BOTH teams went into this one with nothing to lose having already qualified for the knock-out stages, but they played as if their lives depended on it.

There were no tries and as much width as a sheet of cheap paper in a game dubbed a potential try-fest before kick off.

What it lacked in spark and excitement it more than made up for in attrition and physicality.

Michael Cheika used the analogy "behind every great man is a great woman" to describe his team's defence complimenting their attack in the post-match press conference.

Australia's wife was Wonder Woman on steroids Saturday night.

Warren Gatland's men sledgehammered the Wallaby line for what seemed like an eternity and were met with 13 bank vaults.

Wales needed a specialist to pick the locks, but they just didn't have one in their armoury.

Some have criticised Wales for not going wide more often in the game, especially when Australia were down to 13.

Wales made the right calls.

When your scrum is that dominant, you have to keep going at it.

Another referee would've marched under the sticks for a penalty try.

Craig Joubert's weak refereeing of that area made sure the Welsh front five got no change from their scrum efforts.

After knocking on the door with the scrum and getting no answer, Warburton changed tactic and opted for a lineout and - like many times in this tournament - the driving maul bore no fruit.

But, again, it was the right thing to do.

England found out the hard way that going wide against Australia isn't the best option.

Matt Giteau's terrier ankle-tackling brings centres to the ground in a flash and as soon as the man hits the turf the Wallaby back row picks them off.

Without Hooper, Australia are undoubtedly weaker, but Scott Fardy popped up with two turnovers himself from the blindside just showcasing how much talent these two nations have on the flanks.

They're probably the top two in the world in that department.

The direct route was undoubtedly the right one given the side Gatland selected.

George North is not a centre and without a distributor in the midfield Alex Cuthbert and Liam Williams were always going to be starved of possession especially given Gareth Anscombe's tendency to slide infield to act as another first receiver.

Dan Biggar thought North went well in the 13 jersey.

It's arguably the most difficult position to defend and he nullified the usually-potent Wallabies.

Should he play there again - probably not.

But given Wales' injury woes, it was probably the safest option and his most effective if he wanted to adopt the power game.

Power was the word of the day.

Every time a Welsh player took the ball into contact, teammates would scream the word to them as they pumped their legs.

No tries were scored in 80 minutes.

That's how good the defence was.

Wales were held up over the line three times.

That's how tenacious Australia were.

Warren Gatland proved he has one of the sharpest minds in the game with his adoption of the choke tackle we've seen used so effectively by Ireland.

Taulupe Faletau was in the middle of every one, and with his supporting cast of Justin Tipuric, Jamie Roberts and George North adding their weight, it slowed Wallaby ball down perfectly.

Coaches often talk about the three-second tackle.

Three seconds from the initial contact to the attacking player being in a position to place the ball.

It slows the attacking team's rhythm, giving the defensive team time to re-align.

Wales mastered it on Saturday.

Taking Michael Cheika's analogy - you had Miss Universe going up against Miss World.

Unfortunately, the husbands were two fat insurance brokers from Swindon with the remnants of a Gregg's Steak Bake smeared down their short-sleeve shirts.

Neither attack was sharp, nor was it inventive.

Wales' was probably better than Australia's, but the Wallaby defence was better than their opponents'.

Warren Gatland's men made 105 carries.

Michael Cheika's just 61.

In return, Wales made just 59 tackles.

Australia made 123.

One of the biggest clichés in sport - attack is the best form of defence.

The ball was in red hands for 63% of the game and it spent 67% of the time in gold territory.

But those stats don't mean much if you don't manage to score more than six points.

PLAYER RATINGS by Gareth Davies at Twickenham

Gareth Anscombe: A shaky start with a kick straight into touch but grew nicely into the game. 6

Alex Cuthbert: Two good defensive reads and wasn't helped by some poor service, but clumsy yellow card summed up his campaign. 5

George North: Held his own playing out of position with good defensive linespeed and some big hits but proved he's a winger and not a centre. 6

Jamie Roberts: Led the defensive effort again and showed mixed bag in attack with one horrible miss pass to go with a handful of deft touches. 7

Liam Williams: Brave as ever and struggled to get into the game before his World Cup was ended by injury. 5

Dan Biggar: Proved he's human after he missed first kick of the tournament and was second-highest on the Welsh tackle count with eight. 7

Gareth Davies: Looked sharp in another bustling performance and has grown into the nine shirt. 7

Paul James: Solidified the Welsh scrum and will be pushing Gethin Jenkins for a starting spot against South Africa. 7

Scott Baldwin: Much improved in the tight and another stamp of authority on the hooker jersey. 7

Samson Lee: Decent return to the starting berth and was more than a match for Scott Sio. 6

Luke Charteris: If you wanted one guy in the world to defend a rolling maul, he would be your man. 7

Alun Wyn Jones: Everything a second row should be - imperious in the line and non-stop graft in the loose. 7

Sam Warburton: One trademark turnover but was outplayed by Scott Fardy and missed a tackle on Drew Mitchell in the first half. 6

Justin Tipuric: Made 13 of Wales' 59 tackles in a sublime defensive effort but wasn't able to cut free in attack. 7

Taulupe Faletau: Another powerful game and was at the heart of every choke tackle, but a few uncharacteristic errors none more significant than failing to control the ball at the back of a try-line bound scrum on the hour. 7