Australia 29 Wales 23

I'd bought H and I tickets for this match ages ago and had hoped to keep it a surprise for her as I know how much she loves Welsh rubgy and the Valleys and all things taff, boyo! Unfortunately she found out in advance.

Anyway, it was our third time going back to Telstra Stadium together. The first was when the Wallabies beat England. The second time was when U2 played. I'd also been to see the Swannies beat the Dockers on my todd.

Wales arrived here with a seriously under-strength side. Now I don't know anything about Welsh rugby but it didn't sound good when the news reported that they'd left 18 players behind. I was hoping to bump into my mate Jonathan Davies at the game. Well, he was my mate for about 2 seconds when I threw myself at him at a LTSB Christmas Party a few years ago. You see, I thought he'd be impressed that we had the same name. He wasn't. Nor was Lawrence Dallagio at the same party - I threw myself at him and my name isn't even Lawrence.

Moving on. One of the taffs we were sat next to on the train to the station said that the Welsh were fielding more players with international caps than the Aussies. I didn't believe this to be true but he blatantly loved his ruby and clearly knew more about it than I did. Who was I to argue? If it was true, this was good news as I was fearing a massacre and I wanted to see a close game.

I'd bought us some excellent seats, up nice and high and pretty much on the half way line so we were all set for a good game. It's nice being able to drink a beer and watch the game, it's just a shame the Toohey's New tasted like it was lined with tequilla. I normally love tequilla but not like this. Shite!

Before the game I'd told H I'd be backing the Aussies. But as the teams came out I found myself thinking that I should probably get behind Wales. I don't know why I thought this. I'm more Australian than Welsh! Maybe it's because I lived in Bristol for five years so am nearly Welsh. Plus I spent a couple of wicked camping trips in The Gower. Oh, and I was at the Millennium Stadium to see Danny Coles send Brighton into League One. Or maybe it's because I still thought of Wales as the underdog, even though they were supposed to have more capped players on the field (if the taff on the train was right).

I was, however, somewhat surprised to find myself jumping out of my seat as Wales scored a breakaway try in the first few minutes. Wierd.

The game itself was great to watch. Wales so nearly won it. A great drop goal with a few minutes to spare put them 23-22 in front but Australia won the game with a converted try after the hooter had gone to signal time.

It was a shame the stadium was only half full (~40k). For a rugby made nation, the Aussies go about supporting their national team in a half-arsed way. Like the England game last year, the stadium was pretty quiet for most of the game and any atmosphere was created by the visiting supporters. I don't know why so many Aussies decided to stay away. Maybe it's because the games are shown on TV, and the games aren't as important as World Cups but that shouldn't really matter. It doesn't to England and their rugby or football fans who always pack stadiums and sing their hearts out.

Anyway, rant over.....it was a really good night out. We were both disappointed Wales lost but I got over it a lot quicker than H.