Wales resisting Italian pressure

First-half tries from Mark Jones and Sonny Parker gave Wales the half-time lead against Italy, leaving them just 40 minutes from securing a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Italy had Wales under enormous pressure, but their defence restricted the Azzurri to three Rima Wakarua penalties.

Winger Jones handed Wales the lead after eight minutes – and just before the interval Parker finished off a break to secure a healthy advantage.

The only down-side of the half for Wales were the injuries suffered by full-back Kevin Morgan and prop Duncan Jones who was carried from the field on a stretcher.

Morgan limped out of the action, to be replaced by Rhys Williams after 22 minutes just before Harris extended Wales’ advantage with a penalty from in front of the posts.

But Jones was then caught at the bottom of a ruck and injured both his knee and ankle and had to be carried from the field on a stretcher.

Italy had been given the penalty, and Wakarua landed it from 35 metres. Offensively the Azzurri were retaining the ball cleanly and quickly, heaping pressure on the Welsh.

They put together 17 consecutive phases – and although the attack was static, their line congested and earned them hardly any territory, Adam Jones finally conceded the penalty for Wakarua to convert.

But defensively, Italy were clinging on – and when Wakarua left the line in a vain search of an interception Sweeney broke forward into open space and set up Wales’ second score.

Harris spun the ball out to Parker, and just minutes before the interval the New Zealand-born centre touched down – leaving Harris a simple conversion.