# 2007 Wales rugby union tour of Australia

The Wales national rugby union team toured Australia in May and June 2007, playing two tests against the Australia national team as part of their preparation for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. They lost the first test in Sydney 29–23 before being shut out in the second, losing 31–0 in Brisbane, and Australia claimed the newly inaugurated James Bevan Trophy with a 2–0 series win.

## Fixtures

As part of their preparations for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Wales scheduled two test matches against Australia, one of their opponents in Pool B of the tournament. They would play for the James Bevan Trophy, which was commissioned by International Business Wales (IBW), the economic arm of the Welsh Assembly government, to commemorate James Bevan, a rugby player who was born in Australia to a Welsh father and who returned to Great Britain before becoming the first captain of the Wales rugby union team. The first test was scheduled to be played at Stadium Australia in Sydney on 26 May 2007, while the second would be played at Lang Park in Brisbane a week later, on 2 June 2007. Australia won the first test 29–23, before claiming the second 31–0.
| Date | Venue | Home | Score | Away |
| 26 May 2007 | Stadium Australia, Sydney | Australia | 29–23 | Wales |
| 2 June 2007 | Lang Park, Brisbane | Australia | 31–0 | Wales |

## Squads
### Wales

Wales coach Gareth Jenkins named an initial 28-man squad for the tour of Australia on 30 April 2007. Centre Gavin Henson was included despite a knee injury having kept him out since January, while wing Dafydd James, prop Iestyn Thomas and versatile forward Michael Owen also returned to the international fold after absences. Flanker Robin Sowden-Taylor, who suffered a broken and dislocated ankle in September 2006, recovered in time to be selected. Sixteen senior players were left out, taking part in a home summer training camp instead, leaving room for the uncapped pair of prop Ceri Jones and lock/back rower Scott Morgan in the squad. Captain Gareth Thomas was the subject of a club-versus-country battle following his selection; while the Welsh Rugby Union claimed that the tour was IRB-sanctioned and that they had first option on Thomas's availability, his club Toulouse were insistent that he honour his contract with them and finish the 2006–07 Top 14 season. On legal advice, he joined up with the Wales squad on tour, but hoped that he would be able to return to France for a potential play-off final at the Stade de France on 12 June; however, Toulouse were eliminated in the semi-finals by Clermont. On 9 May, uncapped prop Jamie Corsi and veteran centre Sonny Parker were called up to replace the injured Rhys Thomas (ankle) and Dafydd James (knee). Wing Hal Luscombe also pulled out for personal reasons, and was replaced a week later by the uncapped Tom James; hookers Matthew Rees and Gareth Williams were also added to the squad after Mefin Davies (rib) and Huw Bennett (neck) suffered injuries. Rees joined the tour on the condition that he would be allowed to return home after the first test in order to be present for the birth of his first child. The Dragons players in the squad flew out to Australia later than the rest of the group due to the Dragons' involvement in a qualification play-off for the 2007–08 Heineken Cup on 18 May, as did Bath scrum-half Andy Williams. Wing Aled Brew was not considered for the first test due to a ligament injury, while Gareth Williams tore a calf muscle in training, leaving Hibbard and Rees as the two hookers available for the first test; Mefin Davies recovered from his rib injury in time to fly out for the second test in place of Williams, while Steve Jones took the place of the departing Rees. Prop Adam Jones also suffered a torn calf in training, ruling him out of the second test; he was replaced by Chris Horsman, who went straight onto the bench as Corsi was also carrying an injury.
| Name | Position | Club | Caps | Notes |
| Huw Bennett | Hooker | Ospreys | 11 | Withdrew due to injury |
| Mefin Davies | Hooker | Leicester Tigers | 37 | Withdrew due to injury; returned to squad to replace Matthew Rees |
| Richard Hibbard | Hooker | Ospreys | 2 | |
| Steve Jones | Hooker | Newport Gwent Dragons | 5 | Replacement for Gareth Williams |
| Matthew Rees | Hooker | Llanelli Scarlets | 10 | Replacement for Huw Bennett; left squad for personal reasons after first test |
| Gareth Williams | Hooker | Cardiff Blues | 5 | Replacement for Mefin Davies; withdrew due to injury |
| Jamie Corsi | Prop | Newport Gwent Dragons | 0 | Replacement for Rhys Thomas |
| Chris Horsman | Prop | Worcester Warriors | 9 | Replacement for Adam Jones |
| Adam Jones | Prop | Ospreys | 40 | Withdrew due to injury |
| Ceri Jones | Prop | Harlequins | 0 | |
| Iestyn Thomas | Prop | Llanelli Scarlets | 30 | |
| Rhys Thomas | Prop | Newport Gwent Dragons | 1 | Withdrew due to injury |
| Brent Cockbain | Lock | Ospreys | 23 | |
| Robert Sidoli | Lock | Cardiff Blues | 39 | |
| Colin Charvis | Back row | Newport Gwent Dragons | 84 | |
| Scott Morgan | Back row | Cardiff Blues | 0 | |
| Michael Owen | Back row | Newport Gwent Dragons | 34 | |
| Robin Sowden-Taylor | Back row | Cardiff Blues | 3 | |
| Gavin Thomas | Back row | Llanelli Scarlets | 20 | |
| Jonathan Thomas | Back row | Ospreys | 32 | |
| Gareth Cooper | Scrum-half | Newport Gwent Dragons | 32 | |
| Mike Phillips | Scrum-half | Cardiff Blues | 20 | |
| Andy Williams | Scrum-half | Bath | 4 | |
| James Hook | Fly-half | Ospreys | 11 | |
| Ceri Sweeney | Fly-half | Newport Gwent Dragons | 30 | |
| Gavin Henson | Centre | Ospreys | 20 | |
| Sonny Parker | Centre | Ospreys | 21 | Replacement for Dafydd James |
| Jamie Robinson | Centre | Cardiff Blues | 18 | |
| Gareth Thomas | Centre | Toulouse | 92 | Captain |
| Aled Brew | Wing | Newport Gwent Dragons | 1 | |
| Chris Czekaj | Wing | Cardiff Blues | 4 | |
| Dafydd James | Wing | Llanelli Scarlets | 45 | Withdrew due to injury |
| Tom James | Wing | Cardiff Blues | 0 | Replacement for Hal Luscombe |
| Hal Luscombe | Wing | Harlequins | 16 | Withdrew for personal reasons |
| Lee Byrne | Full-back | Ospreys | 12 | |
| Sources: |||||

