**Boyd takes charge as Aussies see off gallant Welsh**
Brad Walter at Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales
November 14, 2011
.Wales 14 Australia 56
Darius Boyd showed that Australia will lose little with the absence of injured fullback Billy Slater when he helped the Kangaroos overcome a first half scare from a courageous Wales team to warm up for next Saturday night's Four Nations final against England.
With the Kangaroos' place in the final already secured, coach Tim Sheens took the opportunity to rest captain Darren Lockyer, utility Luke Lewis and winger Akuilla Uate as he tested some new combinations.
The loss of Slater - the international player of the year - to a broken collarbone in last weekend's defeat of England at Wembley has forced a reshuffle, with Boyd shifting from wing to fullback.
But the Newcastle bound star showed he was a more than capable deputy for Slater with a man-of-the-match performance in Australia's 56-14 win before a crowd of 5233 at Wrexham in north Wales.
However, until the 38th minute, a group of part-timers and second stringers led by veteran Warrington playmaker Lee Briers headed the star-studded Australian side in a game reminiscent of the 2000 World Cup semi-final between the two countries.
On that occasion, it took the Kangaroos 57 minutes to run down a Wales side led by Briers and Iestyn Harris, who is now the coach of Wales.
..Briers, who has now retired from international football, was at his brilliant best early in the match as he laid on tries for wingers Rhys Williams and Elliott Kear in the opening 14 minutes.
It took 28 minutes before the Kangaroos finally got on the scoreboard through a dummy half try by skipper Cameron Smith.
However, two tries to Cooper Cronk within the last 90 seconds of the first half gave Australia an 18-8 lead at the break.
The Kangaroos then went on with the job in the second half, with rookie Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans scoring in his Test debut followed by fullback Boyd.
Wales prop Jordan James got the host nation's only try of the second half in the 49th minute to reduce Australia's lead to 30-14 but it was all one-way traffic from then as Inglis, Jharal Yow Yeh, Thurston, Cronk and Josh Morris scored.
Sheens has indicated that Uate will return for the final on one wing leaving Yow Yeh and Morris battling for the other spot.
He also used the playmaking quartet of Smith, Thurston, Cronk and Cherry-Evans on the field together at various periods.
Thurston shifted to five-eighth when Cherry-Evans was on, with Cronk playing dummy half and Smith moving to lock.
The move paid dividends as it was soon after he injected Cherry-Evans into the action just before halftime that Australia took control.
Despite an almost faultless first half, in which they completed 91 per cent of their sets of six tackles, Wales still trailed at halftime.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/boyd-takes-charge-as-aussies-see-off-gallant-welsh-20111114-1ne7w.html
