Wales made hard work of opponents Uruguay in their 54-9 victory on Sunday, but the game was marred by several injuries to key personnel.
Despite these injuries and the many errors, Wales did secure a bonus point and sit top of Pool A on points difference.
Meanwhile, the South Americans can be proud of their spirited performance.
So without further ado, here are five things we learned from the game.
1. The standard of world rugby is improving
A quick glance at the opening fixtures of the World Cup would give the impression of some dead cert winners and heavy scorelines. But all those predictions have gone out the window as the minnows have upset the apple cart from the off.
While many would have expected Fiji to cause England problems in the opening match, few would have predicted Georgia would beat Tonga 17-10 the following day.
And less still would have foreseen Japan claim the incredible scalp of two-time champions South Africa – only their second win in 24 World Cup matches.
While Uruguay were never within touching distance of an upset, they did play with a freedom and confidence that defied their world ranking. From the off, they put Wales under pressure and were rewarded with three early penalties – two of which they kicked.
At the half-hour mark, they were just five points behind and they kept playing with the same dogged determination right to the final whistle.
2. Wales must have upset the rugby gods
To lose one player to a serious injury in a warm-up match is unfortunate. Losing two is truly unlucky. For the replacement to pull out of the tournament injured is just plain ridiculous.
So what happened on Sunday makes you question whether Warren Gatland and his squad is receiving some sort of karmic backlash. Liam Williams, making his comeback from foot surgery, limped off with a dead leg. Cory Allen also departed with a hamstring injury which should end his World Cup – a drastic turnaround from his first-half hat-trick which earned him the man of the match award.
And as if Wales’ front row issues were not bad enough, both props Samson Lee and Paul James departed with tight calves while Aaron Jarvis, who had been training to cover hooker as well as his natural tight-head, popping a rib cartilage.
Many have questioned whether Wales’ intense training regime has left players vulnerable to these injuries. That could be possible, but the sheer reality is that Wales have been desperately unlucky.
3. Lesser opponents still seem to flummox Wales
It always seems to be a problem with Wales that playing teams ranked lower than them results in poor, albeit usually winning, performances. Whenever Wales are expected to win heavily, their gameplan goes out the window and they look to spread the ball before doing the hard yards and getting over the gain line.
Another key thing is the amount of basic errors that creep into their game when faced with an ‘easy’ opponent. Wales failed to build pressure as they continually threw away chances, gifting Uruguay precious respite.
This inability to do the basics well and dominate the weaker nations is a minor problem that has plagued Wales in the Gatland era. While many Tier One nations would sweep aside the Pacific Nations, their encounters with Wales have always been tight affairs.
Anywhere else, this would be no concern. A win is a win after all. But in the ‘Group of Death’ where points difference could be key, Wales will need to show more of a ruthless edge.
4. The underdog may just have the edge in the ‘Battle of the Wings’
Much has been made of who should start on the wing for Wales against England. Injuries to Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams have somewhat convoluted the debate but on Saturday at least it was a straight shoot-out between established international Alex Cuthbert and young upstart Hallam Amos.
And it was the youngster who took his chance. While an out-of-form Cuthbert cut a desperate figure, Amos looked energetic as he beat tackles and was well-worth his try.
He was also involved in Cory Allen’s hat-trick try, putting the Cardiff Blues centre over with a simple inside pass.
Whether Gatland takes the plunge of starting Amos against England remains to be seen. The Kiwi had talked before the tournament of playing Cuthbert back into form and so often appears to pick players on reputation.
But he has sprung the odd surprise over the years and Amos wearing the number 11 shirt next Saturday could well be another.
5. Justin Tipuric has to start against England
Before the tournament, many pundits had been urging Wales to find a spot for the in-form Justin Tipuric in Wales’ back row.
And when given his chance against Uruguay, he did not disappoint. His silky handling was what made Cory Allen’s third try – the Ospreys flanker latching onto a Rhys Priestland miss pass before releasing an offload to Amos in seemingly the same movement.
He even claimed a try of his own as he burst over from close range off the back of a driving maul.
With England short of back-row specialists, this is one area which Wales can exploit and one man who could certainly cause the hosts problems is Tipuric.
In his way is the established triumvirate of Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, and Taulupe Faletau, but the last time Wales beat England, it was Tipuric who donned the No. 7 shirt with Warburton taking his place at blindside.
A repeat performance here would not go amiss.
