NEWPORT Gwent Dragons star and Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau, is expecting a tough autumn ahead of the Australia clash in Cardiff next week.

"It is going to be a tough autumn campaign," he said.

"We are playing the best three sides in the world as well as Fiji, who are not run-overs. We will take each game as it comes.

"I guess to be so close and not quite get there, it has happened a few times for this squad.

"We will learn from these experiences and hopefully when it comes around again, we will be able to win these games."

Wales confirmed yesterday that they expect a clean bill of health with a trio of midfielders, Scott Williams, Cory Allen and Jonathan Davies winning their battles to return for the Wallabies clash.

Rob Howley fully expects Wales to face Australia's tried and tested quality when the 2015 Rugby World Cup pool rivals clash in Cardiff next week.

It has been far from plain sailing for the Wallabies during their European tour preparations, a five-game schedule that starts against the Barbarians at Twickenham on Saturday.

Kurtley Beale was dropped for the last two Rugby Championship Tests against Argentina and New Zealand after becoming embroiled in a high-profile row with Wallabies business manager Di Patston, who has since resigned.

The 25-year-old was fined £24,640 last week after being found guilty of a serious breach of the Australian Rugby Union's code of conduct.

Coach Ewen McKenzie, meanwhile, announced his resignation immediately following Australia's dramatic 29-28 loss to New Zealand 10 days ago, and he was subsequently replaced by former Leinster and Stade Francais supremo Michael Cheika, who will also continue to head up a successful New South Wales Waratahs outfit until next year.

Wales have lost nine successive games against the Wallabies since beating them 21-18 in November 2008 - five of those defeats were by four points or less - and Howley has dismissed any notion of life becoming any easier.

"In Michael Cheika they have a coach who has won in the northern and southern hemisphere," Wales assistant coach Howley said.

"He understands a lot of the players they have got and I have no doubt they will be in a good place.

"Sometimes, off the field doesn't reflect what goes on the field and they will come over knowing we are in the same World Cup group in less than a year's time. They will want to put a marker down.

"Australian players have got a knack of being clinical. They have great skill-sets and they will be no different this autumn.

"They play fantastic rugby and they probably should have beaten New Zealand in that last Test. They came up short in the last 90 seconds."

Wales are themselves no strangers to suffering agonising late defeats against major opposition, which was most recently illustrated by a 31-30 loss against South Africa in Nelspruit when a late penalty try did for them.

Since Warren Gatland took over as Wales head coach for the 2008 RBS 6 Nations campaign, games against South Africa, Australia and New Zealand number 25. The record shows one win and 24 defeats.

Wales have consistently failed to get across the finishing line - that losing sequence reveals results like 17-16, 20-19, 14-12, 25-23 and 34-31 - but Howley believes the latest Springboks Test should lift Gatland's players.

"To be 17-0 up against South Africa and 13 points up with eight minutes to go, the players can take great confidence from that," he added.

"That game was one we didn't deserve to lose because we played that well.

"They are the ones that hurt you more, particularly when it's the opportunity of beating South Africa (in South Africa) for the first time.

"The players can take great confidence from that because we had one of the top three teams in the world on the rack. Unfortunately, because of our composure, we didn't quite get across that line."