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Wales team to face Australia in the 3rd test
Wales field an unchanged side for the third Test of their Australian tour at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday (kick-off 3.05pm local time).
The same starting XV which led the Wallabies for the majority of the match in Melbourne last weekend – only to be denied by the last-minute penalty which made the home side 25-23 victors – has been handed a repeat chance to notch up Wales’ first victory on Australian soil since 1969.
The replacements’ bench shows one change with Scarlets hooker Ken Owens, who started the first Test two weeks ago in Brisbane, coming in to replace Ospreys front rower Richard Hibbard, who misses out on this occasion.
“We know what we have to do to beat Australia, but there is a difference between knowing how to win and achieving that aim,” said Wales caretaker head coach Rob Howley.
“This Wales team was within around 30 seconds of beating the Wallabies on their home patch for the first time in 43 years, the challenge now is to go one better than that and make sure we are ahead on the scoreboard, not just when the hooter goes, but when the game finishes this weekend.
“The players can take some credit for the way they played for the large part of the match on Saturday, but that will be scant consolation if we don’t come home with a win in this Series.
“We have risen to our highest position (4th) in the IRB World rankings because of our performances so far this season, which can have positive repercussions for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but now we want to stay there and that means coming away with the spoils on Saturday afternoon.”
Leigh Halfpenny’s 13-point haul last week means he has broken into the top 10 list of all-time points scorers in Welsh international rugby. The Blues full back and wing goes straight in at number eight ahead of 1970s fly half Phil Bennett with 168 points in just 34 internationals.
He now needs 33 points to progress above Gareth Thomas who is in seventh, but is some way off his mentor and kicking coach Neil Jenkins, who heads the list with 1,049 points.
WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Ashley Beck, George North; Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Adam Jones, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (Captain), Ryan Jones
REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Paul James, Luke Charteris, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, James Hook, Scott Williams
Wales’ leading points scorers (all time):Neil Jenkins 1,049, Stephen Jones 917, James Hook 346, Paul Thorburn 304, Shane Williams 290, Arwel Thomas 211, Gareth Thomas 200, Leigh Halfpenny 168, Phil Bennett 166, Ieuan Evans 157
WALES
15 Leigh HALFPENNY (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,060)
DoB: 22.12.88. 5’10” / 1.77m. 13st 6lbs / 85kgs
International record: 34 caps (W 17, L 17; 168 pts – 11T, 10C, 31PG)
14 Alex CUTHBERT (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,089)
DoB: 05.04.90. 6’6” / 1.98m. 16st 3lbs / 103kgs
International record: 8 caps (W 5, L 3; 20 pts – 4T)
13 Jonathan DAVIES (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,066)
DoB: 05.04.88. 6’1” / 1.86m. 16st 8lb / 105kgs
International record: 28 caps (W 16, L 12; 40 pts – 8T)
12 Ashley BECK (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,097)
DoB: 15.04.90. 6’3” / 1.91m. 15st 13lbs / 101kgs
International record: 2 caps (L 2)
11 George NORTH (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,078)
DoB: 13.04.92. 6’4” / 1.92m. 17st 3lbs / 109kgs
International record: 23 caps (W 11, L 11, D 1; 55 pts – 11T)
10 Rhys PRIESTLAND (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,080)
DoB: 09.01.87 1.82m / 6’0”. 15st 0lbs / 95kgs
International record: 17 caps (W 11, L 6; 53 pts – 1T, 12C, 8PG)
9 Mike PHILLIPS (BAYONNE – Cap No 1,022)
DoB: 29.08.82. 6’3” / 1.91m. 15st 10lb / 101kgs
International record: 67 caps (W 33, L 32, D 2; 40 pts – 8T)
1 Gethin JENKINS (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,006)
DoB: 17.11.80. 6’2” / 1.88m. 19st 1lb / 121kgs
International record: 89 caps (W 41, L 46, D 2; 20 pts – 4T)
2 Matthew REES (SCARLETS, CAPTAIN – Cap No 1,033)
DoB: 09.12.80. 6’0” / 1.83m. 17st 1lbs / 108kgs
International record: 53 caps (W 23, L 29, D 1; 10 pts – 2T)
3 Adam JONES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,018)
DoB: 08.03.81. 6’0” / 1.83m. 19st 4lbs / 122kgs
International record: 82 caps (W 40, L 39, D 3; 10 pts – 2T)
4 Bradley DAVIES (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,065)
DoB: 09.01.87. 6’6” / 1.98m. 19st 4lbs / 122kgs
International record: 35 caps (W 15, L 19, D 1)
5 Alun Wyn JONES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,046)
DoB: 19.09.85. 6’5” / 1.96m. 19st 4lbs / 122kgs
International record: 65 caps (W 29, L 36; 35 pts – 7T)
6 Dan LYDIATE (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS – Cap No 1,071)
DoB: 18.12.87. 1.93m / 6’4”. 18st 0lbs / 114kgs
International record: 26 caps (W 12, L 13, D 1)
7 Sam WARBURTON (CARDIFF BLUES, CAPTAIN – Cap No 1,070)
DoB: 05.10.88. 1.88m / 6’2”. 16st 4lbs / 103kgs
International record: 29 caps (W 15, L 14; 10 pts – 2T)
8 Ryan JONES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,029)
DoB: 13.03.81. 6’5” / 1.96m. 17st 12lbs / 113kgs
International record: 66 caps (W 34, L 30, D 2; 5 pts – 1T)
REPLACEMENTS
16 Ken OWENS (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,088)
DoB: 03.01.87. 6’1” / 1.86m. 17st 3lbs / 109kgs
International record: 6 caps (W 5, L 1)
17 Paul JAMES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,021)
DoB: 13.05.82. 6’1” / 1.86m. 18st 2lbs / 115kgs
International record: 36 caps (W 16, L 19, D 1)
18 Luke CHARTERIS (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS – Cap No 1,030)
DoB: 09.03.83. 6’9” / 2.06m. 19st 10lbs / 125kgs
International record: 36 caps (W 18, L 18)
19 Justin TIPURIC (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,087)
DoB: 06.08.89. 1.88m / 6’2” 15st 13lbs / 101kgs
International record: 5 caps (W 4, L 1)
20 Rhys WEBB (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,092)
DoB: 09.12.88. 6’0” / 1.83m. 13st 12lbs / 88kgs
International record: 3 caps (W 2, L 1)
21 James HOOK (PERPIGNAN – Cap No 1,047)
DoB: 27.06.85. 6’0” / 1.83m. 15st 2lbs / 96kgs
International record: 64 caps (W 29, L 33, D 2; 346 pts – 13T, 43C, 61PG, 4DG)
22 Scott WILLIAMS (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,084)
DoB: 10.10.90. 6’0” / 1.83m. 15st 13lbs / 101kgs
International record: 13 caps (W 8, L 5; 25 pts – 5T)
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