The rain is coming down again here in Sydney and many fans are heading across the road to the famous Percy’s at the North Sydney Hotel to warm up with a tot of whiskey or a pint of Guinness.Time for me to join them, me thinks.Thanks for your company tonight and stay tuned for a match report.Tune into this same bat channel tomorrow for the Guardian’s live coverage of the third Test between the Wallabies and the British & Irish Lions in Sydney from 7pm AEST.The Welsh will be happy with a 1-1 series.

They arrived on these shores at the No 10 ranked team in the world and a young and radically revamped side sprang an almighty upset on the Wallaroos in Brisbane to run out deserving 21-12 winners,Normal service has resumed in Sydney but the Welsh can go to the World Cup with plenty of hope,🚨 𝙎𝙜ô𝙧 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙡 | 🇦🇺36-5🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿Defeat in Sydney,#CymruAmByth | #AUSvWAL pic,twitter.

com/qt8uTBtArrA huge crowd has stayed behind after the siren here at North Sydney Oval as the Wallaroos celebrate with family, friends and fans.This is not only a great victory party but also a farewell for the Rugby World Cup campaign that kicks off on August 23.Great win for the Wallaroos.They were disappointed by their performance last week and knew they needed to deliver this week.A six tries-to-one victory will please them no end and give Jo Yapp’s side a much-needed injection of confidence ahead of their Rugby World Cup opener v Samoa in three weeks time.

Back on track in Sydney 🙌Thanks for the series, Wales 🤝#Wallaroos pic.twitter.com/2oLm0cQTFQ80th minute: Marsters is over! Or is she? The gold maul looked to have planted their veteran over the line but the officials have seen something to say otherwise.No try! That’s a shame Australia have been denied 40-points, but 36-5 will have to suffice.79th minute: Australia aren’t done yet.

Wales are wilting fast in the slush and the Wallaroos charge back within the enemy 22.We have word that Australia’s No 8 Tabua Tuinakauvadra has earned player of the match honours for her titanic two-try performance.As the second tick down, Australia drive for the corner in a rolling maul.It wheels left and right.Desiree Miller flies in to put her shoulder to the wheel.

They’re over the line.Can they land it?77th minute: Great try from the most-capped Wallaroo of all time.Wales were brave but they were weary and the big Wallaroo veteran simply couldn’t be denied.Desiree Miller lines up the kick as the rain returns.She aims for the famous Moreton Bay fig at the north end but misses to the left.

76th minute: Piper Duck gets within a metre of the line but is dragged down into the mud,How are Wales hanging on here? Australia win a penalty,Do they turn the screws and take the penalty,No way,They want another try.

Sure enough, a fast lineout and Ash Marsters breaks away and crosses to score!74th minute: Australia win a scrum despite a mighty drive from the Wales pack.Halse quickly goes wide but the pass is long but way too high for her winger to reel in.It’s Wales lineout but Australia spoil.They’re back in possession, grinding towards a sixth try.Wales build the wall and absorb the charge of the gold forwards.

Wallaroos go wide and Hinds has a snipe herself but can’t split the line.71st minute: Great run by Caitlyn Halse! The Australian fullback cut through and made 30-metres in quicktime.Swamped, she tries a kick for Desi Miller but muffs the contact and Miller makes the tackle, driving her opposite number through the mud into the corner.The Welsh come to the rescue but too late.68th minute: Now Australia are back on the attack.

Wales look weary now but grimly they hang on.Kate Williams leads the rearguard, rushing up and jolting the ball loose.Good hit and it wins the visitors a brief reprieve.Bridie O’Gormon and Samantha Wood are leaving the field after sterling shifts in the gold jersey tonight.67th minute: Wales finally get a chance to counter but Waiaria Ellis makes a brilliant covering tackle to haul down Carys Phillips on the 22.

Australia attack the ruck but go off their feet.Penalty Wales.They try a lineout and win it.Now they spin it but a high pass results in a knock-on.Ref calls it as backwards and Wales go to the corner.

They maul within 10-metres but a low ball from the scrumbase is spilled.Australia swoop on the crumbs and clear it to Caitlyn Halse who reefs it long.50-22? Yes!64th minute: Wood chips it over the Welsh line to pin them yet again.Australia have Tia Hinds on the field now for Moleka.There’s another kick for the corner by Halse and she chases her dribbling grubber into the in-goal.

It gets away but she gets a finger on it and raises her arm to appeal to the ref,No dice, Caitlyn,That’s a Halse alarm,No try,60th minute: Here comes another gold wave.

