Wales vs. Australia result, highlights and analysis as Wallabies complete comeback to win game for the ages

Jonathan Burnett

Wales vs. Australia result, highlights and analysis as Wallabies complete comeback to win game for the ages image

Wales and Australia ended their 2022 campaigns by playing one of the games of the year in Cardiff, as the Wallabies came back from a huge 21-point deficit to win 39-34, scoring the winning try with just 100 seconds left on the clock. 

The first half started brilliantly for Wales after Jac Morgan crashed over to finish off a move sparked by a speedy line break from veteran lock Alun Wyn Jones. The hosts kept their foot on the pedal and were soon over again, Taulupe Faletau dotting down out wide.

The two sides exchanged two penalties over the course of the first half, and Folau Fainga'a's try from a maul saw Australia close the gap at the interval to seven points.

Wales vs. Australia full-time score

  1H 2H FT
Wales 20 14 34
Australia 13 26 39

Tries: Morgan (2), Faletau, Dyer; Fainga'a, Nawaqanitawase (2), Penalty Try, Lonergan

Conversions: Anscombe (4); Donaldson, Lolesio (2)

Penalties: Anscombe (2); Donaldson (2)

The second half started in an even more rapid-fire style for the hosts, who crossed once more when Morgan grounded at the back of a rolling maul. They then shipped it wide for another try, which was finished in the left-hand corner by Rio Dyer. Australia had seen two men sent to the sin-bin by this point, and the Wallabies looked dead and buried with the score at 34-13 in Wales' favour.

Watch: Jac Morgan rolls over for his second try of the game in the second half (UK): 

The tourists, however, came back, and came back firing. Winger Mark Nawaqanitawase had been relatively quiet for much of the game, but he burst into life in the second half, crossing in the corner to give the Wallabies their first points of the second period. He soon scored their second five-pointer, darting from the back of a lineout to race clear and dot down again as the momentum began to shift. A trip from Wales captain Justin Tipuric reduced the home side to 14 men, and with the last 10 minutes approaching, the game only looked to be going one way.

The Welsh defence held out at every given opportunity. However, a driving maul, collapsed over the whitewash by Ryan Elias, saw a penalty try given to Australia, and Elias' sin-binning reduced the hosts to 13. Back came Australia once again, and in the dying minutes, Lachlan Lonergan strolled in at the corner to score the winner, signing off the Wallabies' 2022 with a miraculous turnaround.

A star is born: Mark Nawaqanitawase glides over for his second try of the game in Cardiff (UK): 

Wales wilt in Cardiff to snatch defeat from jaws of victory

Midway through the second half, Wales were a comfortable 34-13 up and by all accounts appeared to be cruising. Australia's four unanswered tries, aided by two Welsh yellow cards, sunk that cruise as the scrambling home defence had no answer to the Wallabies' titanic comeback. It was a miserable way to end their 2022, and now all the questions will fall onto coach Wayne Pivac with the preparation for next year's World Cup looking troubled.

Winning Wallabies end brutal tour in perfect way

Christmas came 29 days early for Australia, as the Wallabies mounted the most heroic of heroic comebacks to turn that game around in the dying moments. Their fifth and final Test of an autumn campaign that has at times looked hapless ended in brilliant fashion, with several of their fringe players coming to the fore. Nawaqanitawase in particular announced himself to the world today, and with the World Cup on the horizon, results like these can certainly buoy Australian rugby going into 2023.

😎 Nawaqanitawase doing the double#AutumnNationsSeries #WALvAUS @wallabies pic.twitter.com/3M0HG3SQ23

The Sporting News followed the match live, providing live updates and commentary below.

Wales vs. Australia full commentary, highlights

FT: That's all from us, we're off to catch our collective breaths and take in what just happened in Cardiff! The Wallabies will head home from a bruising autumn tour with tired but triumphant celebrations in mind, while Wales will reflect on just how they managed to lose that game. We'll see you for the next game, and here's hoping that it's anywhere near as good as this one has been!

Watch: Lachie Lonergan's late score wins the game for Australia (UK): 

FT: Where to begin with a game as exciting at that? The Wallabies produce the comeback of all comebacks, recovering from a staggering 21-point deficit to score four unanswered tries, turning a dismal defeat into the most stunning of victories. Morgan and Dyer's early second-half tries for Wales looked to have them home and hosed, but Mark Nawaqanitawase's superbly-finished double gave the Wallabies hope. A penalty try brought Australia back to within two, and Lachlan Lonergan's late score completed the comeback, as the Wallabies recovered to win in the most unlikely of circumstances.

