But it didn’t stop the Welsh hero having the last word when he left a posse of Australian defenders clutching thin air as he waltzed over to leave the fans jumping for joy.
Wales’s favourite rugby son looked to be on course for a memorable send-off in his 87th and final appearance for his country mid way through the second half but a yellow card to full back Leigh Halfpenny proved a turning point.
By the time Halfpenny had returned to action, Wales had surrendered the lead and conceded three converted tries to hand the James Bevan Trophy over to the southern hemisphere giants.
Williams earlier had the honour of leading out Wales down the tunnel in his international swansong. A minute’s silence for the tragic death of Gary Speed turned into an emotional 60 seconds of polite applause as the fans paid their respects to the former Wales football manager.
As the teams lined up for their respective anthems, Williams visibly struggled to contain his emotions as the tension reached fever pitch.
Rhys Priestland, back in the side after missing the Bronze Final against the same opponents in the Rugby World Cup, gave Wales the perfect start with a penalty from the 10m line.
Wales, with hooker Huw Bennett prominent, charged into the heart of the Wallaby defence with relish. Gaps began to appear and scrum half Lloyd Williams snuck over out wide, only to be denied by an earlier knock-on.
Digby Ioane looked threatening whenever he got the ball in hand but it was home town hero Shane Williams who got the fans to their feet in the 26th minute. Wales worked the ball along the backline to put the whippet clear. He made ground before the move came to a standstill when he kicked directly into touch.
James O’Connor missed a shot at goal to level matters before Wales were given a real scare in the 31st minute. Berrick Barnes’ cross field kick was plucked out of the air expertly by Lachie Turner who powered through Shane Williams tackle to dot down by the corner flag. It took numerous replays from the TMO before the Aussie winger was denied.
Priestland doubled Wales’s lead in the 34th minute with his second penalty as Australia struggled to a foothold in to the game.
With time up, O’Connor pegged back three points with a penalty after Wales were pinged for hands in the ruck to give Wales a hard earned 6-3 lead at the break.
The Wallabies moved through the gears in the opening exchanges of the second half with Ioane again prominent but their efforts were all in vain as the Welsh defence held firm.
Halfpenny was given a yellow card by referee Jonathan Kaplan when he took O’Connor out after the Wallaby fly half chased a Barnes chip close to the line. With a man down, Wales were made to pay dearly almost immediately.
Australia spurned the shot at goal and went for glory. The Wallabies worked themselves into a good position before scrum half Will Genia darted over from close range to put his side in front for the first time in the match. O’Connor’s conversion put Australia 6-10 ahead.
Australia then surged straight back downfield to set O’Connor up with an easy penalty but he struck an upright which caught everyone by surprise. The Wallabies patiently went through the phases before the ball was spun out wide to Turner who this time made no mistake to score in the corner.
O’Connor made amends for his earlier miss with an excellent conversion from the touchline to put Australia in the driving seat at 6-17 with 20mins to play.
The Wallabies weren’t finished yet, with Radiki Samo sliding Barnes through with an exquisite pass, as Halfpenny gingerly re-entered the arena. With O’Connor adding the extras, Australia were cruising at 6-24.
Wales refused to let their heads drop and attacked with vigour. Priestland ignored the presence of Adam Ashley Cooper to dive over to bring the score to 11-24.
Wales had the final word when Williams, for the last time in a Welsh shirt, bedazzled the Australian defence when plucking the ball from thin air and glided over. Replacement fly half Dan Biggar added the conversion.
The result may not have gone Wales’s way, but at least one of the most loyal and deserving players to have represented his country had his own personal fairytale finale.
