But once again the scoreline tells only part of the story of another Rugby World Cup epic that could, and perhaps should, have gone the other way. For the best part of 10 minutes the Australians were reduced to 13 men, yet somehow managed to keep Wales at bay.
Throughout this critical period in the second half Wales were camped in the Aussie 22 and seemed certain to score from a stream of five metre line-outs and scrums as their bitterest of rivals tried to make to and mend without the services of scrum half Will Genia and lock Dean Mumm.
Time after time a gold shirted player stepped forward to stop Wales on the line until, finally, Adam Ashley Cooper came off the defensive line to hammer Dan Biggar in the tackle and relieve the pressure. At this stage the two sides were only separated by six points, hence Sam Warburton waved away any thoughts of kicking for goal.
The Welsh skipper went for the jugular, but his side couldn’t find a sharp enough instrument with which to make the vital incision. Taulupe Faletau lost the ball going over the line; George North made it over the line, but was held up, and there were other instances of Wales doing everything other than score.
The courage and heart shown by Stephen Moore’s men in adversity was outstanding and, no sooner, had they relieved the pressure, than they went up the other end of the field and drove a stake through the heart of Welsh hopes by bagging another penalty for themselves. Up stepped Bernard Foley, and over went a fifth penalty from his trusty boot to extend the lead.
Now time was running out and Welsh efforts were becoming more frantic and desperate. They had lost the services of Alex Cuthbert, who was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on on the edge of his 22, and a first defeat at this Rugby World Cup was imminent.
The feeling at the end of the game was similar to so many of the recent battles against Australia. Once again the Wallabies had managed to absorb everything that Wales could throw at them and emerge victorious by a mere nine points.
Wales could have scored in the opening moments of the game and actually took the first points through the boot of Dan Biggar. They dominated territory and possession in those early stages, yet by half-time were 9-6 in arrears with Foley and Biggar having kicked all the points.
There was an uncharacteristic miss with a penalty by Biggar shortly before the break and then the only addition points in the second half were two further penalties for Foley. It was tense, dramatic and frustrating for Welsh fans.
Australia now march into the quarter-finals as the winners of Pool A with a perfect record of four wins from four outings in the ‘Pool of Death’. It means they will play Scotland this weekend and will avoid the reigning champions New Zealand in the semi-finals should both teams win in the last eight.
As for Wales, they will now face the Springboks at Twickenham. When the two teams last met, in Cardiff in November last year, Wales came out on top, while the South Africans triumphed by a single point when they clashed in the Pool stages at the 2011 World Cup.
Victory will mean a semi-final game against the winners of the game against Pool C winners New Zealand and the runners-up of Pool D, the losers in the game between France and Ireland at the Millennium Stadium.
