The Wallaroos produced a far more convincing performance at Newport's Rodney Parade on Friday night (Saturday AEST) than they had in Belfast last weekend when they went down tamely to Ireland.
But after Wales flanker Kate Williams ploughed over for the winning post-siren score with the game's last attack, proud but frustrated Australia coach Jo Yapp had to concede: "We need to be a bit more rugby smart in certain areas of the game, I think that's where we let ourselves down tonight."
A birthday gift for The Kid �— Wallaroos (@WallaroosRugby) #Wallaroos pic.twitter.com/gF48nk32AISeptember 20, 2024
Captain Michaela Leonard also conceded her side may have been their own worst enemies with their superior number of line breaks as they constantly looked dangerous on the attack, but it ended up counting for nothing.
"We take that one on our chest there," said Leonard, after the five-tries-to-three reverse.
"Our discipline and ability to hold onto the ball and maintain possession really let us down."
There were still positives to take for the team despite their first loss to Wales in their seven-match history, particularly in their resilience to fight back in the second half when they fell nine points behind with less than 15 minutes left.
"We definitely couldn't fault the girls' workrate and energy, they were working really hard for one another and the intent was there," said Yapp.
"I'm really proud from that perspective, but I think we just showed at times we have just got a few things to learn."
The Wallaroos' Maya Stewart again showed her brilliance as a flying winger when she went over early after some magic down the right flank - as she also had against Ireland - but Wales' inspirational captain Keira Bevan quickly responded with a try of her own.
Australia then had a fine solo effort from Ashley Marsters ruled out after replays showed she had been in front of the ball at the breakdown, meaning the sides went in at halftime locked at 7-7.
Australia were undone after the break, unable to cope with Wales' powerful rolling maul, with hooker Molly Reardon going over twice, while replacement Alisha Joyce-Butchers also got in on the act.Â
But the Australians never let the hosts get away. Teenager Caitlyn Halse showed again why she has a great future, using her considerable strength to take two tacklers with her as she crashed over the line for a special score just two days after her 18th birthday.
Ash and Maya go bang! 💥— Wallaroos (@WallaroosRugby) #Wallaroos pic.twitter.com/Kz5jytIkOhSeptember 20, 2024
And at 24-17 down, their excellent No.8 Tabua Tuinakauvadra ploughed over the whitewash, with Arabella McKenzie converting nervelessly with three minutes remaining to bring the scores level.
But Wales launched into one last series of pick-and-gos before Williams grabbed their historic win by piling over with the clock now in the red.
The Australians will get a quick shot at revenge in eight days time when the teams meet again in their WXV2 tournament opener in Cape Town, and Leonard promises they will have learned from the heartbreak.
"Having the opportunity to go up against Wales again next week is really exciting because there's plenty of things that we did well out there," said the skipper.
