Both players were quick to put the disappointment of the Lions’ 2-1 Test series defeat behind them as they returned to their home ground and ran their opponents ragged with the hosts putting eleven tries past their visitors in total to produce a record victory in only six Test meetings. Chris Wyatt, Allan Bateman, Craig Quinnell also waded in with tries and hooker Barry Williams produced a brace in front of the 20,000 crowd. Stephen Jones, who ended up moving to outside-half after Gavin Henson got injured, added two penalties and only let one conversion slip from his grasp.
Rob Howley led Wales out on the occasion of his fiftieth cap under the Stadium’s closed roof and with a perfect playing surface and windless atmosphere, Wales’s running rugby began to make in-roads into the Romanian defence very quickly. Held back within their own 22m area Gareth Thomas very nearly had a brace himself in the opening six minutes only to be stifled at the last on each occasion. With pressure building, however, it only took a little longer for Wales to make the telling breakthrough; it was only a penalty, but enough for Wales to get moving, and also kicked with perfection from Stephen Jones from inside Wales’s own half of the field.
Romania momentarily grew into the match and quickly cancelled out Jones’s effort through a penalty of their own from Ionut Tofan which was quickly doubled moments later with a 40 metre kick.
Rhys Williams was introduced to the field shortly afterwards as Gavin Henson went off injured. Stephen Jones switched from centre to outside half, with Gareth Thomas moving to centre and Williams moving out to the wing. The injury galvanised Wales and with some clever approach work from the forwards Charvis fed Gareth Thomas who set Dafydd James up for his and Wales’s first try of the match.
Tofan hit back again to reduce Wales’s advantage between the sticks, but that was the end of Romania’s scoring for the day. The home forwards grew in stature culminating in Chris Wyatt touching down on the half hour.
Romania’s defence began to crumble and their error rate rocketed; within minutes Charvis had pounced on the opportunity to bag a try, Wales third, the home side now comfortably in control.
After the break Wales went up through the gears and a nineteen point haul in twenty minutes had all but sealed the spoils. Charvis and James completed braces and Allan Bateman bagged himself a try as Romania unravelled and with twenty minutes remaining Charvis put Wales past fifty points with his hat-trick. Barry Williams continued the great night for Wales’s forwards with the eighth try for the home side. Fellow replacement Craig Quinnell continued that trend before Williams scored another.
Dafydd James completed his hat-trick in the dying embers of the match as Wales hit eleven tries. The match proved a much-needed warm-up for the delayed Wales Lloyds TSB Six Nations encounter against Ireland in October, and for Henry a much-needed return to winning ways after the ecstacy and then agony of the Lions Tour to Australia.
