The Wallabies have slumped to their biggest-ever World Cup loss and their worst-ever defeat to Wales to leave their campaign all-but-over in France.
“Aussie rugby hits rock bottom,” commentator Sean Maloney said on Stan Sport. “The Wallabies World Cup dream has become an absolute nightmare.”
The 40-6 loss in Lyon eclipsed the Wallabies’ previous record margin of defeat at a World Cup – the 40-16 loss to England in 2019 – as well as their record 28-3 loss to Wales in 1975.
It means that – barring two staggering upsets from Georgia against Fiji and Wales – Australia will be condemned to missing the quarter-finals for the first time in World Cup history.
Stan Sport commentator Sean Maloney called it a “complete absolute humiliation of the Aussies”.
“Eddie Jones’ youth policy is in tatters,” Nick McCardle said on Stan.
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Triple international Allana Ferguson said on Stan Sports: “They were completely dismantled by Wales.”
From the scrum, to the lineout and all around the park, the Wallabies were comprehensively beaten.
Midway through the second half, Sky Sports wrote in their live blog: “It’s still all Wales here. This is as bad as Australia have ever been.
It’s probably the worst Rugby World Cup performance in their history.”
Former Wales flanker Emyr Lewis said in the second half on BBC Radio Cymru: “Australia have hit the self-destruct button, they have lost their confidence and belief completely.
They’re now trying to play as individuals and they are a mess.”
James Hook, the former Welsh fly-half, said on BBC Radio Wales as Wales took a 29-6 lead: “Perfect start exactly what Wales wanted, everything looks really comfortable.
“I don’t know where Australia go from here.”
He may as well have been talking about the Wallabies’ future as a whole.
Speaking on Stan Sport, former Wallaby Stephen Hoiles said: “I look at this side … as a bunch of kids playing against men.”
“Some of these guys may not recover from this.”
“They came out here and they didn’t perform at all,” Sonny Bill Williams said on Stan Sport. “40 to 6 is really embarrassing.”