A TEIFI rugby player is hoping that Wales have learnt from their heartbreaking last meeting with Australia to avoid repeating the result at the Rugby World Cup.

Gareth Thomas, from Newcastle Emlyn remembers the agonising defeat in the 2022 Autumn Series, when he was replaced in the 67th minute as Wales were winning 34-25 but then ended up losing 39-34.

The clashes between Wales and Australia tend to be close affairs, aside from the Wallabies 2016 victory over Wales in Cardiff where they won 32-8. The remaining 14 games since the 2011 World Cup have all been decided by no more than nine points.

Gareth is backing Wales to have learned the harsh lessons from 2022 which will help them against the Wallabies in their third group game, putting them closer to a spot in the last eight.

The 29-year-old prop said: “When we came here, we always wanted to win all the games in the group, and nothing has changed. We’ve got the same mindset, we want to go out there, perform and get another win.

“They’re always going to be dangerous. Last autumn things went well for us until the last 10 minutes and finishing off games has been a big focus of ours.

“Hopefully, this weekend we will be able to do that. We take a lot of confidence from the Fiji and Portugal games, as well as what we’ve done all summer. We feel like we can only get better.

“Getting a third win and securing a quarter-final place would be an amazing feeling. We don’t want anything but that.”

Gareth also spoke of the carmaraderie in the camp. He said: "There is just something special about every game in the World Cup, so we are watching them and just enjoying them because there is a big buzz about everything.

“We have fines committees. The (latest) sheet came out with all the fines on it and Nick Tompkins racked up a decent bill.

“He wore the wrong T-shirt and he was a little bit late for monitoring after the Fiji game because his alarm didn’t go off. It’s all good fun.

“I am on environment, so making sure everything is clean and taking the empty bottles, putting them in the bin. That’s my job, the guy who tells everyone to clean up their own stuff.”

Wales will play Australia in Lyon on Sunday, September 24 at 8pm UK time. The game will be broadcast on ITV and S4C.