Wales leveled their series with Argentina by recording a 35-20 win over the Pumas in Buenos Aires, with winger Shane Williams collecting a hat-trick of tries in the first half.
Wales promised ahead of the game that they would bring more fire than in their somewhat insipid display in Tucumán last weekend and it was immediately evident that it would be different in Buenos Aires.
The visitors showed that they were keen to spread the ball wide and attacked the Pumas' defensive lines with gusto.
The hosts -- desperate to close their opponents down quickly -- were penalised repeatedly at the tackle, and it seemed Wales coach Mike Ruddock's plea to referee Donal Courtney to police this area did not go unnoticed.
Wales fullback Gavin Henson pushed a drop-goal attempt wide in the second minute, and his penalty attempt shortly after was also off the mark.
But six minutes later the Welshman found his radar with a sweetly struck kick. And the floodgates suddenly burst open for his team.
The Wales backline -- who suffered frequently from their own errors in Tucumán -- were on song. Spreading the ball through the hands and speeding past the Pumas backs, the visitors were breathing fire.
Centre Tom Shanklin showed his ability to find the gap in the 13th minute and the big midfielder set up a superb movement that put little winger Shane Williams over in the corner for his first of the afternoon.
Henson -- with boot seemingly reconfigured -- added the extras.
Williams was in the action two minutes later and the speedy Ospreys star provided a moment of genius and delight when he stepped inside Pumas fly-half Felipe Contepomi.
Left with only Hernan Senillosa to beat -- Williams stepped twice on his left, then jinked on his right and left the dizzy Pumas fullback in his wake. Henson continued to find the middle of the posts.
Argentina didn't see much of the ball in the early exchanges, and it took over 20 minutes before the Pumas launched an attack on the Welsh line. But the hosts' troubles soon got worse when lock Ignacio Lobbe was sent to the sin-bin for slowing down the ball.
Henson widened the gap with another penalty.
Williams then capped off a profitable outing with his third try of the afternoon, two minutes from the break -- and although Henson pushed his kick wide -- the Pumas were more undoubtedly more concerned with the amount of injuries they had sustained.
The game as a contest should have been over by the break, but -- as Wales did in Tucumán -- Argentina fought back and threatened to douse Wales' fire.
Skipper Colin Charvis was sent to the cooler to think for 10 minutes and the game was turned on its head with Pumas fullback Hernan Senillosa slotting a penalty, followed by Federico Aramburu dotting down for a try.
Senillosa converted and the Pumas were back in the game. The hosts began to fall back on their traditional strength -- in the forwards -- and they used it to great effect, driving the stuttering Wales pack backwards.
Big tighthead prop Omar Hassan dotted down to score the Pumas' second after their monstrous forwards drove through and over the line. But Senillosa failed with the kick and Wales were triggered back into action.
Henson slotted another penalty to add a cushion to his side's lead and then Williams gave fly-half Nicky Robinson some space out wide to speed through for a well-worked try.
The game was effectively over, but not before Courtney conspired with the Television Match Official, Roy Maybank, to record the longest half in rugby history.
The Irishman kept the game running well over time -- and called on Maybank twice to look at possible Pumas' tries.
Shane Williams was issued a yellow card on the stroke of regulation time and the game was mercilessly brought to an end over 50 minutes into the second half as Pumas winger Lucas Borges was awarded the try.
Man of the match: Wales midfielder Tom Shanklin showed just how dangerous he can be -- all afternoon -- and Gavin Henson was a model of calm with the boot. But that little speedster Shane Williams was simply superb.
Moment of the match: Williams' second try was a moment of magic. Nothing else came close.
Villain of the match: Wales coach Mike Ruddock would surely disagree, but Donal Courtney was pedantic to the ninth degree as he kept the game ticking over when it was wholly unnecessary.
The Teams:
Argentina: 1 Omar Hasan Jalil, 2 Federico Mendez, 3 Rodrigo Roncero, 4 Patricio Albacete, 5 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Martin Durand, 7 Lucas Ostiglia, 8 Gonzalo Longo Elia (c), 9 Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Lucas Borges, 12 Manuel Contepomi, 13 Jose Orengo, 14 Jose Nunez Piossek, 15 Hernan Senillosa
Reserves: Matias Albina, Juan Fernandez Miranda, Eusebio Guinazu, Mario Ledesma Arocena, Federico Martin Aramburu, Martin Schusterman
Unused: Pablo Bouza
Wales: 1 Duncan Jones, 2 Huw Bennett, 3 Adam Jones, 4 Brent Cockbain, 5 Gareth Llewellyn, 6 Dafydd Jones, 7 Colin Charvis (c), 8 Michael Owen, 9 Dwayne Peel, 10 Nicky Robinson, 11 Shane Williams, 12 Sonny Parker, 13 Tom Shanklin, 14 Haldane Luscombe, 15 Gavin Henson
Reserves: Mefin Davies, Gethin Jenkins, Mike Phillips, Jonathan Thomas, Darren Morris
Unused: Barry Davies, Ceri Sweeney
Attendance: 40000
Referee: Courtney d.
Points Scorers:
Argentina
Tries: Borges L. 1, Hasan Jalil O.J. 1, Aramburu F.M. 1
Conv: Senillosa H. 1
Pen K.: Senillosa H. 1
Wales
Tries: Williams S.M. 3, Robinson N. 1
Conv: Henson G.L. 3
Pen K.: Henson G.L. 3
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