Macqueen admits match a grind

Anyone heading toward Wales on the M4 on Saturday morning was greeted first by an double rainbow straddling all six lanes followed by a torrential downpour, a predictable pile-up and a frustrating subsequent hour of bumper-to-tail grind. Pity all those bound for the Millennium Stadium who, no sooner had they slumped in their seats, found themselves watching an almost Identikit spectacle.

Even Rod Macqueen, having just seen his Wallaby side secure a World Cup semi-final spot for the first time since their victorious year of 1991, looked like a man who had just been charged a week's wages for his motorway fry-up. Slow ball, a sodden pitch and a mixed refereeing display made for stolid fare all round and Macqueen, to his credit, did not attempt to suggest otherwise.

"It was a very frustrating game across the board for us," sighed the Australian coach. "If that's the way the game is going to go, it's going to be very boring for a lot of people."

Behind Macqueen's sober discourse on the problems of recycling possession at this tournament, though, lay a starker truth: this was Wales's big chance and they were wholly unable to seize the day. They may have made considerable strides under Graham Henry and their supporters may still be able to induce a world-class tingle down the spine during the anthems. But ultimately they achieved no more, and most non-Samoans would argue rather less, than was expected of them.

To be fair, no side will score bucket-loads of tries against this Wallaby defence which has so far yielded just one, against the USA in Limerick, in five and a half hours of rugby. In the first quarter of an hour, when George Gregan scored the first of his two tries and only a misjudged pass by Stephen Larkham failed to present Joe Roff with another, Wales looked set for a stuffing to rank alongside their 38-3 World Cup loss to the same opponents eight years ago.

Yet for all the effort up front and the 100 per cent boot of Neil Jenkins, now his country's most capped player, which cut the deficit to 10-9 at the interval, there was a lack of spark which again hinted that Henry's men had peaked a few months too early. Everyone made it back on to the field for a farewell post-match lap but, in one or two cases, it looked a supreme effort.

One of the great things about their Kiwi guru, of course, is his ability to paint even defeats as part of some elaborate master-plan.

"I said before the game this was going to show us where we're at. It's probably where I expected to be," insisted Henry. "You hope for miracles but the Australians were too quick, too skilful and too streetwise for us. They deserved their victory."

Henry, fully versed in the Welsh tendency to recycle national gloom in the form of bitterness towards those at the top of the pyramid, took the chance to again plead for an improved domestic structure and better handling of young players to maintain the team's recent momentum. "I think we've reached a stage where we're at the top of my expectations," he continued. "The crucial question now is how do you get better from there?"

Unearthing some more home-grown talent, say a Dai Namite to play alongside the imported Jason Jones-Hughes, would be a start, but the next fortnight is now a case of whether Australia's backs can dazzle the world.

In turnover situations they are deadly and, while Gregan's second try in the sixth minute of injury time was overshadowed by an apparent knock-on and some shirt-tugging, the predatory instincts of Ben Tune in slithering over the line to touch down Larkham's delicate 65th minute chip deserved to be rewarded.

John Eales was withdrawn near the end as a precaution and the state of his groin is fast becoming as much an Aussie preoccupation as his injured shoulder once was.

Jeremy Paul, the reserve Wallaby hooker, will be keener to study the portion of the video showing exactly how Garin Jenkins flattened him in the 71st minute. Wales, whose initial game against Argentina opened up RWC's whole disciplinary can of worms, could do without the citing police adding to their communal hangover this week.

Whatever about Macqueen, the Australian players seemed pleased enough with the win. "We were pretty happy with our performance," said Eales. "We spoke a lot before the game about composure and the need to keep it throughout the game. Our defence held up and our composure was great.

"The Welsh side were pumped up and we knew we had to perform to the best of our ability to win the game.

"We have a lot of confidence in our players, even though we had a few injuries - and up to the last minute we had a few, we weren't sure that some people would make the field."

Welsh full-back Shane Howarth suggested afterwards that the quality of the opposition and their use of the conditions had decided the game.

"We had a game plan to attack inside the first 10 but things just didn't gel right," said Howarth. "We gave away too much ball.

"They kept the ball along the ground and they taught us a bit of rugby in the second half. It's ball retention - we just weren't protecting the ball properly."