Joe Schmidt has said he remains unsure about some of his Australia players following their 40-29 victory over Georgia at Sydney Football Stadium.

Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight scored doubles for the hosts, with Australia surviving a red card picked up by Filipo Daugunu for a knee to the head of Sandro Todua to maintain the Wallabies' new head coaches unbeaten start. 

Schmidt made 10 changes to the side that beat Wales last Saturday in Melbourne, with some taking the opportunity with both hands, while others fell short. 

"Some guys have really put their hands up and other guys probably need a bit of work," Schmidt said.

"Some guys are delivering really consistent training performances and pushing for match day selection. Whether you're playing Georgia or next time we come out in Brisbane, it will be South Africa.

"We have a number of players who we're not sure about, who is maybe the best option in a particular position or who's the best combination."

Australia led 26-10 at the break, and although Georgia rallied in the second half, the home side triumphed in only the third meeting between the pair. 

Hunter Paisami and Isaac Kailea went over the line early on, but Dauganu's sending off allowed Georgia a way back into the contest. 

The visitors closed to within two points of Australia with two scintillating tries early in the second half through Davit Niniashvili and Akaki Tabutsadze.

However, their challenge faded as Niniashvili was sin-binned for a deliberate knockdown, as McReight and Valetini secured three successive wins for the first time since late 2021.

“It is only three weeks that we’ve been together and we made 10 changes and we knew there was an element of risk in that,” Schmidt said.

“But I like the way we built our way into the game, bar the early three points.

“We put a few nice tries together and built a lead, but it was really disappointing that they got back into the game and we were scrambling just a little bit.”

The Wallabies next face world champions South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener in Brisbane on August 10. 

Warren Gatland remains optimistic his young Wales side can turn into a "really good team" despite their series defeat to Australia.

Wales' losing streak extended to nine matches on Saturday as Filipo Daugunu scored two tries to secure a 36-28 triumph for the Wallabies in Melbourne.

Gatland's men were punished early on as their opponents raced into a 17-0 lead but showed grit and determination to get back into the contest before the break. 

However, Wales' mistakes proved costly as Daugunu sealed the win with 12 minutes remaining, leaving the Dragons without victory in Melbourne since 1969. 

Head coach Gatland believes his young side will be able to turn their losing streak around if they cut out those key mistakes. 

"We worked so hard for our points today and we're showing a little bit of inexperience in terms of how we've gifted them points," Gatland told Sky Sports.

"It's frustrating but I can't question how hard the boys work. We need to be honest with ourselves in terms of how we allowed them some soft tries.

"When you look at the tries they've [Australia] scored, it's a bounce of a ball or something's happened, so that's disappointing. First half, I felt the guys kept trying, we scored a couple of nice tries and gave ourselves a chance to win the game.

"We've got a group of young men who have been excellent, and they've just got to learn from those experiences and be more accurate in big moments.

"I'm telling you, this is going to be a really good team. They're working incredibly hard and there's a good buzz within this group. We just probably need to be a little bit more streetwise.

"I think they'll learn a lot from this tour and they've got the autumn to look forward to and then the Six Nations."

Wales will now prepare for their upcoming Test fixture with Fiji in November, with the pressure mounting on Gatland following a poor run of results. 

Filipo Daugunu's two tries ensured Australia edged a thrilling encounter with Wales 36-28 to extend Warren Gatland's side's losing streak to nine matches. 

Daugunu secured the triumph 12 minutes from time in Melbourne as Wales were punished for making several costly errors. 

A bright Wales start was punctuated when Daugunu opened the scoring, capping off a slick Australia move that started on their own line.

The Wallabies raced into a 17-point lead through Jake Gordon's score, but Wales got themselves back into contention via a driving maul as Dewi Lake bundled over.

Noah Lolesio converted a penalty shortly after for the hosts, but Wales would take advantage of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto's sin bin when Lake doubled his tally.

Liam Williams reduced the deficit to two points shortly after the break, only for Australia to regain control through Allan Alaalatoa's first try in 69 Tests. 

Daugunu's second of the game late on put Australia further ahead, but Rio Dyer found a way over following the restart to set up a nervy finish at AAMI Park. 

However, it proved to be too big of a mountain to climb, with Wales now preparing for their next Test against Fiji in Cardiff in November, and the pressure is on Gatland.

Data Debrief: Wales' woeful run rolls on

Wales' defeat in Melbourne was their ninth in a row, with their last victory a group-stage win over Georgia at the 2023 World Cup. It is the Dragons' worst run since 2003 under Steve Hansen.

The Dragons also have a dismal record Down Under. They have not beaten the Wallabies in Australia since 1969. 

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