What a treat for Cardiff faithful as the Welsh cut loose like never before
WALES Reserves gave the faithful a rare treat yesterday, running riot in a manner not witnessed since the demolition of the old Arms Park 20 years ago.
Their opponents may have fallen off as many tackles in one afternoon as some teams fall off in an entire season but there is no disputing the Welsh achievement: 50 unanswered points in the second half, all amassed in not much more than half hour.
For those among another 60,000-plus crowd who had been afflicted by the tedium of the Australia match the previous week, it came as the perfect antidote.
Tonga coach Toutai Kefu, back at the happy hunting ground where he helped Australia win the World Cup in 1999, must have wondered what he had done to deserve it.
As second-half landslides go, it supersedes everything since the turn of the century with the solitary exception of the World Cup romp against Namibia in New Plymouth seven years ago when Wales scored nine tries after half-time against hopelessly outclassed opposition. Here they made do with a mere seven.
The style and panache behind many of the scores made them all the more impressive.
Even at this early stage, they included a contender for try of the season, a masterpiece of pace and precision started and finished by substitute scrum half Aled Davies.
Instead of coming out of an All Black textbook on how to create electrifying tries, it came from a Welsh one, a move stitched together by Davies, Liam Williams, Steff Evans, Ellis Jenkins and Williams again before Davies finished it off.
In running the Tongans off their feet, Wales displayed a ruthless touch, a quality which will have pleased their management most of all. They produced it in immediate response to seeing a 21-point lead dissolve four minutes into the second half.
Given their team's long history of hard labour against the Pacific Island nations, the crowd would have looked disbelievingly at a scoreboard showing 24-24 and wondered whether history was about to repeat itself.
Before they had time to fear the worst, Wales turned the fleeting threat into dazzling confirmation that their depth of talent runs deeper than at any time in the professional era.
In tune with their alldancing routine, Jake Ball started it all off with a careering run straight down the middle.
It gave Dan Biggar the time to put the most perfect of cross-kicks into Steff Evans' arms for the try with which Wales regained command.
Six more followed in 20 minutes, generating a flood of biblical intensity which put their opponents in some danger of sailing off down the Taff aboard a 21st century ark.
By then Biggar had reminded everyone that he is still around and Rhys Patchell did likewise, decorating a profitable last quarter with an outstanding solo try – dummy, side-step, sprint.
By then Tonga had long thrown in the towel, rather like the 1,500-metre pacemaker who trots off halfway through the race. Their initial resistance began crumbling before the majority of their players had time to lay as much as a finger on the ball.
The manner in which they conceded the opening try provided almost instantaneous evidence of a mis-match which made it just as well that Wales had rested their 1st XV in readiness for the Springboks next week.
Forced to beat a steady retreat over some 20 metres before a collective in-goal collapse, the dishevelled visitors picking themselves up to walk into a double whammy from Nic Berry, an Australian not to be confused with the pop singer who had hit called Every Loser Wins.
The referee's verdict cost Tonga more than a penalty try.
His binning of Grenoble lock Leva Fifita for pulling the maul down, an offence which appeared to have been committed by someone else, gave Wales the scope to inflict much more damage.
Fifita could only sit back on the naughty chair and watch as Wales followed the first seven pointer with two more.
Elliot Dee's pounce on a flapped Tongan lineout and a popped pass from his fellow Dragon Aaron Wainwright allowed Biggar a rare Test try.
Five minutes later the Tongans fell to a dazzling finish by a player who began his working life as a scaffolder.
Liam Williams' pyrotechnics enabled him to execute a two-handed finish in the right corner while suspending most of his body over the touchline.
It may sound harsh on Fifita but the Tongans will claim that his yellow cost them 21 points.
Once he had served his time, the South Sea Islanders responded by going Route One in a frenzied attempt to dig themselves out of a large hole.
The TMO, Olly Hodges from Ireland, denied them a try on the grounds of a knock-on and then cleared Biggar of any interference which left the captain, Siale Piutau, raising his arms in despair.
As if his team hadn't given their opponents a big enough lead, they responded to the near-miss by shoving Wales still further clear as a result of some rank indiscipline.
Dan Faleafa's illegal tackle on Wainwright left the Coventry flanker counting his blessings at avoiding a yellow card and Biggar his personal points tally after completing the formality of goaling a penalty from in front of the posts.
Halfway through the first half and the scoreboard told its own story: Wales 24, Tonga 3.
Just when it might have appeared to be all over bar the shouting, the visitors proceeded to stop them in their tracks.
Three tries within 13 minutes either side of half time turned the match inside out.
From being down and out, Tonga smashed Wales to the tune of 21 unanswered points.
Fifita led the charge, his second row partner Sitiveni Mafi muscled past Seb Davies for another close-range grab and Wales were still getting over the shock when the rampaging Sione Vailanu picked off a careless pass from Tomos Williams to charge more than 40 metres unopposed to the line.
For England's opponents at the World Cup next year, however, that was as good as it got.
Wales proceeded to make them pay a fearful price with a second half even more bountiful than when they thrashed Japan 98-0 in 2004.
