Wales crush Australia to reach Rugby World Cup quarters

Wales became the first team to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a record 40-6 victory on Sunday over hapless Australia, whose hopes of making the knock-out stages are all but over.

Flyhalf Gareth Anscombe, an early replacement for the injured Dan Biggar, scored 23 points with the boot in Lyon as scrum-half Gareth Davies, centre Nick Tompkins and captain Jac Morgan added the tries to keep Wales top of Pool C.

Defeat heaped pressure on Wallaby head coach Eddie Jones after his side lost for the seventh time in eight Tests since he took over the reins for the second time in January.

Australia's only victory since then was over Tier II Georgia.

But the rot had long set in before that, with Australia now having lost 19 of their last 25 international Tests - including a first ever defeat to Italy.

They came into this match knowing it was win-or-bust following last week's shock 22-15 defeat to Fiji - the first time they had lost to the Pacific Islanders in 69 years.

And now they have suffered a new record defeat to Wales, who topped their 28-3 win in Cardiff in 1975.

Jones had shuffled his pack, leaving out talented but green flyhalf Carter Gordon after his kicking troubles in victory over Georgia and vulnerability in contact against Fiji's destructive tacklers.

But Ben Donaldson proved no upgrade against a pumped-up Wales, who rolled back the years in their best performance since Warren Gatland returned to the helm in December.

Biggar blow 

Wales got off to a dream start with a line-out move straight off the training ground as Morgan hit a beautiful line onto Tompkins's inside pass to break through the defensive line and tee up Davies to score by the posts.

Australia almost hit back immediately but some ferocious defence -