Australia have secured a Rugby World Cup quarter-finals spot with a gritty 13-7 win over Wales in pool play at Whangārei's Northland Events Centre.
The Wallaroos never trailled in the contest, scoring an early converted try through halfback Iliseva Batibasaga, before Wales drew level, with No.8 Sioned Harries crossing from close range.
Australia retook the lead before the break, with Lori Cramer slotting a penalty, then icing the result two minutes from the end with another.
They had to whether a spirited Welsh comeback in the dying moments, reduced to 14 players, when flanker Emily Chancellor was yellow-carded for a high tackle.
Both teams had lost to New Zealand and edged Scotland in previous World Cup outings, and while this result promoted Australia to second in the group, Wales can still progress to the final eight as one of the best third-placed teams.
"We're gutted by the result, but we put 100 percent into it," said Wales captain Hannah Jones. "Hopefully, we get through to next week and we'll go again.
"To be fair, we had some really good defensive sets and the girls showed good heart. We're just disappointed with the result, and we need to pick our heads up and hope to do it again."
Australia 13 (Batibasaga try; Cramer conversion & 2 penalties) Wales 7 (Harries try; Snowsill conversion)
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