Rugby story by Fred Smith, Mon, 28 Nov 2005 21:52:00 GMT


Wales beat Australia 24-22 in a thrilling match that triggered off wild celebrations among players and fans alike. This is Wales' first win against the Wallabies since 1987.

Shane Williams was the hero of the day fro the Welsh team in a game that was played in an attacking manner all throughout. So much so that even when Australia lead at the interval, there was no talk of defeat.

The Welsh team came back superbly and Coach Mike Ruddock was a pleased man after the game, "In the past we've creaked in the scrum and been targeted there and at the line-out - now we can target other teams. That doesn't mean we don't want to play our running game but I always knew we had the flair, we had to improve our basics," he said adding that the team was at a stage where they could win "dirty" if necessary. Gareth Thomas, who was responsible for the second try that gave his team an added advantage, was largely responsible for holding the midfield steady.

The Australian Rugby Union meanwhile has announced that it would review the tour of the Aussie team, which has been nothing short of a disaster. But Coach Eddie Jones, who threw a two-way radio to the ground shattering it after the Thomas try, is not concerned, "People are going to make decisions. It is out of my control. I just coach," he said.

Mike Ruddock said that even though the result meant that they would start the Six Nations in a positive manner, the team would not get carried away, "We're not kidding ourselves, we can't afford to start the Six Nations like we did this autumn and we have to hit the ground running. The big performance against Australia was important as a springboard," he commented.

Match details
Referee: T Spreadbury (England).

Wales: G Thomas, D James, M Watkins, S Parker, S Williams , S Jones , G Cooper, D Jones , R Thomas, C Horsman, I Gough, R Sidoli, C Charvis, M Williams,, M Owen.

Australia: C Latham, M Gerrard, L Tuqiri, M Turinui, D Mitchell M Rogers G Gregan, M Dunning, B Cannon, D Fitter,, H McMeniman , N Sharpe, J Roe P Waugh, G Smith.

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