Filipo Daugunu scores two tries as Wallabies down Wales 36-28 to continue winning start under coach Joe Schmidt
The Wallabies are 2-0 under Joe Schmidt and already have their first piece of silverware. There are clear signs of improvement — but some familiar concerns remain.
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A flying Filipo Daugunu saved Australia from a Welsh uprising with two spectacular tries in a gritty 36-28 win, but some of the Wallabies’ old issues resurfaced.
Ill-discipline, poor handling and inability to defend the driving maul constantly allowed Wales to get back into the contest after Australia had led 17-0 after just 25 minutes, and will somewhat dampen coach Joe Schmidt’s excitement despite starting two from two in his Wallabies coaching foray.
The Wallabies are 2-0 under Schmidt and already have their first piece of silverware by claiming the James Bevan trophy.
Daugunu’s double proved the difference, with the former Melbourne Rebels star lighting up AAMI Park in front of a mediocre crowd of 21,932 – a clear message to Rugby Australia they have much to do to win back hearts in the sporting capital.
One of the Rebels players who has signed to play with Queensland Reds next year, Daugunu began the match by finishing a superb length of the field move, then scored Australia’s final try with an outstanding effort to reclaim a penalty kick to the sideline that was batted back in by Welsh rival Liam Williams to race away.
There are clear signs of improvement under Schmidt.
But the concern is just how often they let the foot off the throat when it seemed they could race away with the game.
Welsh winger Rio Dyer scored a beauty of his own, powering through Wallabies debutant Brendan Nasser and five-eighth Noah Lolesio to make the score 33-28 with nine minutes to play.
But the Wallabies, led by tower of power Rob Valetini, clung on and Lolesio’s 78th minute penalty goal sealed Australia’s first win in Melbourne since victory over Fiji in 2017.
Daugunu’s brilliant tries represented the quality Schmidt admires most; effort.
The first lifted the atmosphere tremendously after just seven minutes of play.
What appeared to be a highly dangerous mistake, as Lolesio’s loose pass drafted across Tom Wright in front of his own posts was collected by Andrew Kellaway, who chipped over the top and tapped the fortunate bounce to a bursting Fraser McReight.
Daugunu, from the left wing, made the effort to get across to the right side of the field in support, and McReight was smart enough to pass and unleash the flyer from the 22 metre line.
Then in the 67th, the Wallabies received a penalty in their own half.
Lolesio’s touch-finder was barely over the line when Williams jumped and hit the ball back, hoping to find his teammate. But ever chasing, Daugunu intercepted the ball and raced away for a spectacular statement.
Australia led 23-14 at halftime, but a 47th-minute try by Williams following a long build-up of phases had the game delicately poised at 23-21.
Replacement tighthead prop Allan Alaalatoa pushed through the Welsh defence from close to the line and pushed his side further ahead, 28-21, in the 54th before the hectic back-and-forth finish.
A Lolesio penalty had Australia leading 10-0 after 15 minutes, and then a determined Jake Gordon try had them up 17-0 after 25 minutes.
Steady rain began falling over the stadium 45 minutes before kick-off, leading the Wallabies backs, led by Gordon, to largely practice box kicks and kick returns in their warm-up.
That paid dividends in the 25th minute when Gordon’s box kick was dropped by new Wales fullback Cameron Winnett. The loose ball was fumbled again in the wet and Gordon put his boot to the ball, swiftly picked it up and swerved inside the cover defence of James Botham to cross for an outstanding score.
But just three minutes late Wales hit back with a driving maul try to skipper Dewi Lake.
Lolesio extended Australia’s lead to 20-7 with a penalty, but the sin-binning of lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto in the 35th minute, for shoulder-on-head contact with Welsh prop Archie Griffin, left them vulnerable.
Sure enough, in the next play off the penalty kick to the sideline, a rampaging Welsh rolling maul allowed Lake to score his second try.
Lolesio’s late first half penalty gave the hosts a nine-point lead at the break.
Having sealed the two-match series against Wales, eighth-ranked Australia hosts Georgia in Sydney next week..
Relive all the action below:
FULL-TIME: WALLABIES 36 d WALES 28
Wallabies win! Life is good under new coach Joe Schmidt, who has guided the Wallabies to successive victories against Wales to start his reign — Australia’s first back-to-back wins since 2021.
Winger Filipo Daugunu was the hero with two stunning tries, but there were top performers all over the park.
77 MINS: WALLABIES 36 v WALES
The Wallabies push their lead out to eight points with just a few minutes left, as Ben Donaldson nails a penalty. Will that be enough?
71 MINS: WALLABIES 33 v WALES 28
Filipo Daugunu can finish a fantastic try. This time the Wallabies winger is in the perfect spot once again, chasing up a kick for touch from Wallabies flyhalf Noah Lolesio that is batted back in by Wales.
Instead of finding a Welsh teammate, the ball falls perfectly for Daugunu who races away to score.
Wallabies skipper James Slipper, on the bench now, was impressed to say the least.
“That was unbelievable, wasn’t it,” he told Channel 9.
Two minutes later and Wales hit back with a beauty of their own, winger Rio Dyer crossing in the corner. This one’s going down to the wire!
Flyyyyying Filipo! 🛫#Wallabies#AUSvWALpic.twitter.com/z1vuPqfjG0
— Wallabies (@wallabies) July 13, 2024
55 MINS: WALLABIES 28 v WALES 21
The Wallabies almost give Wales a taste of their own medicine, threatening to power their way over from a rolling maul. They fall agonisingly short, but their pain is only short-lived, with Allan Alaalatoa - fresh off the bench - getting down low and go, go, going over to extend Australia’s lead. Noah Lolesio’s perfect night off the tee ends when he cannons the ball into the upright, and the Wallabies lead by a converted try headling towards the final quarter.
