to see many replays of.
Congrats to both teams.
I hope for a lot more of these in the competition.
