The result, Wales’s biggest ever against the US, makes it seven games unbeaten for the RBS Six Nations title holders who now face Canada in Toronto next week. Just five players remained from the Wales side that clinched their first Grand Slam in 27 years against Ireland at the Millennium Stadium back in March with Mike Ruddock’s selection hit by Lions call ups and injuries.
Grand Slammers Kevin Morgan, Adam Jones, Brent Cockbain and Ryan Jones were all in Ruddock’s XV while Mark Taylor skippered the team on his 50th appearance for his country. Scarlets hooker Matthew Rees made his debut at the Rentscher Field Stadium, an American Football venue, while Blues winger Craig Morgan made his first start since France back in 2003. There was also a role for Nick Robinson to make up for a miserable season for the Blues fly-half, making his international return after missing the entire RBS Six Nations with a mystery virus.
The Eagles, coached by former Pontypridd forward Tom Billups, were skippered by Robinson’s Blues teammate No.8 Kort Schubert, with the kicking duties handed to record points holder and former Sale Shark Mike Hercus, who will join the Scarlets next season. Wales, unbeaten since going down to New Zealand some five months ago, wasted little time in displaying their dominance when Ceri Sweeney dived over after just two minutes and 45 seconds. Having been denied a score within a minute by a last-ditch Eagles tackle in the corner, Sweeney made no mistake moments later when a break by No.8 Ryan Jones left the Dragons centre with an easy walk-in for the try which he easily converted.
Craig Morgan was the next to benefit from Wales’s early pressure as USA failed to cope with the speed of the Welsh movement, finishing off a sustained period of possession in the left-hand corner to seal a 12th minute score which Sweeney improved.
Hercus got the hosts on the scoresheet with a 15th minute penalty but fly-half Nicky Robinson increased the visitors’ lead when he made the most of a Mike Phillips break one minute later before Phillips himself set up Kevin Morgan for a fourth converted try within nineteen minutes. The Eagles tried their best to force their way back in the game but a mixture of mistakes and tough Welsh tackling kept them at bay and after 34 minutes Wales had mustered up a fifth converted try thanks to a Jon Thomas push-over. The first-half rout of 42-3 was completed on the stroke of the whistle when Rhys Williams sped home into the corner after good work from Sweeney.
Ruddock made the most of the healthy lead by handing Ben Broster his debut, the Saracens prop replacing Adam Jones and immediately had a hand in setting up Colin Charvis for a 49th minute try, his 18th in 76 tests. Mike Phillips made an eighty metre run-in look all-too-easy as he sped home on 54 minutes before Charvis extended his record further with a simple try three minutes later for Wales’s ninth score to be converted by Sweeney.
The match was wrapped up in convincing fashion as Scarlets’ Tal Selley finished off a breakaway try on 78 minutes to make it a debut try for the replacement before fellow replacement Richie Pugh took his first test try in injury time and allow Sweeney to make it eleven out of eleven from the conversion and make it a personal tally of 27.
