Australia v Wales result: Wallabies down Wales in Joe Schmidt's first ...

And he was rewarded with a gritty, if unspectacular performance from the Wallabies.

Tom Lynagh, the 21-year-old son of 1991 World Cup-winning legend Michael, earned a debut off the bench, directing the Wallabies home after being injected with 14 minutes remaining.

But the match was hardly a classic, with the ninth-ranked Australians emerging victorious after a bruising, error-laden arm-wrestle. Schmidt had inherited one of the most ill-disciplined sides in world rugby and would not have been impressed with serial offender James Slipper conceding a penalty in the opening two minutes.

Welsh flyhalf Ben Thomas slotted the goal to give the visitors first points of the match.

Recalled five-eighth Noah Lolesio, given first crack at playmaking and goalkicking duties under Schmidt, replied with two penalties of his own to put the Wallabies up 6-3.

It was 13-3 shortly after when Tupou finished off a series of pick-and-goes with Australia’s opening try.

Pedantic French referee Pierre Brousset couldn’t put his whistle away and eventually sent Wales prop Gareth Thomas to the sin bin for repeated infringements.

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But the Wallabies were also down to 14 men when flanker Fraser McReight was yellow-carded trying to stop a Welsh driving maul.

The penalty try drew Wales back to within three points at halftime, despite the Wallabies enjoying a huge possession and territorial advantage and having to make a third of the amount of tackles as their opposition.

Scores were all locked up at 13-13 early in the second stanza before Dauguno popped up in the midfield, accelerated through the defence and raced 30 metres to slide over in the right-hand corner.

Hearts were in mouths when Welsh replacement James Botham crashed over from a maul, only for the television match official to rule an obstruction in the lead-up.

Lolesio bombed a try at the other end with a needless kick when the Wallabies had an overlap five metres out from the line.

Up 18-16, Schmidt substituted Lolesio for Lynagh, who became the 12th Australian to follow his father into the test cauldron.

Fittingly, Lynagh had a hand in Wright’s try, fielding a raking kick and sending the ball to his fullback, who burned the defence in a blazing run to end a horror sequence for the Wallabies in Sydney.

They had won only one of their previous 12 tests in the NSW capital.