Wales sit at the bottom of the WXV1 standings after a third consecutive defeat as Australia move up to second with win; Wallaroos centre Siokapesi Palu sent off for high tackle on Jasmine Joyce early in second half
Last Updated: 03/11/23 11:40am
Australia clinched the victory despite playing almost half the match with 14 players following Siokapesi Palu’s dismissal
Wales suffered a third WXV1 loss as Australia came from behind to win 25-19 in Auckland despite Siokapesi Palu’s red card.
After Palu was dismissed early in the second half for a tackle on Jasmine Joyce, things looked good for Wales as a penalty try put them 14-8 ahead, and a Sera Naiqama yellow card had their opponents temporarily down to 13 players.
But Australia fought back with tries from Eva Karpani, Lori Cramer and Ivania Wong, with Kelsey Jones’ late effort the only reply as Australia held on to clinch the win in Auckland as Wales concluded their campaign with another defeat.
A third loss means Wales will finish bottom of the WXV1, with Australia currently in second place with 10 points having played a game more.
The Australia win also marked a send off to Jay Tregonning, who leaves the Wallaroos as their most successful head coach, achieving seven wins from 16 games in charge.
Table leaders England will look to end the debut competition on a high with their game against New Zealand on Saturday. Canada and France, currently fourth and fifth respectively, also face each other on the day.