Coach's rocket sparks record Welsh win

Wales coach Warren Gatland gave his side a half-time rocket after they had been held scoreless for more than half of the first spell during the match against Namibia at Stadium Taranaki on Monday.

Gatland's message obviously hit the mark, as his charges notched several records for Welsh sides at the Rugby World Cup in recording an 81-7 victory, after cruising from a half-time score of 22-0, which sparked the Kiwi coach's anger.

The points scored was a national record, as were the 12 tries in a RWC match. As well, two-try replacement George North became the youngest RWC try scorer, aged 19 years and 166 days, beating Australian Joe Roff's record.

"We started off with 22 points in 15 minutes, but then the players thought the job was done and went to sleep," Gatland said. "They got a bollocking at half-time and in the second half I thought our impact off the bench was good and I was happy with the end result."

RWC debutant Scott Williams scored three tries. His first came in the eighth minute when Leigh Halfpenny made a break after some slick passing from a scrum and off-loaded to the inside centre, who raced within centimetres of the left touchline to score.

His second try came soon after the break as he got on the end of play at a breakdown and Wales had a bonus point. Williams' third came in the 70th minute when he broke through a tiring Namibian defence to dot down.

Scoring with ease

Having been kept scoreless for the last 22 minutes of the first half, Wales came out after the break and began scoring with the ease with which they started the match.

Prop Gethin Jenkins scored with a 25-metre run in the 50th minute at the end of a move that went back and forth across the pitch. With the conversion the score was 36-0.

Then Namibia made their mark in the 52nd minute, when Nico Esterhuyse intercepted a Welsh pass and offloaded to big second row Heinz Koll, who raced into the right corner to score a universally popular try. Theuns Kotze became the top RWC points scorer for Namibia when he converted for 36-7.

But Namibia were reduced to 14 men when replacement Raoul Larson was yellow-carded in the 59th minute for collapsing a scrum.

During his banishment, North, a 55th minute replacement, crept up alongside a Welsh scrum and sprinted over in the 61st minute for Wales' sixth try, converted by Stephen Jones.

A minute later North was again in the action when he made a break and passed to Jonathan Davies to race from the 22-metre mark to score. The Stephen Jones conversion, his last piece of action before being replaced, put the score to 50-7.

Hat-trick of tries

North scored again in the 66th minute, and the conversion from replacement Rhys Priestland made the score 57-7.

Then Williams struck for his hat-trick of tries four minutes later and Priestland's conversion made the score 64-7.

Lloyd Williams then struck wide on the left in the 75th minute and Priestland hit a post with the conversion. Two minutes later Lee Byrne was on the end of a big overlap to score. Priestland again missed the conversion to make the score 74-7.

It became 81-7 when Alun Wyn Jones went over in the final minute and Priestland converted.

Stephen Jones had earlier celebrated his 101st Welsh cap with the first points of the match, a penalty in the third minute.

Playing in a strong breeze coming from the nearby Tasman Sea and on a heavy field where handling was often a lottery, both sides fumbled early opportunities.

After Williams had scored his first try, following more quick passing that made a mockery of the conditions, Bradley Davies broke a tackle in the 14th minute and fed big wing Aled Brew, who burst through a weak Namibian tackle and raced to the line. Jones converted to make it 15-0.

Four minutes later Ryan Jones took a quick tap-penalty, passed to Toby Faletau who had a simple trot to the line, and Stephen Jones converted for 22-0.