Some results shape entire World Cups and Wales will be hoping this breathless triumph is one of them. Rarely, if ever in the modern era, has Welsh rugby enjoyed a more significant victory, particularly against southern hemisphere opposition in a tournament setting. Suddenly they are in control of Pool D, not just on course for the knock-out stages but heading for the opposite side of the draw to both New Zealand and England.

If the final scoreline was closer than seemed probable when Australia trailed 26-8 early in the second half, Warren Gatland’s side are increasingly a team that refuses to yield when the stakes are at their highest. From Tokyo to Treorchy no one will be getting too far ahead of themselves but, equally, a first World Cup win over Australia for 32 years is something to celebrate in its own right.

Because, make no mistake, this was among the most important nights of the Gatland era. The Wallabies are now on a potential collision course with England in the quarter-finals, while Wales are now eyeing a possible last-eight clash with France or Argentina if, as now looks likely, they top their pool. South Africa may yet loom large next month but every other team in the competition will have looked at Wales’s outstandingly committed first-half effort and winced.

At the final whistle, as both sides dropped exhausted to the ground, it was hard to elevate anyone in red above their comrades but the challenge thrown down to David Pocock and Michael Hooper at the breakdown by the Welsh back-row trio of Justin Tipuric, Aaron Wainwright and Josh Navidi was absolutely pivotal. Gatland’s side were also indebted to well-taken first-half tries by Hadleigh Parkes and Gareth Davies and found another unlikely hero in replacement fly-half Rhys Patchell, who scored 14 points after Dan Biggar failed a head injury assessment in the second quarter.

There is an entire book to be written about officiating inconsistency and TMO deliberations at this World Cup but, as with Japan’s win over Ireland the previous day, there is increasingly no shortage of on-field excitement as well.

This was a gripping contest from the outset, with Wales ultimately grateful to that old-school favourite, the drop goal. Biggar required just 35 seconds to register the fastest drop goal in World Cup history and, along with Patchell’s similar effort early in the second half, Wales’s tactical sharpness ultimately proved decisive.

From the start they looked sharp and purposeful, putting Australia under persistent early territorial pressure. Another penalty advantage was already being played when Biggar hoisted a teasing kick towards the right corner and, with Marika Koroibete all at sea, Parkes rose superbly to gather the high ball and score.

The Wallabies badly needed some kind of foothold and a stolen lineout and a messy Welsh scrum finally provided some succour. With space materialising to his right Bernard Foley put in a neat cross kick and Adam Ashley-Cooper, playing in his fourth World Cup, cut back inside to score.

This, though, was always going to be a night of fine margins and the continuing inconsistency surrounding high-tackle sanctions was about to be highlighted once more. First Michael Hooper received no punishment for a late shoulder hit on Biggar before Samu Kerevi, Australia’s most threatening back, was penalised for what the referee, Romain Poite, eventually decided was a forearm to the head of Patchell.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Australia’s Samu Kerevi gave away a penalty for leading with the arm against Wales’ Rhys Patchell. Photograph: Ashley Western/MB Media/Getty Images

It has hard not to feel sympathy for Kerevi, however, given Patchell’s upright position at impact which left the ball carrier unable to do much except brace himself. Given Reece Hodge’s three-week suspension for getting into a not dissimilar defensive position against Fiji, the search for consistency over tackle heights at this World Cup is proving distinctly elusive.

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Wales, though, had more immediate priorities. Patchell, back on his feet following the Kerevi collision, landed his second penalty of the night, via a post, to put his side 16-8 ahead and worse soon followed for the Wallabies. From a juggled restart they regained possession only for Will Genia’s attempted pass to Foley to be intercepted by the fleet-footed Davies who outpaced the despairing cover to increase Wales’ interval lead.

Their 23-8 advantage widened by a further three points when Patchell slotted his side’s second drop goal four minutes after the restart, leaving Australia seemingly staring down the barrel. Within a minute of Matt Toomua replacing Foley, however, the Wallabies had grabbed a try back, a lovely offload from Pocock putting Dane Haylett-Petty over. Toomua’s conversion made it 26-15 and, with Kurtley Beale also on the field in place of Ashley-Cooper, Wales’s supposedly substantial cushion began to feel significantly less comfortable.

Hooper ratcheted up the tension even more with a 62nd-minute try and a conversion and a penalty from Toomua made it a one-point game with 12 minutes to go. It all made for wonderful entertainment on another warm, humid evening, with so much red and gold in the stands it could have been full of MCC members. Ultimately, though, it was a night for Welsh hymns and arias. They will be hoping this is just the prelude to something even more special.