Preview: Wales v Australia

Australia and Wales will battle it out for third place at the RWC on Friday after their hopes of winning the tournament were extinguished.

Australia and Wales will battle it out for third place at the Rugby World Cup at Eden Park on Friday after their hopes of winning the tournament were extinguished.

The bronze medal match is one no team really wants to be a part of. Having missed out on a spot in a World Cup final one imagines many teams would rather pack it in and head home than try to lift themselves for one more game.

With no qualifying berth or real glory on the line, Canadian skipper Pat Riordan's quote from earlier in the tournament that a “tie is a bit like kissing your cousin. It's great to kiss them – but it's your cousin,” seems apt for this situation too; even a win will have a hollow feel to it.

Despite this, both sides will be looking to end the tournament strongly, with the Australians hoping to salvage some pride and the Welsh aiming to remind everyone just how good they have been.

It's Robbie Deans' men who come into the clash with more to prove having been comprehensively outmuscled by the All Blacks.

The Wallabies have endured an up-and-down year that ultimately has culminated in disappointment. Having beaten New Zealand to the Tri-Nations title, they entered the World Cup on a high only to lose against an unfancied Irish side during Pool play. A victory over the Springboks in the quarter-finals out them back on track but it was always going to be a tough ask to beat both the Kiwis and the South Africans on the way to the final.

There are a number of people under pressure in the Wallabies' set-up and none more so than Deans himself. A winning percentage of just 58.33 since he took over the reins in 2008 is unlikely to be deemed good enough for a Wallaby coach. Luckily for Deans, the former Crusaders boss signed a two-year contract extension before the start of the RWC, which will see him coach the Wallabies until 2013 at least.

Win or lose on Friday, Deans' job is safe.

A particular criticism of the coach has been his persistent selection of Pat McCabe at inside centre and a struggling Rocky Elsom on the flank. Neither man will take part in this week's game with Berrick Barnes and Scott Higginbotham their replacements.

The absence of Barnes against the All Blacks was heavily criticised and one can't help but wonder if the Waratahs man had been on Quade Cooper's inside whether the number ten would have enjoyed a more fruitful game.

It's Cooper who is the second man under pressure ahead of the clash with Wales and like Deans, a good showing now may not repair the damage done.

The mercurial fly-half is gaining a reputation as a bit of a flat track bully; his magical skills come to life against lesser opposition but under pressure against the toughest opposition he has be found wanting.

Conversely, the Welsh have stepped up their game in the fiery cauldron that is the World Cup. While the somewhat quizzical IRB rankings may see them sitting in the same position as when they entered the tournament, there can be no doubting that the Welsh are on the rise.

To have gone down by just one point to the French in the final four, despite being down a man for three-quarters of the match, was gut wrenching for the Welsh. And while the Wallabies may have underperformed, the Dragons have done the opposite.

Admittedly, they lost to the Springboks in Pool play and saw off the challenge of Samoa with some difficulty. But they showed glimpses of their true quality in those games and brought bucketloads of it against Ireland in the quarter-finals.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Welsh performance has been their all-round strength. With a solid scrum, potent loose forwards and impressive backs, it has been hard to find gaps in Warren Gatland's outfit.

Expect all fifteen men to get involved on Friday because if there is one thing that third/fourth play-off games are renowned for it is their high scores.

There have been thirteen tries scored in the last two bronze medal clashes, a figure that is more than that scored in the semi-finals and finals in the past two World Cups combined.

With both Wales and Australia happy to throw the ball around at the best of times one can expect them to do so even more at Eden Park.

Wales defeated Australia 22-21 in the play-off for third place at the inaugural 1987 World Cup in New Zealand, and neither team has played in one since.

Ones to watch:

For Wales: James Hook's versatility is beginning to turn into a bit of a curse. With Gatland unable to find a spot for the former Ospreys man early in tournament before injury saw him sidelined, Hook has fallen well behind in the queue for both the number ten and number fifteen jersey. After an indifferent performance in the semi-final, another poor showing could do Hook's future prospects real harm.

For Australia: Quade Cooper is a man with a fair sized ego, and for good reason too, he has some exceptional skills. Unfortunately there has been more dire than delightful on offer from the number ten of late. He needs a big game to rescue his confidence and send out a reminder that he remains one of the game's premier pivots.

Head to head: It has been suggested that one of the reasons that Cooper has struggled during the World Cup is because he hasn't been given front foot ball. It's not the first time the Australian front row has come in for criticism and at this rate it certainly won't be the last. While the Welsh may be without Adam Jones, the front three will be backing themselves to give Wales an early advantage by putting pressure on the Wallabies up front.

Recent results:

2010: Australia won 25-16 at the Millennium Stadium
2009: Australia won 33-12 at the Millennium Stadium
2008: Wales won 21-18 at the Millennium Stadium
2007: Australia won 32-20 at the Millennium Stadium
2007: Australia won 31-0 in Brisbane
2007: Australia won 29-23 in Sydney
2006: Match drawn 29-29 at the Millennium Stadium
2005: Wales won 24-22 at the Millennium Stadium
2003: Australia won 30-10 in Sydney
2001: Australia won 21-13 at the Millennium Stadium
1999: Australia won 24-9 at the Millennium Stadium (RWC)

Prediction: Neither team will know whether to laugh or cry at the end of this one regardless of the result. Wales are likely to have been harder hit by their semi-final defeat and the Australians will pounce on any slow start, trotting home by ten!

The teams:

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Shane Williams, 10 James Hook, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Ryan Jones, 7 Toby Faletau, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Paul James, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Gethin Jenkins (c).
Replacements: 16 Lloyd Burns, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Alun Wyn Jones, 19 Andy Powell, 20 Lloyd Williams, 21 Stephen Jones, 22 Scott