AUSTRALIA have scored 230 points against Wales in their last five meetings so Saturday's victory at the Sydney Football Stadium was a relative failure for them. Wales held their line intact for 37 minutes and looked like going into the interval only 6-3 down even though they had not mounted one attack.
Then Neil Jenkins missed touch, Matthew Burke caught his own kick ahead and Owen Finegan dived over for a try to start the rout. The Wallabies added five more tries in the second half with Wales contributing only the odd counter attack.
It was a one sided affair and had not the home side been so badly disrupted by injuries - they lost both their hookers to leave them with problems for Saturday's international against Canada in Brisbane - they would surely have passed 50 points against Wales for the third time this decade. Wales return home tomorrow well aware that their hopes of reaching the 1999 World Cup finals are fanciful.
"We could not cope with the power and pace of the Australians," said the Welsh Rugby Union's rugby director Terry Cobner. "The main reason for that is because our domestic game is not geared to the intensity of the southern hemisphere's Super 12. We are not developing players properly for international rugby and the choice open to us is either to change or to sink. It's that simple."
Even so, the same club system proved too good for the Australians in Wales in 1992 when they were then the World Cup holders: they lost to Swansea and Llanelli. What is most disconcerting for Wales is that in the last 10 years they have produced precious few players of international quality.
Only the scrum half Howley and the back rower Williams have looked the part this tour and Williams's effectiveness was reduced on Saturday when he was moved from number eight to wing forward.
Otherwise, Wales are mediocre, relying on organisation and detail I rather than the instinctive Hair which made them a force in the 1950s and the 1970s.
There is nothing natural about their game. Not that Australia looked any better than they did in last year's World Cup. It took a half time lecture from the coach Greg Smith to get their running game going and they were prompted throughout by the urgency of the veteran David Capese in his 94th international.
The Wallabies were fortunate that Wales had little attacking instinct and on this showing they will struggle in the upcoming Trinations tournament.
Their line out was poor and the ball carrier was too often isolated. Smith almost has as much work ahead of him as his opposite number, Kevin Bowring.
. Hooker Mark Bell and centre Daniel Herbert were yesterday called into the Australian squad as selectors were left with a heavy injury toll ahead of next Saturday's one off international against Canada.
With eight players injured in Saturday's 42-3 second Test win over Wales, and five of them in doubt or ruled out, the selectors delayed until today the announcement of the team to play in the Brisbane international.
Bell and World Cup centre Herbert look set to replace injured Australian Capital Territory duo Marco Caputo (ankle) and Joe Roff (thumb), but more reinforcements are expected.