81 mins: Wales pound the Australian line from the penalty, but after a dozen phases, Australia are able to turn it over and they kick the ball out to seal a 39-34 victory! What a game!

80 mins: The Wallabies look to control possession as the clock ticks down, but concede a ruck penalty with a second left of normal time, giving Wales one last chance to win this match!

78 mins: TRY - Wales 34-39 Australia! The Wallabies will win it, right at the death! Nawaqanitawase gets the ball on the left flank and fends off three defenders as he cuts inside. He offloads to McDermott, and Australia move it to the right, and despite a knock-down from Wales, replacement hooker Lachie Lonergan picks up the loose ball to score under the posts! What a turnaround, and Lolesio converts to complete the comeback!

74 mins: PENALTY TRY - Wales 34-32 Australia! The TMO can't find a grounding for the try, but he does find that replacement Wales hooker Ryan Elias brought the maul down illegally, meaning that a penalty try is awarded and Elias is sin-binned! The automatic seven points means the gap closes to two, setting up one hell of a finish!

74 mins: The Australian maul drives towards the Wales line from the penalty, and once again we can't see if the ball has been grounded, meaning the referee needs the assistance of the TMO once more!

72 mins: Australia look to add another score from a scrum as McDermott darts down the blindside. He's grounded and the Wallabies move possession right, but Wales keep them out before conceding a ruck penalty to gift Australia another chance!

Watch Mark Nawaqanitawase's first try get the Wallabies back into the game in Cardiff:

69 mins: TRY - Wales 34-25 Australia! Nawaqanitawase drifts in-field once again and takes the ball from the line-out. He ghosts through the gap and races into space, slamming the ball down as he's tackled from behind! Two tries for the electric Wallabies winger, and Lolesio converts to close the gap to nine points!

67 mins: YELLOW CARD! Samu intercepts Priestland's pass and looks to set off into open space, but he's felled by Tipuric's outstretched leg, and the referee sends the Wales captain to the sin-bin!

65 mins: From the line-out, Wales attack the line with Hardy and Beard both going close. Australia hold them out, and win a scrum after the referee spots a Welsh knock-on at the bottom of a ruck.

64 mins: Adams comes into the attacking line as Wales head down the right edge, and the full-back's grubber forward is taken into touch as a safety measure by his opposite number Wright. 

60 mins: McDermott's box kick out of trouble is charged down by Beard, but Morgan can't collect the ball cleanly and a clear run to the tryline is bombed!

58 mins: TRY - Wales 34-18 Australia! There's the Wallaby response! They charge at the Wales line before throwing the ball left, and Lolesio finds Nawaqanitawase who dives over in the corner for his first Wallabies score! The TMO has a look and gives the try, but Lolesio can't add the extras. 

57 mins: After Samu traps Priestland on his own line, Australia feed the five metre scrum and power forward. McDermott tries to pick up the loose ball and score, but the Wallabies already have the penalty!

55 mins: Anscombe goes down clutching his shoulder, and it looks a really nasty one for the fly-half. His history with injuries is well known, and what appears to be a dislocated shoulder will add to that list as Rhys Priestland replaces the New Zealand-born playmaker.

53 mins: TRY - Wales 34-13 Australia! The hosts are in again as they hit the Australia line with phase after phase. They ship the ball left, and Anscombe throws a bullet pass wide to Dyer, who dots down in the corner for Wales' fourth try! Anscombe converts the try, and Wales have opened up a commanding lead here!

50 mins: Wales gain another penalty and use the advantage to try their luck out wide, as Anscombe's cross-field kick evades Cuthbert by fingertips!

47 mins: TRY - Wales 27-13 Australia! Another penalty goes Wales' way, and Tipuric catches the line-out ball. The Welsh pack drives forward with pace and power, shunting themselves straight over the Australian line and Morgan grounds it! What a move, and Anscombe converts to turn five points into seven!

45 mins: YELLOW CARD! Australia are down to 13 men! Robertson is penalised at the scrummage, and having warned the Wallabies about infringements late in the first half, the referee has no choice but to send him to the sin-bin!

42 mins: Wales are caught offside and Australia choose to kick the points. Hodge has a cannon of a right boot on him, but his attempt from just behind the halfway line strikes the right-hand post and bounces away!

