Australia's Matthew Scott is tackled by Wales' Gil Dudson, left, and Aled James. Photo / AP
Australia responded to an early scare by running in 10 tries in a 56-14 thrashing of Wales today, clinching the rampant tourists' third straight group-stage win in the Four Nations.
Already through to the final against England in Leeds next Sunday, a largely second-string Australia team was down 8-0 after 23 minutes at the Racecourse Ground in northern Wales but turned on the style to canter to victory.
Five-eighth Cooper Cronk scored a hat trick of tries, with halfback Johnathon Thurston grabbing one of the other seven and landing eight of nine conversions in a stellar individual display in which he plundered 20 points.
Wales had already lost heavily to England and New Zealand in its first Four Nations campaign and ended up bottom of the table, conceding 134 points in total in its three games. Australia finished top with six points from six.
Having lost all 12 of its previous meetings with the Australians, Wales was expected to receive a hammering from the team that has been the favorite to win tournament all along.
However, what would have been rugby league's greatest upset was on the cards when Iestyn Harris' team held an 8-0 lead after 23 minutes and was forcing silly mistakes from the Kangaroos.
Lee Briers, playing his last match before retiring from the international game, was as usual the inspiration for Wales, setting up winger Rhys Williams for the opening try in the ninth minute with a perfectly weighted, crossfield grubber kick.
The five-eighth then produced a fine break and offload to Danny Jones to help Elliot Kear over in the right corner four minutes later.
Neither try was converted but Wales was 8-0 up and comfortably ahead in the possession stats.
Then came the Australia fightback, which Wales was powerless to stop.
Cameron Smith burrowed over from close range in the 24th before making the piercing break to set up inside runner Cronk for the first of his three tries.
Ahead for the first time, Australia's surge in intensity proved too much for its opponent and Cronk, like all great five-eighths, was on the shoulder of Greg Inglis to ground on the stroke of halftime.
Thurston's third straight conversion made it 18-8 and any glimmer of hope Wales had was extinguished.
Daly Cherry-Evans and Darius Boyd scored tries in the opening five minutes of the second half in moves that began in Australia's own half, before the floodgates opened.
Thurston, Inglis, Jharal Yow Yeh and Josh Morris completed the rout for Australia, which failed to surpass its biggest victory over Wales a 76-4 triumph in 2003.
Australia 56 (Cooper Cronk 3, Cameron Smith, Daly Cherry-Evans, Darius Boyd, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Jharal Yow Yeh, Josh Morris tries; Thurston 8 conversions), Wales 14 (Rhys Williams, Elliot Kear, Jordan James tries; Lee Briers conversion). HT: 18-8.
- AP
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