### Australia

The Australian Rugby Union named an initial joint training squad of 59 on 7 May 2007 for the Wallabies and Australia A teams' mid-year fixtures. This was reduced to 37 on 13 May for a three-day training camp in Sydney the following week, before a final cut to 30 players on 20 May for the Wales tests; flanker Phil Waugh and centre Stirling Mortlock were named as joint captains, and there were four uncapped players in the squad: James Horwill, Julian Huxley, Digby Ioane and Sam Norton-Knight. Wing Lote Tuqiri was ruled out of the tests against Wales in favour of an intensive training programme.
| Name | Position | Club | Notes |
| Adam Freier | Hooker | NSW Waratahs | |
| Stephen Moore | Hooker | Queensland Reds | |
| Al Baxter | Prop | NSW Waratahs | |
| Matt Dunning | Prop | NSW Waratahs | |
| Benn Robinson | Prop | NSW Waratahs | |
| Guy Shepherdson | Prop | ACT Brumbies | |
| Mark Chisholm | Lock | ACT Brumbies | |
| James Horwill | Lock | Queensland Reds | |
| Nathan Sharpe | Lock | Western Force | |
| Dan Vickerman | Lock | NSW Waratahs | |
| Rocky Elsom | Back row | NSW Waratahs | |
| Stephen Hoiles | Back row | ACT Brumbies | |
| David Lyons | Back row | NSW Waratahs | |
| Hugh McMeniman | Back row | Queensland Reds | |
| Wycliff Palu | Back row | NSW Waratahs | |
| George Smith | Back row | ACT Brumbies | |
| Phil Waugh | Back row | NSW Waratahs | Captain |
| George Gregan | Scrum-half | ACT Brumbies | |
| Stephen Larkham | Fly-half | ACT Brumbies | |
| Sam Norton-Knight | Fly-half | NSW Waratahs | |
| Adam Ashley-Cooper | Centre | ACT Brumbies | |
| Matt Giteau | Centre | Western Force | |
| Stirling Mortlock | Centre | ACT Brumbies | Captain |
| Mark Gerrard | Wing | ACT Brumbies | |
| Digby Ioane | Wing | Western Force | |
| Drew Mitchell | Wing | Western Force | |
| Scott Staniforth | Wing | Western Force | |
| Lote Tuqiri | Wing | NSW Waratahs | |
| Julian Huxley | Full-back | ACT Brumbies | |
| Cameron Shepherd | Full-back | Western Force | |