48 MINS: WALLABIES 23 WALES 21
The Wallabies are back to a full complement of players but their lead has been cut to just two points after Wales cross first after the half-time break.
After some desperate goal-line defence from the Wallabies, Wales spin the ball wide and winger Liam Williams slices over.
“Now we’ve got a game on,” says Wallabies great Tim Horan.
Indeed!
HALF-TIME: WALLABIES 23 v WALES 14
The Wallabies win another penalty off the kick-off, and Noah Lolesio continues his perfect night off the tee. He boots the Wallabies out to a nine-point lead which they’ll take into the break. It’s been an entertaining night so far despite the wet conditions, headlined by the 100m try finished off by Wallabies winger Filipo Daugunu. Wales will feel they’re right back in the game after trailing 17-0, with the Wallabies down to 14 men for the first five minutes of the second half.
37 MINS: WALLABIES 20 v WALES 14
YELLOW CARD! The Wallabies are down to 14 men as Lukhan Salakaia-Loto receives a yellow card for high contact on Wales prop Archie Griffin. It’s a clear-cut call on replay and the Wallabies, facing a dangerous period before the break, are made to pay instantly as Dewi Lake gets his second try of the night. It’s a carbon copy of Wales’ opener, with Lake crossing after another brilliantly executed rolling maul. Game on!
31 MINS: WALLABIES 20 v WALES 7
Wales are on the board and it’s the skipper Dewi Lake who gets them going. He scores off the back of a brilliant rolling maul and after Ben Thomas adds the extras, the Wallabies’ lead is cut to 10. It’s short-lived though, with the Wallabies winning a penalty pretty much straight off the kick-off and Noah Lolesio making no mistake to put them out to a 13-point lead with less than 10 minutes to half-time.
25 MINS: WALLABIES 17 v WALES 0
It’s raining ... and it’s raining points in Melbourne! The Wallabies are in again and it’s scrumhalf Jake Gordon this time.
Gordon hoists the ball up and Wales don’t deal with it. With the ball bobbling on the ground Gordon is first to react and he scoots over to score in the corner.
Noah Lolesio continues his perfect night with the boot and the Wallabies push their lead out to 17-0.
Jake doing it all âš¡ï¸#Wallabies#AUSvWALpic.twitter.com/5EUl70J0jv
— Wallabies (@wallabies) July 13, 2024
20 MINS: WALLABIES 10 v WALES 0
The Wallabies have increased their lead with a penalty to go on top of that stunning opening try, but Wales is starting to work into the game.
After sustained pressure they cross the line can’t get the ball down.
It’s Andrew Kellaway to the rescue again, the Wallabies winger combining with Jake Gordon to hold them up.
8 MINS — WALLABIES 7 v WALES 0
The Wallabies are first on the board and it’s a simply sensational try, finished off by winger Filipo Daugunu.
The winger crosses the line but it’s all about Andrew Kellaway, whose clever chip and chase set up the fantastic five-pointer.
The Wallabies looked in all sorts as they struggled to clear their own tryline, before Kellaway found some room to move and then chipped ahead before cleverly tapping the bouncing ball on to Fraser McReight. The big flanker had clear air in front of him but looked like getting hauled down by the Wales chasers, so wisely fed the ball to Daugunu who did the rest.
Daugunu
“Does it get any better than that for the Wallabies?” said Test great Tim Horan in commentary.
“Length of the field ... they were in enormous trouble, they go 100m.What a try for the Wallabies.”
How about that! 💥#Wallabies#AUSvWALpic.twitter.com/DKnKItsr3z
— Wallabies (@wallabies) July 13, 2024
7.55PM — KICK-OFF: WALLABIES V WALES
Skipper James Slipper — standing in for the injured Liam Wright — has led the Wallabies out on to AAMI Stadium to face the Dewi Lake-captained Wales.
It’s a slippery old surface in Melbourne after plenty of rain during the day, and the wet conditions look set to continue.
Wales kicks off and we are under way!
PRE-GAME: SLIPPER SAYS WALLABIES MUST BUILD CONSISTENCY
Wallabies captain James Slipper has stressed the importance of following up their Sydney victory over Wales with another win in Melbourne to start building consistency under new coach Joe Schmidt.
The hosts battled to a gutsy 25-16 triumph last weekend to get the New Zealander’s reign off to a flying start and inflict an eighth-straight Test defeat on Warren Gatland’s struggling side.
Slipper, elevated to captain with Liam Wright out injured, said he expected an even better performance on Saturday.
“We want to be winning games,” said the veteran prop, who will be making his 136th appearance and 15th with the armband.
“The good teams are consistent throughout their performances, and that’s what we’re aiming to do.
“Coming off a pretty lean year last year and a new group of players, new staff, we just really wanted to put in a performance that we were proud of.
“The challenge for us now is to replicate that.”
A victory would mark their first back-to-back wins since 2021 and emphatically farewell the chaotic tenure of Eddie Jones, when they won just two from nine Tests.
Wales head into game under mounting pressure, without a Test win since beating minnows Georgia in the pool stages of the 2023 World Cup.
Originally published as Filipo Daugunu scores two tries as Wallabies down Wales 36-28 to continue winning start under coach Joe Schmidt
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