Australia will seek to stretch their winning streak over Wales to 10 matches when the two teams clash in a World Cup pool rehearsal at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
Wales’ last victory over the Wallabies came in 2008 when they eked out a 21-18 win. Since then it has been nine straight defeats, albeit the last eight by single-figure margins.
And in total Wales have endured a 20-match losing streak against Australia and SANZAR rivals New Zealand and South Africa since that win six years ago.
Saturday’s match also takes extra significance as the two teams have been drawn in the same tough pool of the 2015 World Cup, along with hosts England and unpredictable Fiji.
“Our whole focus in the next 12 months has to be getting out of our group in the World Cup. That has to be our primary focus,” was Wales coach Warren Gatland’s blunt assessment of a testing line-up of November internationals that also include outings against Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa.
Gatland named George North at centre after injuries deprived him of regular midfield backs Jonathan Davies and Scott Williams.
At scrum-half, Rhys Webb is preferred ahead of 87-times capped Mike Phillips and will partner Dan Biggar, while Toulon full-back Leigh Halfpenny, man of the series in the Lions’ 2-1 series win in Australia last year, returns after missing Wales’s last three Tests due to injury.
Saturday’s match will be Gatland’s counterpart Michael Cheika’s first Test in charge of the Wallabies since Ewen McKenzie resigned last month following their fall-out from the Kurtley Beale text pic scandal.
And Cheika, the only coach to have won the European Cup (Leinster, 2009) and Super Rugby title (Waratahs, 2014), was taking a pragmatic approach.
“I’m just looking at one in a row. I think that’s how you look at it at Test level,” said Cheika, whose team saw off the Barbarians 40-36 in Twickenham last weekend.
“People talk about all these streaks nowadays. They’re actually pretty irrelevant. The only streak you want to be getting is one in a row, the next one you’re playing.”
The Australian, who also coached Stade Francais in the Top 14, added: “The marker now for then (World Cup) is irrelevant.
“The marker now is for now, it’s for Saturday, that’s it. I’ve never seen a game of rugby that has influence on another game of rugby in 12 months time.”
Cheika has handed 20-year-old blindside flanker Sean McMahon a debut in a side brimming with attacking potential and boasting a bench including Will Genia and Quade Cooper.
Needless to say, Cheika’s record was not lost on Gatland, who also played down McKenzie’s resignation as a disruption.
“A lot of people have been talking about what’s happened with Kurtley Beale and those sort of things and does that make them more vulnerable?” the Kiwi said.
“With Australians, it makes them stronger. They thrive on any adversity and any criticism, and we are expecting a really tough game on Saturday.”
Gatland added: “I have got a massive amount of respect for what Michael (Cheika) has achieved.
“What he did with Leinster was incredibly impressive, and what he has done with New South Wales, he has turned them around in a pretty short time.
“I think by his own admission, it is going to take a little bit of time, but having watched him and seen him operate, it won’t be that long,” he said in regard to Cheika’s approach to the Wallabies.
“In 10 months’ time, when they turn up for the World Cup, I think they will be a real outfit to contend with.”
