Wales 8 Australia 32: Rob Howley’s men are humiliated at home as the Wallabies run riot at the Principality Stadium
Australia were in complete control of the match as they record their 12th straight win over their opponents
SCOTT WILLIAMS’ moment of magic was not enough to stop Wales losing their 12th straight game against Australia.
The late replacement for Jon Davies collected his own defence-splitting grubber for the Dragons’ only try as they suffered their biggest defeat versus the Wallabies in more than nine years.
Bernard Foley and the returning Leigh Halfpenny exchanged penalties early on but the breakthrough came when Australia skipper Stephen Moore drove through from the back of the maul to touch down 11 minutes in.
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The visitors had enjoyed a whopping 91 per cent possession up to that point and the Dragons simply could not get out of their own half.
Foley whiffed the conversion wide but any hope Wales had of getting off the back foot vanished when Dan Biggar was sin-binned after an off-the-ball challenge on Dane Haylett-Petty.
Wales’ midfield bulldozer Jamie Roberts saw nothing of the ball and he could only look on with envy as Michael Cheika’s side burst forward from half-way for another try.
Reece Hodge picked up an inside ball and laid off to Folau who drew last-man Halfpenny before giving it back to Hodge for the simplest of touchdowns.
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But Foley missed another and then Halfpenny failed to convert a Wales penalty so it remained 13-3.
The fly-half’s failures with the boot hardly mattered though because it was then Tevita Kuridrani’s turn to go over.
That was converted to make it 20-3 at the break.
Wales had to draw first blood in the second half but the match was over when Foley went over in the corner to make it 25-3.
But Williams’ great skill finally gave the home crowd reason to celebrate, despite Halfpenny’s miss making it 25-8.
Injury was added to insult when scrum-half Rhys Webb was stretchered off with 15 minutes left to go.
Alex Cuthbert nearly went over late on and Hallam Amos had a try disallowed.
Haylett-Petty then got his second when he picked up debutant Sam Davies’ loose pass.