It was not that long ago that Wales were far closer to Canada in the world rankings than they were to New Zealand and there were long periods when it was difficult to tell which side was rated seventh in the world and which was 15th. It was not Welsh flair that prevailed but forward power.
Canada won in Cardiff in 1993 but they now rely on rugby's top table throwing them scraps and have no idea when they will tour Europe again. Their side last night was made up, the Glasgow prop Kevin Tkachuk apart, of semi-professionals and amateurs. One of three players from England's second tier, the Bedford full-back James Pritchard, gave them the lead in the 11th-minute with a penalty.
Wales have been working on kicking out of hand but catching will take precedence before New Zealand Test. Playing in yellow, they looked green, dropping the first four high kicks, and it took a superb try by the 19-year-old wing Leigh Halfpenny on the last move of the half to give them the interval lead.
It took Wales 26 minutes to put together a move of note. They had lost their outside-half James Hook with a knee injury at the end of the first quarter. His replacement, Dan Biggar, took advantage of a lineout steal by Ian Gough five yards from Canada's line with a long pass and Morgan Stoddart, got over in the corner. After the game the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, said he was optimistic about Hook's fitness for the All Blacks match: "He took a bit of a knock on the knee and he'll have a scan but he's hoping he will be OK."
The stop-start nature of the game suited Canada and they regained the lead on 36 minutes when Pritchard kicked a penalty from halfway. It would have been greater if the lock Josh Jackson had not kicked the ball over the line when he had runners free around him.
Just when it looked as if Wales would go into the break 6-5 down, Halfpenny scored a try out of nothing. Receiving the ball 30 yards out, he sprinted away from two defenders before using Tom Shanklin as a decoy; he slipped just short of the line but forced his way over despite the attention of two tacklers.
Andy Powell, on for Ryan Jones, announced himself with a break through the midfield that should have ended in the third try. Biggar had by then kicked a penalty. Then the fourth of a series of scrums close to the Canada line went down and the referee, Stuart Dickinson, awarded a penalty try. Canada conceded a second penalty try six minutes from time after being penalised at three successive scrums. Ryan Smith did pick off Biggar's pass on halfway for a consolation score but Halfpenny ended the game with its best try, finishing a move that had started in Wales's 22.
Wales: Stoddart (Scarlets); Halfpenny (Blues), Shanklin (Blues; J Roberts, Blues, 45), Bishop (Ospreys), M Jones (Scarlets); Hook (Ospreys; Biggar, Ospreys, 20), Roberts (Scarlets; Peel, Sale, 52); Yapp (Blues), Hibbard (Ospreys), R Thomas (Dragons; E Roberts, Sale, 66), Gough (Ospreys), Charteris (Dragons), D Jones (Scarlets), Sowden-Taylor (Blues), R Jones (Ospreys, capt; Powell, Blues,52 ).
Tries Stoddart, Halfpenny 2, Penalty 2. Cons Biggar 3. Pen Biggar.
Canada Pritchard; Hearn (Evans, 69), Keys (Van Camp, 53), Smith, Mensah-Coker; Monro, Fairhurst (Williams, 59); Tkachuk (Walsh, 75), Riordan (capt), Thiel, Hotson (Burak, 62), Jackson, Sinclair, Kleeberger, Carpenter (Stephen, 54).
Try Smith. Con Pritchard. Pens Pritchard 2.
Referee S Dickinson (Australia). Attendance 59,326.