41 mins: The teams return for the second half, which gets underway via the boot of Anscombe for Wales!

HT: Wales have been by far the better team, but those two glorious missed chances by Dyer and Hardy may well haunt them if Australia come out firing in the second half. The Wallabies have bombed tries of their own, with Adams' last-ditch tackle denying Holloway in the corner, but they'll really need to step up if they're to topple this Welsh side who are certainly up for this game!

Watch Taulupe Faletau crash over in the corner for Wales' second try (UK): 

HT: Well, what a first half that was at the principality! Wales exploded into life early on as Alun Wyn Jones' offload sent Jac Morgan crashing over, and just minutes later his back-row partner Taulupe Faletau scored in the corner to finish off an excellent passing move. They've gone close since too, with Dyer and Hardy both held up short, but Folau Fainga'a's  TMO-awarded try means the gap between the two is just seven points at the break.

40 mins: With the clock in the red, three successive scrums go to ground, gifting Wales further penalty advantage. Faletau peels off the back of the most recent one before offloading to replacement scrum-half Hardy, but he's held up over the line by Australia and the half-time whistle blows!

38 mins: YELLOW CARD! The TMO review shows that Gordon, in an offside position, knocks the ball down just a metre from his own line, and this professional foul sees him sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes!

37 mins: Wales go oh so close to scoring again they move the ball left. Tipuric's wrap around pass to North sees him advance into open space, before offloading to Dyer with a clear run to the line! He looks certain to score but is stopped inches short by Wright, and an illegal knock-down from Australia gifts them a penalty!

34 mins: TRY GIVEN! Wales 20-13 Australia! There's no clear evidence to suggest that the ball wasn't grounded by Fainga'a at the back of the maul, and the referee awards the Wallabies their first five-pointer of the game! Donaldson adds the extras, and Australia are back in this contest!

33 mins: Australia believe they've scored as a maul from a line-out rolls slowly forward. It's a packed crowd of players trading towards Wales' try-line, and the referee asks for the TMO's help in seeing if the ball was grounded!

Watch Jac Morgan's early score off the back of Alun Wyn Jones' break for Wales (UK): 

30 mins: Back come the Wallabies as they enter Wales' 22 with some slick passing moves. Nawaqanitawase wraps around to charge through a gap, but his offload to Ikitau goes to ground and Wales will feed the resultant scrum!

29 mins: Ikitau glides through the Welsh defence and heads for the line with the hosts at sixes and sevens. He offloads to Holloway, but Adams races across and drags the Wallaby flanker over the touchline with a superb try-saving tackle!

27 mins: PENALTY - Wales 20-6 Australia. The Wallabies are penalised on the floor, allowing Wales to capitalise as Anscombe kicks three more points over to open up a 14-point lead.

26 mins: Wales pound the Australian defensive line from another line-out, as Morgan latches onto Hawkins' offload to fend his way through the line! He's hauled down just inside the 22, and Wales look to capitalise with quick ball, but Gleeson does brilliantly to turn it over for Australia!

23 mins: TRY GIVEN! Wales 17-6 Australia! Faletau does eventually slide into touch, but not before he's grounded the ball over the line to score for Wales! That's five more points on the board for the hosts, and Anscombe converts to make it seven!

22 mins: Wales think they've got another, after Faletau dives in at the corner to cap of a fantastic spell of possession from the men in red. They gain penalty advantage and ship it wide through Hawkins and Anscombe, sending Adams flying into space down the right. It comes back left as Tipuric breaks through the line, before the ball is moved back to the right where Faletau dives over! We're going upstairs for a second look though...

18 mins: PENALTY - Wales 10-6 Australia. The Wallabies are pinged for a ruck infringement on the floor, and Anscombe duly steps up to notch the three points, putting Wales in front by four.

15 mins: PENALTY - Wales 7-6 Australia. A high tackle from Hawkins on Frost is penalised by the referee, and having been unable to play advantage, Australia come back to kick the points, which Donaldson does from right in front.

10 mins: TRY - Wales 7-3 Australia! What an early score for Wales! Alun Wyn Jones takes an offload and flies through the gap, before offloading back to Morgan who slams the ball down for the hosts! What a passage of play between forwards old and new, and Wales have the first try of this game, which Anscombe converts.

7 mins: Off a penalty line-out, Faletau charges into the Australian defence and powers forward to the line. Just five metres away, Wales look for quick ball, but Tomos Williams spills it at the back of the ruck and the chance comes to nothing!

