Australia v Wales - teams and prediction

SECOND TEST PREVIEW: Australia has a new captain in James Slipper when they face Wales in the second Test in Melbourne on Saturday and Wales are desperate to prevent a ninth consecutive loss.

The 35-year-old Slipper has captained Australia 14 times and has been called upon to lead the Wallabies in the absence of last week’s skipper Liam Wright, who got injured in the first Test in Sydney.

Wales have also been dealt a tough blow with world-class backrower Aaron Wainwright ruled out of the remaining matches of the tour with an injury. Wainwright limped off the field last weekend with only seconds left in the 16-25 loss.

Slipper stressed on Friday the importance of following up their Sydney victory over Wales with another win in Melbourne to start building consistency under new coach Joe Schmidt.

“We want to be winning games,” said the veteran prop, who will be making his 136th appearance and 15th with the armband.

“The good teams are consistent throughout their performances, and that’s what we’re aiming to do.

“Coming off a pretty lean year last year and a new group of players, new staff, we just really wanted to put in a performance that we were proud of.

“The challenge for us now is to replicate that.”

A victory would mark their first back-to-back wins since 2021 and bid farewell to the chaotic tenure of Eddie Jones when they won just two from nine Tests.

Slipper, who will pack down again in the front row with Matt Faessler and Taniela Tupou, said confidence was high.

“Confidence is probably the most accurate word to use,” he said.

“We were happy with aspects of it [last weekend], but we could be better and Joe was pretty hard on us this week getting that right.

“By no means are we going to be perfect this week either, we just want to make sure our performance is better than the last one.”

Wright’s absence is the only Australian change, with Rob Valetini moving to No. 6 to replace him and Charlie Cale elevated for a starting debut at No. 8.

🎙️We want to start well and make sure we are disciplined and accurate from the off 👊 pic.twitter.com/OzFEncTLzI

— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@WelshRugbyUnion) July 10, 2024

Mounting pressure

Wales head into the game under mounting pressure, without a Test win since beating minnows Georgia in the pool stages of the 2023 World Cup.

But captain Dewi Lake remains optimistic they can end the drought.

“What this group needs is a win just to kickstart that run of form,” he said.

“Winning is a habit, so as soon as we get that first one under our belts, you never know what can happen.”

Taine Plumtree will move to No. 8 with James Botham, grandson of England cricket great Ian Botham, coming into the starting line-up at No. 6 and Tommy Reffell at openside.

Cameron Winnett will start at fullback, with Liam Williams moving to the wing in place of Hathaway alongside Rio Dyer.

Meanwhile, Wales Head Coach Warren Gatland has said his side is conscious of the pressure of stopping the losing sequence and leveling the series.

That was an eighth successive international defeat for Wales and they are determined to avoid a ninth loss.

Another defeat against the Wallabies would be one short of equalling Wales’ record, a 10-game losing run in 2002 and 2003 under New Zealander Steve Hansen.

Wales have not won an international since October 2023, when they defeated Georgia in a World Cup pool game.

It is also the last international of the season and Gatland knows the importance of finishing the Test campaign on a high.

“No, pressure is there.

“We’ve spoken about that, the players are really conscious about that and talked about the importance.

“I’ve tried to say that it [winning] takes care of itself by making sure the processes are right.

“So rather than focusing on the win, just make sure in those big moments, we’re calm. But everyone wants to get that win.

“We know where the group of players are at. They need some time and experience, but I understand the pressure is on to get some results as well.

“There has been a buzz and the players have been positive and motivated to go out and wear the jersey with pride.”

Players to watch

For Australia: The Wallabies’ back three has a lovely balance between them. Tom Wright and Filipo Daugunu both scored solo tries and Andrew Kellaway nearly scored a stunner. The exciting young Charlie Cale gets a start and he will love to showcase his athleticism and power. Add to that the name of Rob Valetini, a stalwart who is the main carrier and defender. He raises the physical bar for his teammates to follow.

For Wales: One of the stars in the Six Nations was Cameron Winnett. He is solid on attack and has a stellar running game. He gets a chance this weekend. Tommy Reffell needs to step up and make a nuisance of himself at the breakdowns. He has done it before, the time is now to show he can do it in big company. Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza were solid in the last Test and look like two players set to be in the Wales set-up for a long time.

Prediction

@rugby365com: Australia by eight points.

Teams:

Wallabies: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Charlie Cale, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Jeremy Williams, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 James Slipper (c)
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Angus Blyth, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Nic White, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Dylan Pietsch

Wales: 15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Liam Williams, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Mason Grady, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Ben Thomas, 9 Ellis Bevan, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 James Botham, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Kemsley Mathias, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Cory Hill, 20 Mackenzie Martin, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Nick Tompkins

Date: Saturday, July 13
Venue: Melbourne Stadium, Melbourne
Kick-off: 19.45 (10.45 BST, 09.45 GMT)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

Additional Source @AFP