With Wales dominating in the scrum they were awarded a penalty try and Shane Williams also added another. Stephen Jones converted one and also landed four penalty attempts, two from a massive 45m out.
Speaking after the game Michael Owen conceded that Wales did make it difficult for themselves in the final stages as Australia crept back into the game. “We probably made things hard for ourselves in the dying stages, but that is the type of team we are. We have complete faith in our abilities as a team. If we suddenly stop playing rugby and shut up shop, we are likely to concede penalties or make mistakes. Australia have got some great players and they made us work hard, but it was very satisfying to come away with the win. We also made things harder for ourselves by not scoring when getting into good positions. We didn't finish off a couple of really good try-scoring opportunities, which was frustrating." Owen also praised the Welsh defence for keeping the Wallabies at bay. "We had been playing well, but let in a soft try, but we knew that if we kept our composure up we would get a win. "But we do need to learn to put teams away for good when we are in a potential match-winning position. You can't give any top sides easy points and we did that against Australia. We did it also against New Zealand and South Africa." Owen was also quick to heap praise on Stephen Jones' penalty in the 65th minute which was a turning point in the game as it put Wales two scores ahead. "That kick made a huge difference," said Owen. "It may have been three points, and it may have been better if we had scored another try, but we knew then we would have to batten down the hatches with the Wallabies going to throw everything at us."
Speaking after the game Michael Owen conceded that Wales did make it difficult for themselves in the final stages as Australia crept back into the game. “We probably made things hard for ourselves in the dying stages, but that is the type of team we are. We have complete faith in our abilities as a team. If we suddenly stop playing rugby and shut up shop, we are likely to concede penalties or make mistakes. Australia have got some great players and they made us work hard, but it was very satisfying to come away with the win. We also made things harder for ourselves by not scoring when getting into good positions. We didn't finish off a couple of really good try-scoring opportunities, which was frustrating." Owen also praised the Welsh defence for keeping the Wallabies at bay. "We had been playing well, but let in a soft try, but we knew that if we kept our composure up we would get a win. "But we do need to learn to put teams away for good when we are in a potential match-winning position. You can't give any top sides easy points and we did that against Australia. We did it also against New Zealand and South Africa." Owen was also quick to heap praise on Stephen Jones' penalty in the 65th minute which was a turning point in the game as it put Wales two scores ahead. "That kick made a huge difference," said Owen. "It may have been three points, and it may have been better if we had scored another try, but we knew then we would have to batten down the hatches with the Wallabies going to throw everything at us."
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