Wales suffer record loss in heavy Australia defeat

Australia have games against Ireland and Scotland to come after beating England and Wales this autumn

Wales (13) 20

Tries: Wainwright, Thomas Con: Anscombe, Costleow Pens: Anscombe 2

Australia (19) 52

Tries: Wright 3, Frost, Faessler 3, Ikitau Cons: Lolesio 6

Wales sank to an all-time results low in their 143-year international rugby history with a record defeat by Australia in Cardiff.

The embarrassing loss will leave the position of head coach Warren Gatland under scrutiny as he guided his side to a record 11th consecutive international defeat.

Australia hooker Matt Faessler and full-back Tom Wright completed hat-tricks in the eight-try display.

First-half tries from full-back Wright, lock Nick Frost and Faessler saw Australia open up an early 19-0 lead.

Wales responded with 13 points in seven minutes with a try from number eight Aaron Wainwright and Gareth Anscombe's boot.

Australia centre Samu Kerevi was shown an early second half 20-minute red card for a high dangerous tackle on Jac Morgan.

Wales again failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage as Australia scored three tries when down to 14 men with a Faessler double and second for Wright.

Cardiff centre Ben Thomas crossed, but Len Ikitau and Wright touched down as the Wallabies accumulated points record against Wales in Cardiff.

Australia followed up their thrilling victory against England last weekend with further matches against Scotland and Ireland this autumn to come.

For Wales, world champions South Africa arrive in Cardiff next Saturday as the hosts look to avoid finishing a calendar year without a win for the first time since 1937.

Wales losing streak

Just under 14 months ago Wales posted a record 40-6 World Cup win in Lyon that underlined Australia's demise under Eddie Jones.

Since Gatland led Wales to the World Cup quarter-final, his side have not won a Test match for 407 days since beating Georgia in Nantes.

That sequence has included three defeats by Australia and further losses against Argentina, Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Italy, South Africa and Fiji.

Last weekend equalled the run of 10 Test losses set under Steve Hansen in 2002 and 2003 in that Fiji defeat and now Gatland's squad are out on their own with an unwanted piece of history.

Since taking over from Wayne Pivac and returning for a second stint as Wales boss before the 2023 Six Nations, Gatland has overseen six victories and 17 defeats from 23 Tests, a win ratio of 26%.

Wales have also won just one out of nine games in Cardiff in Gatland's second stint with no victory at their Principality Stadium home since August 2023.

They finished bottom of the Six Nations this year for the first time since 2003 and have slipped to their lowest position of 11th in the world rankings.

This downturn starkly contrasts with Gatland's first 12-year spell that delivered World Cup semi-final appearances, Six Nations titles, Grand Slams and briefly world number one status.

Gatland under pressure

Gatland had experienced a week like no other for him in Welsh rugby and the noise about his future will now only intensify.

He positioned himself as the man who wanted to take all the flak, to protect his players, and former players and pundits obliged.

Mike Phillips and former WRU chief executive David Moffett called for him to resign, Tom Shanklin said he should depart if Wales go the calendar year without a win, while Gwyn Jones accused him of already "checking out".

Former Wales centre Jamie Roberts, who is a respected pundit, but also a Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) board member in his non-executive independent role, criticised Gatland's Wales side last weekend.

Gatland stated pre-match he was disappointed with the comments of Roberts who defended his stance by insisting his opinions were based on fact. Honest discourse is welcome, but hardly smacks of unity from the governing body.

Not everything can be laid at Gatland's door with former Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones raising questions about what the WRU hierarchy have been doing in recent years.

The WRU leadership is currently rudderless, and while Gatland will rightly field questions and scrutiny, the positions of chair Richard Collier-Keywood, chief executive Abi Tierney and executive director of rugby Nigel Walker also need to be assessed.

More hope than expectation

With this backdrop, Wales fans turned up more than hope than expectation as Gatland made four changes from the side that lost to Fiji.

Two were enforced with injured scrum-half Tomos Williams and wing Mason Grady replaced by Ellis Bevan and Tom Rogers who produced a virtuoso display, while flankers Morgan and James Botham were preferred to Tommy Reffell and Taine Plumtree.

The inexperience of Wales' backline was demonstrated by fly-half Gareth Anscombe having 13 more caps than the rest of the six others combined.

Australia coach Joe Schmidt changed six personnel from the side that defeated England with exciting midfield prospect Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii dropped to the bench despite his player-of-the-match performance in Twickenham.

He was replaced by Kerevi who won his 50th cap alongside number eight Rob Valetini as the pair led the side out.

Wales had an early setback when lock Adam Beard was forced off injured and replaced by Christ Tshiunza before Rogers superbly held up Kerevi to deny a try for the visitors.

Rogers' fellow Scarlets wing Blair Murray was defensively culpable for the first Australia try as he missed Wright with the visiting full-back gliding over.

Wales were architects of their downfall when Botham dropped a Rogers pass with Jorgensen and Len Ikitau combining to send the galloping lock Frost to score from 50 metres.

Wallabies demonstrated another side to their game when Faessler was driven over from a maul before Wales finally fired an attacking shot with a clever finish from Wainwright.

Anscombe converted before slotting over two penalties as Wales trailed by six points at half-time.

Australia dominate second half

Kerevi was initially shown a yellow card for his high challenge on Morgan. For a second week running, Wales failed to take advantage of their extra man as Faessler grabbed his second try before Kerevi's 20-minute red card was confirmed.

Botham was denied a try after a Murray pass was deemed forward before replacement fly-half Sam Costelow's interception pass was picked off by Wright for his second try.

Ikitau and Wright completed the rout as many Welsh fans left early while there some boos from sections of the home crowd at the final whistle.

The attendance of just over 56,000 will also concern WRU bosses with many empty seats visible at the end.

Line-ups

Wales: Winnett; Rogers, Llewellyn, B Thomas, Murray; Anscombe, Bevan; G Thomas, Lake (capt), Griffin, Rowlands, Beard, Botham, Morgan, Wainwright.

Replacements: Elias, N Smith, Assiratti, Tshiunza, Reffell, R Williams, Costelow, James.

Australia: Wright; Kellaway, Ikitau, Kerevi, Jorgensen; Lolesio, White; Bell, Faessler, Alaalatoa, Frost, Skelton, Uru, McReight, Valetini.

Replacements: Paenga-Amosa, Slipper, Nonggorr, Salakaia-Loto, Gleeson, McDermott, Donaldson, Suaalii.

Twenty minute red card: Kerevi 41

Match officials

Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)

Assistant referee 1: Karl Dickson (England)

Assistant referee 2: Angus Mabey (New Zealand)

TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)