## Results
### First test

Australia named their team for the first test four days before the match. Julian Huxley was named to earn his first cap at full-back, while utility back Matt Giteau was named at scrum-half in favour of George Gregan, who was one of two backs on the bench. Flanker Phil Waugh recovered from an ankle injury in time to be named as captain of the team. Wing Drew Mitchell, centre Adam Ashley-Cooper and prop Matt Dunning all made their first appearances for the Wallabies since 2005. Wales named their line-up the next day, the highlight being captain Gareth Thomas's selection on the wing for his 93rd cap, overtaking Gareth Llewellyn as the most capped player for Wales; meanwhile, centre Gavin Henson was named on the bench, and coach Gareth Jenkins said he was "likely to play a part in the game at some stage". In the forwards, Jonathan Thomas was named at number 8 ahead of Michael Owen, while Matthew Rees won the battle with Richard Hibbard to start at hooker. Uncapped prop Ceri Jones was named on the bench.
* 26 May 2007
| Australia | 29–23 | Wales |
| Try: Palu Sharpe Giteau Hoiles Con: Mortlock (3) Pen: Mortlock | Report | Try: Gareth Thomas Robinson Con: Hook (2) Pen: Hook (2) Drop: Hook |
* Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
| FB | 15 | Julian Huxley |
| RW | 14 | Mark Gerrard |
| OC | 13 | Stirling Mortlock |
| IC | 12 | Adam Ashley-Cooper | 66' |
| LW | 11 | Drew Mitchell |
| FH | 10 | Sam Norton-Knight |
| SH | 9 | Matt Giteau |
| N8 | 8 | Wycliff Palu | 73' |
| OF | 7 | Phil Waugh (c) | 53' |
| BF | 6 | Rocky Elsom |
| RL | 5 | Mark Chisholm | 67' |
| LL | 4 | Nathan Sharpe |
| TP | 3 | Guy Shepherdson |
| HK | 2 | Stephen Moore | 73' |
| LP | 1 | Matt Dunning | 53' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Adam Freier | 73' |
| PR | 17 | Benn Robinson | 53' |
| LK | 18 | Dan Vickerman | 67' |
| N8 | 19 | Stephen Hoiles | 73' |
| FL | 20 | George Smith | 53' |
| SH | 21 | George Gregan | 66' |
| WG | 22 | Scott Staniforth |
| Coach: ||
| John Connolly ||
| FB | 15 | Lee Byrne |
| RW | 14 | Gareth Thomas (c) |
| OC | 13 | Jamie Robinson | 67' |
| IC | 12 | Sonny Parker |
| LW | 11 | Chris Czekaj |
| FH | 10 | James Hook |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips | 72' |
| N8 | 8 | Jonathan Thomas |
| OF | 7 | Gavin Thomas |
| BF | 6 | Colin Charvis |
| RL | 5 | Robert Sidoli |
| LL | 4 | Brent Cockbain | 36' |
| TP | 3 | Adam Jones |
| HK | 2 | Matthew Rees | 74' |
| LP | 1 | Iestyn Thomas | 73' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Richard Hibbard | 74' |
| PR | 17 | Ceri Jones | 73' |
| N8 | 18 | Michael Owen | 36' |
| FL | 19 | Scott Morgan |
| SH | 20 | Gareth Cooper | 72' |
| FH | 21 | Ceri Sweeney |
| CE | 22 | Gavin Henson | 67' |
| Coach: ||
| Nigel Davies ||

### Second test

* 2 June 2007
| Australia | 31–0 | Wales |
| Try: Huxley Ioane Mitchell Con: Mortlock (2) Pen: Mortlock (4) | Report | |
* Lang Park, Brisbane Attendance: 41,622 Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
| FB | 15 | Julian Huxley |
| RW | 14 | Digby Ioane |
| OC | 13 | Stirling Mortlock (c) |
| IC | 12 | Adam Ashley-Cooper |
| LW | 11 | Drew Mitchell |
| FH | 10 | Stephen Larkham |
| SH | 9 | Matt Giteau |
| N8 | 8 | Wycliff Palu |
| OF | 7 | George Smith |
| BF | 6 | Rocky Elsom |
| RL | 5 | Dan Vickerman |
| LL | 4 | Nathan Sharpe |
| TP | 3 | Guy Shepherdson |
| HK | 2 | Stephen Moore |
| LP | 1 | Benn Robinson |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Adam Freier |
| PR | 17 | Matt Dunning |
| LK | 18 | Mark Chisholm |
| N8 | 19 | Stephen Hoiles |
| FL | 20 | Phil Waugh |
| SH | 21 | George Gregan |
| CE | 22 | Mark Gerrard |
| Coach: ||
| John Connolly ||
| FB | 15 | Gareth Thomas (c) |
| RW | 14 | Chris Czekaj |
| OC | 13 | Jamie Robinson |
| IC | 12 | Sonny Parker |
| LW | 11 | Aled Brew |
| FH | 10 | James Hook |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips |
| N8 | 8 | Jonathan Thomas |
| OF | 7 | Gavin Thomas |
| BF | 6 | Colin Charvis |
| RL | 5 | Robert Sidoli |
| LL | 4 | Michael Owen |
| TP | 3 | Ceri Jones |
| HK | 2 | Mefin Davies |
| LP | 1 | Iestyn Thomas |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Richard Hibbard |
| PR | 17 | Chris Horsman |
| FL | 18 | Scott Morgan |
| FL | 19 | Robin Sowden-Taylor |
| SH | 20 | Andy Williams |
| FH | 21 | Ceri Sweeney |
| CE | 22 | Gavin Henson |
| Coach: ||
| Nigel Davies ||