WALES: Kevin Morgan - 7: Played a key role in attack, threading a scoring pass to Shane Williams, and important interventions in defence, including one late tackle on Shepherd. Gareth Thomas - 6: Resumed captaincy duties when Stephen Jones was injured, but given little space to show his wares on his return to the side. Tom Shanklin - 7: Concentration exposed when Giteau sneaked past him for his try, but positive in attack and his kick ahead set up Martyn Williams' try. Gavin Henson - 7: Landed long-range penalty and a brilliant off-load set up Shane Williams try. Allowed Latham past him for try, but a satisfactory return. Shane Williams - 8: Constant threat with his running, and rewarded with 27th Test try. Also made a try-saving intervention on his own line to deny Tuqiri. Stephen Jones - 6: Slotted an early penalty but new captain's match ended prematurely when a twisted knee forced him off after just 23 minutes. Dwayne Peel - 7: Recovered well from a worrying early knock and always looked to keep Wales on the front foot with his probing and passing. Gethin Jenkins - 7: Helped give Australia plenty of problems at scrum-time, switching to the tight-head side for the last 15 minutes. Matthew Rees - 6: Did not always find his jumpers at the line-out but the Scarlets hooker's tireless work-rate epitomised Wales' recovery. Adam Jones - 6: Played his part in the set-piece battle before making way for Duncan Jones for last 15 minutes, putting himself about well. Ian Gough - 6: Tremendous tackle on Dan Vickerman in the second half lifted Wales when the Aussies were dominant, part of a solid all-round display. Ian Evans - 6: Rising star of the second row will have benefited from his latest Test match experience as he puts his case for a World Cup spot. Jonathan Thomas - 7: Good line-out option and industrious display on his return to the starting line-up after a couple of seasons mainly on the bench. Martyn Williams - 8: A brilliant try-saving tackle on Rocky Elsom, and typically lung-busting efforts rewarded with an opportunistic finish for Wales' second try. Ryan Jones - 7: Eased his way back into international rugby following a lengthy injury absence. Still rusty, but encouraging return nonetheless. REPLACEMENTS: James Hook - 9: The 21-year-old showed immense maturity after replacing Jones, his tactical nous and flawless kicking display ensuring Wales shared the spoils. Duncan Jones - 6: Replaced his Ospreys namesake Adam for last 15 minutes, helping keep the pressure on as Wales won a vital late scrum against the head.
AUSTRALIA: Chris Latham - 9: Capped a typically brilliant performance with a superb solo try, beating three Welsh tacklers; a constant threat in attack and solid in defence. Clyde Rathbone - 6: Had the odd dart in attack but struggled to get himself into the game despite the abundance of Australian possession. Lote Tuqiri - 7: The rugby league convert showed plenty of power in attack and defence, but could not force his way over the Welsh try-line. Stephen Larkham - 7: Started superbly when he showcased his range of passing, but faded as Wales hit back and was forced off injured in second half. Cameron Shepherd - 7: Earned his place by collecting two tries on only his second Test start, showing some sharp hand-eye coordination and finishing. Mat Rogers - 6: Started brightly, with a smart off-load to Shepherd for his opening try, but not totally convincing at number 10 and lost possession at times. Matt Giteau - 8: Pulled the strings for Australia in attack, quick-thinking earning him a try, but a missed penalty at 17-6 up helped turn the tide for Wales. Al Baxter - 5: Conceded penalty that allowed Hook to level scores, and little sign that he is up to the mark at scrum-time despite switch to loose-head. Tai McIsaac - 6: Hit his jumpers well in the line-out but part of a creaking Aussie front row and replaced at half-time by Brendan Cannon. Rodney Blake - 6: Lucky to get away with impeding Gareth Thomas, "Rodzilla" was frustrated in his efforts to batter his way over the Welsh line. Nathan Sharpe - 7: A secure source of line-out possession and carried the ball well, but could not totally get on top of his Welsh opponents. Dan Vickerman - 6: Denied a try by some smothering Welsh defence and put in a solid display before being replaced by Mark Chisholm late on. Rocky Elsom - 7: A bustling display from the blind-side flanker but denied what seemed a certain try by Martyn Williams after bursting out of a maul. Phil Waugh - 6: The skipper made a nuisance of himself as usual but could not dominate the breakdown. Kept Jonathan Thomas at bay with one powerful tackle. Wycliff Palu - 7: The giant number eight drove powerfully at the Welsh defence, setting up the opening try for Shepherd. Replaced by Hoiles after 55 minutes. REPLACEMENTS: Brendan Cannon - 6: Came on to steady the front row at half-time, but unable to stem the dominant Welsh scrum, losing a vital one against the head. Mark Chisholm - 6: Came on for Vickerman for the last seven minutes, but too little time to make any real impression on the game. Stephen Hoiles - 5: Billed as an emerging star, but a clumsy fall after replacing Palu allowed Martyn Williams to steal in for Wales' second try. Josh Valentine - 6: Came on at scrum-half in the second-half reshuffle that saw Giteau revert to centre. Looked lively. Back to top
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