Wales became the first Rugby World Cup team to qualify for the quarterfinals on Sunday while virtually shutting the door on Australia's hopes.
The far more experienced Welsh won by a record 40-6 by expertly executing a low-risk, disciplined game plan and punishing Australian mistakes.
Wales rope-a-doped the Wallabies.
The Wallabies have never missed the quarterfinals but losing consecutive pool games for the first time in 36 years left their fate in the hands of their tiny Pacific neighbor Fiji, which upended them last week.
Australia should win its last Pool C game against Portugal next weekend but it won't matter if Fiji accounts for its remaining games against Georgia and Portugal. If so, the Fijians will follow Wales into the quarters and the shutout will confirm Australia's worst fears.
Penalties by the error-prone Wallabies gave replacement flyhalf Gareth Anscombe goal-shooting practice. He slotted six of seven penalty attempts — the one miss hit the post — and converted a try he set up for inside center Nick Tompkins.
With high stakes on the line, Wales rose to the occasion at OL Stadium with its biggest win against Australia in their 115-year history, and handed the Wallabies their heaviest World Cup defeat.
Anscombe came on in the 12th minute after linchpin Dan Biggar apparently injured ribs in a tackle, and Wales didn't miss a beat.
The performance was a personal triumph for Anscombe. He was Wales' first-choice flyhalf in 2019 but a knee injury forced him to miss that year's Rugby World Cup and two seasons. A shoulder injury against Australia last November sidelined him for five months.
He repaid the faith of coach Warren Gatland by putting a literal boot into the Wallabies. His 23-point haul, including a drop goal, equaled Biggar in 2015 against England for most points by a Welshman in a World Cup game.
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