It is tradition when Wales take to the field at the cavernous Millennium Stadium for cannons pitchside to bellow out bursts of flames to fire up the team and the already vociferous crowd.
And on Saturday, the home side finally consigned to ashes one of international rugby’s most infamous losing streaks.
The Dragons didn’t exactly take a flamethrower to the record, which has seen them go a decade without a win over the Wallabies.
It wasn’t pretty, the 9-6 scoreline evidence that this was not a game for the rugby purists. It wasn’t the worst spectacle, with plenty of artistry on show. Overall though it was attritional; a good old-fashioned arm wrestle, in which both side’s defences put in immense shifts.
To put it into context, Australia had the joint-best tackle success rate (91 per cent) of the 12 teams playing on Saturday, France and Georgia the others. Wales were only slightly behind at 90 per cent.
Leigh Halfpenny endured an off-day against the Aussies, missing two presentable kicks at goal.
Seven players in red registered double-digit figures for tackles and only six players across the six Test matches played on Saturday made as many or more tackles than Wales workhorse Justin Tipuric (20).
It was not the way Wales fans would have dreamed of breaking the decade-long hoodoo as they descended on the capital, but the monkey is now off the Dragons’ back – and they must now use the win to roar into next year’s World Cup.
Caution must also be preached. This is an Aussie side that finished third in this year’s Rugby Championship. Stars still exist in Michael Hooper, David Pocock and Israel Folau but it is hardly brimming with the talent of previous squads. Tougher tests lie ahead.
But although victory in Cardiff was ugly, their battles with Australia has seen enough pretty play and style over the previous 10 years. This time there was more gritty substance from Wales.
It has been a heartbreaking aspect every Welsh fan has had to embrace, never being quite good enough to get over the line against the green and gold, despite coming ever so close since that hallowed 21-18 win on the same pitch, at the same time of year, in November 2008.
Seven of Wales’ 13 losses over the intervening period have been delivered by less than a converted try; defeats of 21-18, 24-18, 25-23, 20-19, 14-12, 30-26 and 33-28 leaving Wales increasingly demoralised.
The only blowouts have come via the 33-12 2009 mauling and 2016’s 32-8 drubbing, defeat as much a sign of autumn in Wales as the wretched wet weather. Australia’s combined margin of victory in what ostensibly has become a seasonal stroll since 2008 is 102 points, or by 7.84 points per game.
With 10 years of hurt finally torched, the two sides will meet again in the same pool in Japan next year. This must be the springboard for a new-look Wales to jump in and join the elite party in Japan.
Wales’ 2015 World Cup can be summed up by their marauding group stage win over England which consigned their bitter rivals to the fate of being the first-ever hosts to fail to make the knockouts. They were then routinely bounced out by South Africa in the quarter-finals.
The heat is on Wallabies’ coach Michael Cheika after eight defeats in the last 10 games.
Wales must look at the bigger picture next year. They finished fourth in 2011 – and a nation still wonders what could have been had skipper Sam Warburton not harshly been handed a red card against France. They played 61 minutes of their semi-final with 14 men, yet lost just 9-8.
Their best performance on the game’s grandest stage came in the first edition 31 years ago – the Wallabies overcome 22-21 by Tony Gray’s side in the 1987 third-place play-off.
A similar showing, and not just taking big scalps, should now be the focus heading to the Far East. A fresh outlook, with Warren Gatland’s squad having a very fresh look to it this autumn.
Stalwarts and established stars remain – like Leigh Halfpenny, Alun Wyn Jones, Jonathan Davies, Ken Owens, George North, Dan Biggar and Tipuric – but the rest of this squad is littered with promise and players considered pups in international rugby.
New Zealand-born Blues pivot Gareth Anscombe is emerging as a real star and has started the first two Autumn Tests at 10.
Ross Moriarty, Steff Evans, Josh Adams, Tomos Williams, Adam Beard and Dillon Lewis are part of an exciting, emerging new wave. Sixteen of the 37-strong autumn squad – whose average age is 26.5 – have 10 caps or fewer, with 25 of them 26 or younger.
What must also be taken into consideration is the Wallabies’ triumph made it seven victories in a row for Wales – their longest winning run for 13 years.
Tipuric said afterwards “we are building up some serious momentum”. That they are. Apart from the new horizons, and Japan, ahead of them, Wales are also building towards a future without the nation’s longest-serving coach.
Warren Gatland will bow out as Wales boss after 12 years following next year’s World Cup.
Gatland has held the reins for 11 years but will bow out next autumn. Both he and Wales will hope to send him out successfully, which must be at least a last four spot. Is the task ahead really so insurmountable?
Australia are in crisis – defeat to Wales their eighth loss in 10 games. South Africa are in transition. England are one of the best three sides in the world, but have been wobbling. Even the awesome All Blacks have shown they are not impregnable.
Up next for Wales is this weekend’s tussle with minnows Tonga. Victory in the final autumn Test would secure back-to-back victories over the Springboks, sending them soaring into next year’s Six Nations.
Perform well there and the Dragons will head to the Land of the Rising Sun with hope also high of just a third-ever World Cup semi-final berth, and perhaps even better.
