So, the wait goes on for Wales.

It is 55 years since they last beat the Wallabies on Australian soil will continue for another year at least while Wales’ winless run in international test matches is now nine – their second longest in history.

However, there were plenty of positives from Wales’ display on the weekend, Sportin Wales dissect the good and the bad from Warren Gatland’s side on Saturday.

Maul Supremacy

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Wales do have a massive weapon in the shape of the driving maul.

Wales scored tries directly from the driving maul against Ireland, England and Scotland during the Six Nations and it has been used to full effect in Australia.

It was causing Australia chaos in defence. The only questions was why Wales didn’t go to it more.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Wales were trailing by 10 points and opted to go for posts rather than the corner. The slightly negative decision was compounded by Ben Thomas missing the penalty, but it did raise the question why they didn’t go to their strengths.

Later in that half, having already scored from one driving maul, Wales went with a trick play going to the front with Taine Plumtree. The question to ask, if it’s not broke, why fix it?

In the second half, Wales went to the maul time and time again from distance to great effect with the Wallabies unable to answer.

Ben Thomas + Cam Winnett Axis

Ball in hand, Ben Thomas was superb on Saturday.

Double pumping, picking the right options and showcasing all the skills which justifies his selection at 10.

It was an excellent 60 minutes from the Cardiff academy graduate.

What was particularly noticeable was Thomas’ combination with Cardiff teammate Cam Winnett with both showing lovely touches to feed outside backs and their forwards.

It was part of a noticeably more coherent Welsh attack with dummy runners to full effect and players coming around the corner effectively.

At times, the use and choice of kicks were also effective, Winnett’s grubber kick through to build pressure and Thomas’ early chip kick but one or two others could have been more accurate from the Wales 10.

Individuals Step Up

Wales had a reshuffle ahead of the second test with Winnett and James Botham coming in for the injured Josh Hathaway and Aaron Wainwright.

Winnett had already shown his class during the Six Nations and fitted seamlessly into the backfield, however, the question was whether Botham and Taine Plumtree could replace the ball carrying of Wainwright who was superb in the first test.

Much was made of Botham’s cricketing grandfather Ian before kick off and how ‘Jim’ was going to carry on the family legacy in Australia.

Botham did everything possible to achieve that. Not blessed with Wainwright size, his work rate was off the scale, constantly carrying and being a nuisance to the Australian defence and attack.

Plumtree too performed well in the second half after a quiet first 40, making a nice half break from a delayed Ben Thomas pass, but it was Botham who stood out.

As captain, Dewi Lake also led from the front, carrying spectacularly, producing turnovers and generally doing everything you’d expect of a player of his ability and stature within the team.

He still can develop in certain areas but a fit and firing Lake is not far off the best hookers in the world and expect him to develop in the years to come.

Wales Have a Player for the future in Griffin

Another who has been a bit of a revelation this tour has been Archie Griffin.

It is fair to say Griffin was taught a few lessons by England during his debut in the Six Nations but, against Australia, he showcased that he is a fast learner.

Griffin’s former coach Chris Horsman told Sportin Wales that the 22-year-old Bath tighthead was ‘one-to-watch’ and he certainly lived up to the billing playing a mammoth 142 minutes across the two tests, only missing 10 minutes due to a HIA check in the second.

During those minutes, Griffin was a presence in attack and defence utilising his ball carrying size but also soft hands as a link to Ben Thomas and the backs.

It was a highly promising display. One hopes that he and Wales can build off it for the next decade or more.

Test Match Rugby

Sportin Wales co-founder Alex Cuthbert described rugby as a game where the side who makes the fewest mistakes wins.

It is also about the side who capitalises on those mistakes the best.

Australia were clinical. A coast-to-coast try early doors created after a questionable pass across their try line and a poachers effort from Jake Gordon after a spill from Winnett were Australia’s only chances in the first half.

Then there was Filipo Daugunu’s try in the second half, capitalising on Liam William’s flick back into play before scoring.

On the flip side, Wales missed several opportunities. Taine Plumtree held up over the line, a poor lineout drill inside the final five minutes, a scrum 10 metres out resulting in a disappointing attack and losing the ball.

After the match, in an interview on Sky, both Lake and Gatland said that Wales’ loss was in part due to how clinical both sides were.

“It’s the same messages: taking our opportunities,” said Lake.

“They were better on the scrap balls. Those little opportunities we’re missing we need to take.”

“We showed a bit of our inexperience,” said Gatland.

“Gifting them points which they didn’t have to work hard for.”

However, to every sweeping statement there is an exception, as was the case with Rio Dyer’s brilliant finish after Christ Tshiunza’s charge down.

Lineout Malfunctioning

When you have a weapon, you want to feed it at every opportunity. Unfortunately, while Wales’ weapon was their maul, the food was the lineout.

Wales have struggled at lineout time ever since that display against Australia in the World Cup where they were perfect with their darts.

The issue is not merely the throwing, it is often the calling or the drill itself and on Saturday, too many went awry for Wales to be successful.

The most noticeable and arguably crucial of these came with 73:20 on the clock and Wales less than 10 metres out from the Wallabies line.

Evan Lloyd was on as hooker, but his throw was low, almost hitting Cory Hill at hip height and the man who has been playing his rugby at Japanese fourth division side Secom Rugguts spilled the ball.

For his part, Lloyd looked devastated post-match. Lloyd will be a brilliant player for Wales, you just have to look at his work rate, regathering a loose ball on 72mins which he had no right to get to and getting across to stop Daugunu with the winger on a hattrick.

Additionally, his performance against Ospreys on Judgement Day, showed that he can be a real threat in wide channels, much as Dane Coles or Dan Sheehan have been for New Zealand and Ireland.

But he needs to work at his throwing. Unsurprisingly for a converted back rower, it is currently the big work-on of his game. With the experience he will get for club and country this season, expect that to improve ten-fold and be up there consistently challenging for selection.

Gifting Momentum

A theme of last week, this reared its ugly head again on Saturday.

Wales’ inexperience was telling at times, particularly in the way they gifted momentum to the Wallabies.

Again, there were plenty of soft penalties, the offside from Winnett’s kick which led to Australia’s game-sealing penalty being a prime example, but there were also a litany of spills, fumbles and pod errors leading to Wales turning over possession deep inside the Wallabies 22.

The best sides, Ireland, South Africa et al, don’t give their opponents those opportunities.

Perhaps the most frustrating area of all for Gatland however was what has often been dubbed as the fourth set-piece.

Wales’ restart drills went awry on multiple occasions, gifting momentum back the Aussies.

After Lake’s first try, Winnett was penalised for holding on straight from his catch with his forwards offering an ineffectual clean out. Wales repeated the feet after Lake’s second try, despite a questionable shot Australian eight Rob Valetini.

In the second half, Wales’ lineout drills improved, but in general when you compare and contrast the two sides, Thomas and Costelow’s kicks were too long, giving plenty of opportunities for the Wallabies to field the kicks and clear.

How Good Are Australia? How Bad Are Wales?

Despite there being clear signs of improvement from Wales during this Six Nations, it will be difficult to know the true reflection of both sides until we see the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies face Georgia next on Saturday before hosting the Springboks on the 10^th of August in their first game of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Wales face Queensland Reds on Friday, hoping to avoid a series whitewash, in what Alex Cuthbert and Sean Holley described on the Sportin Wales podcast as ‘the toughest game of the tour’.