JOB DONE . . . just! Five vital points to Wales, but many of the plaudits to the Portuguese. A week earlier we were all praying for the end of the game to come against Fiji, but six days on in Nice it was all about fitting in enough time to get the bonus-point try.
Hats off to Patrice Lagisquet's team for taking Wales right to the last play of the game before they managed to secure the five points they so desperately needed. They were full of pride, passion and very sound technique. They refused to be bullied up front, conjured up a try of their own and tackled their hearts out.
Lagisquet said before taking his team to France, he wanted them to stay true to their running instincts and to make a statement about how far they had come since they were last at the World Cup in 2007. Well, they did that and more!
Just like Uruguay had done against France two nights earlier, a so-called Tier 2 nation showed they have a lot of offer. With the south seas islands teams improving due to greater investment from World Rugby, along with the change in the eligibility laws, maybe it is time for Rugby Europe to be given a helping hand to develop teams like Portugal and Spain.
I'd love to see the WRU take a Wales A team to Portugal to play a series of games against them and maybe invite them to come to play the four regions. It's about time the northern hemisphere giants did more, much more, to develop the game outside their own ringfenced Six Nations.
I'm sure Warren Gatland and his coaching team won't be happy at a lot that went on during the game, but the end product is what matters most. The Taulupe Faletau try off the scrum in the final play will have heaped more pressure on both Australia and Fiji when they meet today.
Wouldn't it be great if that game ended in a draw without either team getting a bonus point. Whatever the outcome in that game, Wales next assignment against Australia is going to be vital. Having overcome Fiji, they will know that if they can match their pool win of 2019 over the Wallabies they will be on course for quarter-final spot.
Eddie Jones' side is certainly beatable, but if they go down to the Fijians, which is definitely a possibility, they will be right up against it. The Aussies are real fighters when they are backed into a corner and that will mean the game against them in Lyon on Saturday will need to be carefully managed.
For me, it is a game made for Dan Biggar. He knows exactly what is needed to guide Wales around the pitch and I'm not sure Gareth Anscombe showed enough against Portugal to suggest he is back to his best after recovering from yet another injury.
It was a master stroke by Gatland to give Faletau more game time, keeping him on the pitch to the final moments. It was just as well he did. With the Portuguese down to 14 men with Vincent Pinto in the bin, awaiting a bunker decision that eventually upgraded his yellow card for a high boot to the face of Josh Adams into red, Wales had to score.
Who better to read the situation than Gareth Davies and Taulupe. The scrum in front of the posts was rock solid, Gareth acted as an usher for Taulupe as there was a slight wheel, and nobody was going to stop him from five metres out. That made it 28-8 in the end and sent Wales to the top of the pool with a maximum 10 points.
Will the Aussies do the same against Fiji? It is a real moment of truth for Simon Raiwalui's side. They are coming into the game having beaten Tonga, Samoa and Japan, pushed France to the limit, overhauled England at Twickenham, and then just failing by a whisker to pip Wales in Bordeaux. The big question in my mind is will they be mentally tough enough to put the heartache of losing last weekend behind them?
Physically they are more than up to the task. Tactically, they were almost on point in Bordeaux, although I'm sure that in their review they will have been unhappy not to have won given all the territory and possession they had. Wales may have won the game, but it was there for the Fijians and you can make a strong case to say they lost it.
Taking a look at the different kind of struggle Wales faced against Portugal, it was good to see Gatland giving youth its chance. There were so many players on the pitch who could have another two World Cups in them at least then you'd have to say it was a gamble worth taking.
We've already heard a lot about co-captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan, of Tommy Reffell and Taine Basham, Louis Rees-Zammit and Rio Dyer, and now you can add twin-towers Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza. We are seeing the spine of a new team emerge in front of our very eyes while Gatland also plans to take Wales deep into the current tournament.
He will undoubtedly go back to his strongest side to face the Wallabies and then pick the same side again to tackle the Georgians. There is still a long way to go, and many different scenarios could crop up, but I'd expect Wales to make into the next phase.
It's been a pretty nervy and emotional ride so far!