5 mins: A massive shot on Adams from Gleeson knocks Wales back, but they recover via offloads from North and Morgan to put Dyer through a hole. He's taken down and the Welsh ship it wide, with another big hit on Anscombe resulting in a scrum!

3 mins: PENALTY - Wales 0-3 Australia. An early scrum sees the Wallabies win a penalty, which Donaldson slots over for the first points of the game, and his first points in an Australia jersey!

Kick-Off: Donaldson's kick-off for Australia gets the game underway in Cardiff, and the first action of the match sees Adam Beard knock on, putting Wales under immediate pressure!

5 mins to kick-off: The anthems are belted out as passionately as ever by both sides, and we're just moments away from kick-off now!

10 mins to kick-off: Here come the teams, as Wales and Australia's squads march onto the Cardiff pitch ahead of kick-off! There's a late team change for Wales, with Leigh Halfpenny ruled out in the warm-up. Josh Adams comes in at fullback, and Sam Costelow joins the bench in his place.

15 mins to kick-off: Despite Wales' poor form, the Principality Stadium is still packed to the rafters, as we await the entry of the teams to the pitch in both Wales and Australia's final match of 2022!

30 mins to kick-off: Both sides have had difficult autumn campaigns, picking up several injuries along the way. Wales have drafted in 20-year-old Joe Hawkins to make his debut at inside centre, while the Wallabies start with Ben Donaldson at 10. The NSW Waratahs fly-half had a debut to forget against Italy, missing a late conversion that would have won the game for Australia.

45 mins to kick-off: Clashes down the years between these two sides have certainly been spectacles more often than not though, with Wales currently on a three-game winning streak against the Wallabies, having lost the previous 13 in a row.

60 mins to kick-off: Australia, meanwhile, are on an even worse run. They're playing their fifth game of the autumn series, the most of any side from either hemisphere, but after winning their first game 16-15 against Scotland, the Wallabies have lost their last three straight, being edged by France, Italy and Ireland consecutively.

75 mins to kick-off: The home crowd will be expecting a much-improved display from Wales, after Wayne Pivac's side were severely below-par against Georgia last weekend, losing to the Tier 2 nation for the first time in their history.

90 mins to kick-off: Hello and welcome to live coverage of this end-of-year rugby union test, as Wales take on Australia at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Both of these sides aren't where they'd want to be in terms of form, but that could all change today with a good performance to end 2022 on!

The penultimate game of the 2022 Autumn Nations Series takes place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff between two teams who are in wretched runs of form.

End-of-year matches between Wales and Australia are typically must-see events regardless of recent results, but whoever loses this clash will be staring down the barrel of a make-or-break year of preparation in 2023 as the Rugby World Cup in France draws nearer.

Both sides' autumn campaigns have seen them win just once each, and both have recorded losses to traditionally 'smaller' rugby nations for the first time in their history, with Wales being defeated at home by Georgia last time out and Italy beating the Wallabies in Florence the week prior.

Wales' autumn series began against New Zealand, and whenever the All Blacks are in town, the test is sure to be tough. So it proved for Wayne Pivac's side, who clawed back from 19-0 down with 16 unanswered points but were put to the sword in the second half as New Zealand ran out 55-23 winners, scoring eight tries in the process.

Wales did recover the following week against Argentina, who themselves had beaten England this autumn, winning 20-13 against the Pumas.

Australia's autumn got off to a good, if nervy, start. Bernard Foley's 11 points off the tee gave them a tight 16-15 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield, but that's as good as this tour has got for the Wallabies.

Games being settled by a single point has become a running theme for Dave Rennie's side: the subsequent matches saw them defeated 30-29 at the death by France and lose 28-27 to Italy for the first time in their history. The Wallabies did score a last-gasp try in Florence but were unable to add the crucial conversion that would have given them a one-point victory, rather than the Azzurri.

Off the back of two agonising losses, the Wallabies then headed for Dublin last weekend, playing out a dour, low-scoring match with the world's top-ranked side, Ireland. Just three first-half points were scored, and despite the pair exchanging tries late in the second half through Ireland's Bundee Aki and Jordan Petaia for the Wallabies, Ross Byrne's late penalty ensured that Ireland edged the game, winning 13-10 in a contest that won't make its way onto many highlight reels.

