It ended a bad week for the tourists who lost 14-7 to a Reebok Regional XV at Llandovery on Tuesday and with morale low, they sailed off to Ireland on Sunday to play three tough games in Ireland. Australia had beaten England at Gloucester a week last Friday but at Sardis Road they were always second best to a dynamic, athletic and confident Welsh side, led with huge gusto by Blues lock Bradley Davies.
WRU High Performance Manager Mostyn Richards had a broad smile on his face in the midst of all the congratulations showered on the Welsh boys. “The most pleasing thing for us as an Union is the fact that we saw in the space of four days and against top quality opposition, hugely impressive displays from two sides, rather than the one.
“We will need a strong squad of 26 players for the 2006 Junior World Cup in April and it gives coaches Justin Burnell, Byron Hayward and Ian Jones a huge boost to their preparations to see so many players of international potential amongst the 30 or so players.” said Richards.
Wales had a stunning first half when they scored two tries and Sale fly half Rhys Jones put over two very difficult conversions and a high and handsome 35 metre penalty. The Welsh pack was abrasive and effective in tight and loose and it was its graft that created the first try, Davies taking line out ball, and a front of the line out surge putting prop Hugh Gustafson crashing through. Late in the half Wales’s best back movement of the day got centres Ashley Smith (Dragons) and Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) running hard and straight to put in flying wing Alec Jenkins (Scarlets) in at the corner.
The scoreboard had an unreal 17-0 look and it got surreal when it read Wales 24 Australia 0 a minute into the second half. Dragons scrum half Rob Lewis pounced through on an Australian tap down at the line out for the try converted by Jones but the tourists pulled themselves together in the face of humiliating defeat. Their forwards recycled well and they controlled the loose thereafter, putting multiple phases together under the prompting of the talented Kurtley Beale, only to find the Welsh defence unyielding. It was only 8 minutes from time that wing Lachlan Turner finally outflanked Wales for a try, converted by centre Quade Cooper, before Jones hit a sweet 35 metre penalty. There were no fewer that nine Scarlets on the pitch to see Wale seal their biggest ever win over Southern Hemisphere opponents at age group level.
Wales U19s
Tries H Gustafson, A Jenkins, R Lewis
Cons R Jones (3)
Pens R Jones (2)
Australia Schools
Try L Turner
Con Q Cooper
Wales U19s M Thomas; A Jenkins, J Davies (all Scarlets), A Smith, J Lewis (both Dragons) (rep J Norris (Dragons 65’); R Jones (Exiles) (rep R Priestland (Scarlets 65’), R Lewis (Dragons); H Gustafson, K Owens (both Scarlets), J Corsi (Dragons), B Davies (Blues) (capt), L Reed, J Turnbull (both Scarlets), L Evans (Dragons), D Franks (Blues) (rep L Phillips (Scarlets 65’)
Australian Schools K Beale; L Turner, R Kellam, Q Cooper (rep C Lealiifano 66’), A Barrett; B Gillespie, T Tusitala; .D Roach (rep D Salvi 47’), J Hanson (rep J Egan 47’), B. Daley (rep G Warren 47’), P Mathers (rep D Linde 60’), J Afu (rep B McCalman 53’), J Lam (rep P Betham 66’), P McCutcheon (capt), D Pocock