Ash Marsters goes up the middle then Samantha Wood has a dip.Australia are inside the Welsh 22 and now they go wide where Waiaria Ellis gets it within 10-metres of the line.They move back to the middle but cough it up.What can Wales muster? Not much.They lose the turnover ball in heavy contact.

That was O’Gormon who jarred it loose.56th minute: This is starting to get nasty for Wales.It’s been all Australia since the second quarter of this match.Lydia Kavoa comes on for the Wallaroos.Piper Duck greets her with gusto.

This is shaping as a great night for Australia’s women’s side.Strewth! Australia shoved Wales right off the ball in that scrum and almost won it against the feed.They’re celebrating but no, Wales get the whistle.“Driving up” is the call from the ref.Tuinakauvadra has a double! The Wallaroos had the Welsh pinned on their line and sure enough they went fast and short to their big No 8 and she crashed over in the corner.

Again Wood’s radar deserts her on the conversion and the kick sails wide.Barging over to extend our lead 😤#Wallaroos pic.twitter.com/e1miZzWXvX5oth minute: We have a hardy crowd of 4561 crammed into this grand old gladiatorial arena and they are loving what they’re seeing from the Australians on the verge of their World Cup campaign later this month.There’s a little TMO delay here as they look at a deliberate knockdown from the Welsh.

Sure enough Pyrs has been handed a yellow card and is off,Meanwhile, Australia have huddled up and look to be plotting a move…48th minute: Desiree Miller is away down the sideline! She swerves one, bumps another , then fends a third before finally loosing a pass to Moleka but it goes to ground on the next offload,Thrilling run by the pig-tailed speedster from Sydney’s eastern suburbs!Great try by Tabua Tuinakauvadra after her fellow forwards laid the platform,Even in the clutches of two Welsh defenders she couldn’t be stopped,Try in the cormer and it’s too tight and angle for Wood’s boot as the conversion is unsuccessful.

45th minute: O’Gormon and Pohiva thunder into contact for the Wallaroos.Ouch! Berthan Lewis reels out of the tackle.The Welsh are holding on but the gold chargers keep coming.How long can the visitors hang on here? Uh-oh, here comes the powerful Australian No 8 at speed.Tabua Tuinakauvadra is over!42nd minute: We have word that Alex Callender won’t return to action after going down injured in the second minute of this Test.

No word yet on the seriousness of the injury but fingers will be crossed across the nation the Wallaroos co-captain will still be able to make the flight to London next week.Meanwhile, Australia pick up where they left off, Desiree Miller and Georgia Friedrichs winning a turnover on halfway.Notch one up to the pocket rockets! This sets the home side up nicely…The rain has stopped.Will the Wallaroos? Here we go with the second half…WALLAROOS 21 V 5 WALES! Plenty of people braving the bad weather! Wallaroos are physical and want to take contact! They are dominant and if they spread the ball on the switches they will score plenty more tries!#Wallaroos#Rugby pic.twitter.

com/wLf1o2QF1gAfter their shocker last week, Australia has rebounded brilliantly tonight.Despite a traditional Welsh welcome of driving rain and slush underfoot, the Wallaroos held their feet – and their nerve.All the early pressure was delivered by the Welsh but possession didn’t become points.Instead the gold wall held fast, repelling raid after raid (despite also gifting the Welsh penalties).When finally they found themselves in the visitor’s half, the girls in gold made it count.

Maya Stewart scored the first try out wide but the Welsh quickly responded with a try of their own to Jasmine Joyce.That one try apiece parity lasted a slender minute though.Australia charged up the middle and Faitala Moleka dummied and ducked over to make it 14-5.A try in the shadows to Katalina Amosa just before halftime made it 16-point margin and Australia’s game to lose.It’s been a bruising encounter so far.

Big second half coming up!Katalina Amosa has picked it up and touched it down! What a strike before the break.That try, after striong mauling and relentless pressure from the Australians, will demoralise the Welsh and put real confidence in the home side for a confidence-boosting victory before they fly to England for the World Cup.They weathered the early storm and then returned the blowtorch with interest, piling on three tries and making the most of every opportunity.Wood adds the extras.40th minute: Wales have a scrum on their own line.

They win it and Evans scampers a yard or two from the s scrum base,But she hits heavy traffic and the Wallaroos win a turnover from Samantha Wood who got that familiar black headgear over the ruck and her hands on the ball,One last shot for the Wallaroos in this first half…38th minute: That was a weird option by the Australians to spurn another try when they had Wales rattled,The rain, which is now falling heavily again, conspired to make Wood’s penalty kick a damp squib,But the Wallaroos have the ball back now and are pounding it one out from the breakdown