NEATH outside half Lee Jarvis scored 26 points as Wales ran in ten tries in this 66-22 demolition of mediocre opposition at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday.
Uruguay were using their first tour of Wales to try to unearth players for the next World Cup and started the match with only six who played in the last.
Wales too are looking to develop players for 2003's big event with senior coach Graham Henry claiming he has pencilled in 50 possibilities.
But whether either side unearthed anyone new on Saturday is doubtful, for Uruguay, though beaten only narrowly earlier this year by Argentina, Canada and the USA in the Pan American Tournament, had little to offer, while Wales' best players were largely those already capped at senior level.
The pace and elusiveness of wing Shane Williams and full back Gavin Henson is already known while the pick of the pack was Bridgend's hard-working capped flanker Nathan Budgett.
Despite his 26 points from two tries and eight conversions which took him past 100 for the A side, Jarvis is not an international outside half, lacking sufficient pace or guile. Newport's Matthew Watkins was the pick of the threequarters, scoring a cracking try from 45m, having a hand in at least three others and generally looking sharp.
And Ebbw Vale second row Neil Edwards had a highly satisfactory debut, dominating the lineouts and paving the way for three early tries as Wales converted his possession into driving mauls which took them over the line.
But despite the scoreline it was a disjointed Wales performance as they outscored their rivals 40-9 in the first half but only 26-13 in the second.
Much of this was down to the high penalty county against them (22-8) as they were constantly penalised for holding on in the tackle and for technical scrum offences. They also had Neath No 8 Nathan Bonner-Evans sin-binned midway through the second half.
Both sides used all their substitutions and this, plus injury stoppages, also slowed the game down in the second half which was not in Wales' favour.
Wales will be happy at least that injuries to senior squad players and international retirements gave them the chance to try out more players than usual. But they will hope for greater continuity in the Six Nations.
*PICTURED: Wales' Shane Williams goes on the attack.
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