DRAGONS ON FIRE

WALES are the first team into the World Cup quarter-finals after crushing Eddie Jones' Wallabies and putting them on the brink of elimination.

- Neil Squires

WALES 40 

AUSTRALIA 6

Gareth Anscombe magnificently stepped into the breach left by Dan Biggar's departure with a shoulder injury to equal the Wales World Cup record of 23 points in a match and guide his side to a victory that made it three wins out of three in Pool C.

It was a sweet night for a player who missed the previous World Cup through injury and who has been blighted by misfortune since.

Qualification for the knockout stages was yet another feather in the cap of Warren Gatland, who only took over nine months ago for his second stint in charge with the domestic scene in chaos and the national side at a low ebb.