Welsh captain laments costly kick
IT was a tale of two kicks which ultimately decided the second Test between the Wallabies and Wales in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Wales were just 30 seconds away from winning on Australian soil for the first time since 1969 when fly-half Rhys Priestland booted the ball downfield - it proved to be the wrong thing to do.
Well, according to Welsh captain Sam Warburton it was. Seconds after Priestland's kick, Australia won a penalty which reserve goalkicker Mike Harris landed to give his team a dramatic 25-23 victory.
"The plan was to keep the ball,"Warburton said. "When the ball was kicked, I remember Ryan Jones shouting 'no' at the top of his voice.
"It wasn't what the forwards were planning. Just a little bit of composure and patience was what was needed."
Warburton says Wales must now move on from their Melbourne misery and look to secure a consolation victory in Saturday's final Test in Sydney, having conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
"We have always shown we have got character. The pain of this defeat will drive us and motivate us even more to make sure that we definitely get a result," he said.
"We don't want to get on the plane losing 3-0. We know we don't deserve that and are much better than that."
Meanwhile, Wallabies winger Cooper Vuna will face a judicial hearing today after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny that earned Vuna a yellow card.
Wallabies squad member Kurtley Beale is facing assault charges following an incident at a Brisbane Hotel on the Thursday night prior to the first Test.
Beale, who was with Wallabies team-mate Quade Cooper at the time, was involved in an altercation with security staff while out celebrating Cooper's re-signing with the Queensland Reds.
No charge has been laid against Cooper.
