Dragons trio Aaron Wainwright, Ross Moriarty and Elliot Dee all featured as Wales confirmed a quarter-final showdown against France in the Rugby World Cup after finishing top of Pool D following a 35-13 victory over a gutsy Uruguay in Kumamoto Stadium.
A clean sweep of victories in the pool made it a perfect four wins from four games in the group stage for the first time since the inaugural World Cup in 1987.
Although Uruguay stunned Fiji earlier in the tournament, they entered the match as firm underdogs but they showed plenty of bite. They only trailed by a single point at halftime with a solitary try by prop Nicky Smith giving Wales a 7-6 lead at the interval.
The feisty Los Teros continued to frustrate Wales in the second half with staunch defence but a late rally form Warren Gatland’s men saw replacements Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies cross for tries to put gloss on the final score-line which didn’t do Uruguay’s efforts justice.
Josh Adams continued his rich vein of form by crossing out wide for his fifth try of the campaign and a penalty try in the 65th minute assured Wales of victory but Uruguay gained plenty of plaudits for their huge defensive shift.
Wales are next in action on Sunday morning when they face France (kick-off 8.15pm).
