“Ben Donaldson scores 25 points in Australia’s hard-fought win over Georgia, securing a bonus-point victory”

Australia kicked off their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign with a 35-15 win over Georgia at the Stade de France, thanks to a brilliant individual performance by Ben Donaldson, who contributed 25 points to the Wallabies’ bonus-point victory. While the scoreline looks convincing, it was a challenging match for Australia, with Georgia putting up a solid fight, especially in the second half.

Australia’s early dominance was clear, as they scored within the first 2 minutes with Jordan Petaia crossing over for the first try. Ben Donaldson added a penalty shortly after, making the score 8-0. Georgia responded well, with a solid defensive effort, but struggled to break down the Wallabies’ defense. The scoreline was pushed further when Mark Nawaqanitawase added another try in the 9th minute, extending the lead to 12-3.

As the first half continued, Australia’s control grew, and Donaldson, in particular, was at the heart of it all. A try by Donaldson in the 56th minute extended the lead to 28-8, as he also slotted multiple penalties to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

However, the second half saw Georgia respond strongly. They found a try in the 46th minute through Tedo Ivanishvili, making it 21-8, but it wasn’t enough to trouble Australia significantly. With Donaldson continuing to orchestrate play, Australia added a further try in the 68th minute, with Donaldson touching down again to make it 35-8.

In the dying moments of the match, Georgia’s Jaba Gigashvili crossed for a consolation try in the 79th minute, bringing the final score to 35-15.

Although it was a comfortable victory for Australia, they faced pressure at times from the resilient Georgians, particularly in the latter stages of the match when they started to slow down. Donaldson’s performance, though, was key, and he was named Man of the Match for his all-around display.

Overall, Australia will take heart from the victory, but will need to improve their consistency in the second half as the tournament progresses.