For Wales though, their defeat in last weekend's clash with Georgia was even more crushing. Alongside Wales, Georgia are one of only seven countries to have rugby union as the national sport, and their 13-12 win in Cardiff only helped them move closer to the big time, further arguing their case to be included in an expanded version of Europe's Six Nations Championship. Jac Morgan may have scored two tries in four first-half minutes for Wales, but from then on, the Lelos came into their own, with Sandro Todua's try from a cross-field kick consigning the hosts to defeat as the Georgian players celebrated like they'd won the World Cup.

MORE: Wales slammed by ex-England international after shock loss to Georgia

Wales vs. Australia lineups

The autumn series can prove to be a long, drawn-out one, particularly for a side badly out of form. Wales certainly fit that bill at the moment and have been forced into several replacements, calling up players with a range of experience. Full-back Leigh Halfpenny is back in the starting line-up, as is Alun Wyn Jones at lock. Gareth Anscombe, whose pinpoint kicking off the tee was so crucial against Argentina, is also back in the No. 10 jersey, with Rhys Priestland, another veteran, dropping to the bench.

Pivac has brought in several less experienced players in the hope of inspiring Wales to a rallying cry. Rio Dyer scored on his debut against the All Blacks and is back on the left wing to face the Wallabies. His inside centre is 20-year-old debutant Joe Hawkins, while Jac Morgan, arguably the only Welshman to end the Georgia game with his head held high, keeps his place on the blindside flank.

This is Australia's fifth and final game of their autumn series, and that packed fixture list has taken its toll on the Wallabies, with another half-dozen players returning home through injury after the Ireland game alone. This has seen a massive re-shuffle in their 23-man squad for this game, particularly in the backline, with Tom Wright switching from wing to full-back, Mark Nawaqanitawase swapping wings, and Jordan Petaia coming in on the vacant edge, having replaced the injured Hunter Paisami after just four minutes in Dublin.

Fly-half Ben Donaldson came on for his Wallabies debut against Italy, but this huge moment proved to be one to forget, as he missed the conversion following Caderyn Neville's late try that would have won Australia the game. He'll be hoping for a better result to his second cap, which he'll win from the first whistle as he starts at 10, and is partnered in the halves by Jake Gordon, who replaces the concussed Nic White for the Wallabies' final game of 2022.

MORE: All hope not lost as 'rocks not diamonds' Wallabies close out 2022 tour

How to watch Wales vs. Australia

  UK Australia New Zealand US
TV channel - - Sky Sport -
Stream Amazon Prime Video Stan Sport Sky Sport website/app FloSports

UK: The Test match is available to stream via subscription service Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Australia: All matches in the Autumn Nations Series, as well as this Test, will be streamed via Stan Sport in Australia.

New Zealand: Sky Sport is the place to catch the end-of-year international matches.

US: Subscription service FloSports has exclusive rights to the Autumn Nations Series with matches available to stream online.

What time is Wales vs. Australia?

Wales host Australia at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday, November 26. The game kicks off at 3.15 p.m. GMT.

  UK Australia New Zealand USA
Date Sat, Nov. 26 Sun, Nov. 27 Sun, Nov. 27 Sat, Nov. 26
Time 15:15 GMT 02:15 AEDT 04:15 NZDT 10:15 ET

Wales vs. Australia odds

It's not unfair to say that these two sides are on barren runs of results at the moment, and the mood of the bookmakers certainly reflects this. It's a close one to call, as ever between Wales and Australia, but Sky Bet, Ladbrokes and BetMGM all appear to be backing the hosts, just. They're at just 4/6 and 4/7 respectively with Sky Bet and BetMGM, although the former has Australia just behind at 5/4.

  UK (Sky Bet) Australia (Ladbrokes) US (BetMGM)
Wales win 4/6 1.67 4/7
Australia win 5/4 2.20 11/8

Jonathan Burnett

Jonathan Burnett Photo

Jonathan is a freelance content producer and commentator for Sporting News UK, with a focus on international rugby tournaments like the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. He also works as a commentator for StatsPerform’s football network, covering matches across Europe including the Champions League, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 Women's World Cup. He’s a regular contributor to the history and statistics website Rugby League Project.

Jonny graduated from Leeds University with a journalism degree in 2021 and was Head of Media at Widnes Vikings RLFC in 2023. A self-confessed nerd of rugby league, union and football (soccer). Jonathan’s coverage across several sports can be found on the TSN site.