STARTERS
ISRAEL FOLAU: Unusually uncertain under the high ball but defied his ankle injury to make more than double the metres of any of his teammates with some telling incisions when his side needed them most. 7.5
ADAM ASHLEY-COOPER: Made a huge one-on-one tackle on Dan Biggar that led to a match-turning turnover after the Wallabies defended their line for their lives with two players in the sin bin. 7.5
TEVITA KURIDRANI: Limited opportunities but a strong midfield presence in attack and defence. 7.
MATT GITEAU: Another superb display from the cool-headed veteran, almost always taking the right options and making a series of vital tackles. 8.
DREW MITCHELL: Missed a couple of tackles but his scything first-half run was a pressure reliever and put Australia on the front foot for the first time. 7.
BERNARD FOLEY: Pulled off two trysaving tackles and scored all of Australia’s points with another great day with the boot, taking his strike rate to 17 from 19 shots at goal. 7.5.
WILL GENIA: Solid on the coal face again despite being harassed and hounded all afternoon at the ruck but. Shouldn’t be harshly judged for his yellow card in the helter skelter circumstances. 7
DAVID POCOCK: Another typically powerhouse performance despite battling a calf injury. Came up with a massive turnover with the game on the line. 8.
SEAN MCMAHON: His body height at the contact zone was a worry at times but an energetic display characterised by several bone-jarring tackles. 7.
SCOTT FARDY: Often the unsung hero of the back row but was close to the best on ground with a mighty 80-minute all-round effort. 8.5.
KANE DOUGLAS: Lion-hearted Test-match performance and in the thick of it all game. Topped the tackle count and strong at the lineout. 8.5.
DEAN MUMM: Some early lineout wobbles and unlucky to be yellow carded but still put his side under untold pressure. Otherwise defended stoutly. 7.
SEKOPE KEPU: The cornerstone of Australia’s vastly improved scrum, earning his side a couple of key penalties. 7.5.
STEPHEN MOORE: Gifted Wales three points with a silly penalty and missed two tackles but more than compensated with late trysaver. Threw accurately. 7.5
SCOTT SIO: One of his best games for the Wallabies, spearheading the powerful scrum and refusing to take a backward step. 8
RESERVES
BEN MCCALMAN: A colossal showing after being thrust into the fray early in the second half. Absolutely massive in defence. 8.
KURTLEY BEALE: Excelled following his introduction in the tense final 13 minutes. 7.
NICK PHIPPS: No repeat of his loose showing against England after also being thrown into the pressure cooker late on. 7.
JAMES SLIPPER: Brought the necessary energy to the scrum and defensive line in the last 18 minutes. 7.
GREG HOLMES: Showed his experience with some important touches and clean-up work in a solid 25-minute cameo. 7.
TATAFU POLOTA-NAU: Did the job after replacing skipper Moore with quarter of an hour remaining. 6.5.
