Evans stops the rot

Wales, with a comfortable 49-3 victory over New South Wales Country in Moree, got the win their troubled Australian tour was crying out for - and Ieuan Evans found the perfect way to celebrate his MBE.

Not even the deluge that turned the Weebollabolla Oval pitch in this dusty little Outback town into a paddy field could bog down either Wales or Evans. The Llanelli flier got the first of the seven tries that stopped the rot of four straight defeats and then typically put the team before the individual.

"It was a great way to celebrate my MBE," said Wales's record international try scorer. "But it was the manner of our performance, as much as the win itself, that will do us a power of good. We stuck together well in tiring and draining conditions, kept our shape and scored some good tries from phase rugby."

Wales were always in control, dominating up front and defending strongly on the occasions the Country side threatened. Once Evans had shown the others how to do it, the tries came from long and close range.

The full-back Crispin Cormack, drafted in at the 11th hour when a stiff neck ruled out Wayne Proctor, got two of the former variety in as many minutes to help establish a 22-point half-time lead and then the forwards got their rewards with two of the latter early in the second period. The flanker Steve Williams emerged from under a pile of mud-caked bodies to claim the first, prop John Davies doing likewise for the second. Stand- off Neil Jenkins contributed 14 points with his boot.