Australia 21 Wales 22: 1987 third-place play-off



Australia had already suffered an upset in their semi-final defeat to France – widely regarded as the game of the tournament. What followed though was possibly an even greater shock. How much the pre-tournament favourites were motivated for a bronze-medal match is debatable but they certainly should have beaten a Wales side who shipped 49 points in their own semi against New Zealand. The game was incredibly tight throughout, each side touching down twice before Adrian Hadley's last-gasp try and Paul Thorburn's remarkable conversion from a tight angle settled it.