Canada scored four unanswered tries in the second half to defeat Uruguay by its biggest margin in five games, 51-16 in Edmonton to take a step closer to securing first place in the Americas Zone World Cup qualifiers.

Although Canada went on a scoring spree late in the game, its win took much hard work as Los Teros disrupted Canada's flow for much of the game. It was an awkward win, but provides Canada with a thirty-five point cushion when it goes to Montevideo in ten day's time to play the away match with Uruguay.

"Everything came together in the end," said Canadian coach David Clark. "Our line-out was under pressure all day, but we had the measure of them in the sets and in the maul. Late in the game things began to open up and we played much better out wide which was very pleasing. Our backs are playing extremely well and our centres Nik Witkowski and John Cannon were able to find gaps that set up tries."

Many in the noisy Alberta crowd had come to see home-town boy Cardiff professional Dan Baugh make his return to an Edmonton rugby pitch after an absence of seven years and he didn't let them down. All day the abrasive flanker ran with bluster and brashness and tacked with boldness, felling Uruguayans with such authority that they often needed referee stoppages in order to recover.

The other Edmontonian Colin Yukes provided yeoman service in the line-out and in the sets, and led some formidable rushes in the open field. Canada Manager Don Whidden serving his fiftieth time as manager couldn't have been happier with the win. "Even at 19-3 at the half, I had every confidence that the team would win a convincing victory in the second half."

Early in the game Uruguay proved a difficult nut to crack as it took an early lead on a penalty by centre Joaquin De Freitas at 13 minutes as Canada looked tentative and nervous. Outside-half Jared Barker, who enjoyed another 100% day in the kicking department with five penalties and two conversions for 19-points, kept Canada in the hunt before his clubmate fullback Winston Stanley went over in the corner at
29-minutes to score his twenty-first try for his country in his 51st game.

Barker added another to leave the score 19-3 at half-time. Early in the second-half, as in the first, Uruguay launched a fine attack and scored through #8 Hernan Ponte as he gained a head of steam, broke tackles and went over the line for De Freitas to convert and bring the Uruguayans as close as they would come in the match at 19-10.

Two minutes later Canada's floodgates opened as replacement Marco Di Girolamo, replacing injured wing Sean Fauth, pinned his ears back and roared round the outside to touch down for his third try in two games. Uruguay kept in the hunt with another De Freitas penalty and a dropped goal by replacement Juan Ramon Menchaca interspersed with a Barker penalty for Canada.

After that successful penalty Bob Ross replaced Barker for his forty-sixth cap and Ross began with a penalty before scrum-half Morgan Williams found the in-goal with a fine try reminiscent of his World Cup '99 tries against France - straight up the middle and under the posts - after John Cannon, Phil Murphy, Adam van Staveren and Colin Yukes opened the door for him.

Next hooker Pat Dunkley scored his third in a Canadian jersey after Nik Witkowski made a huge break, fed Winston Stanley who gave to captain Al Charron before he unloaded to Di Girolamo, who gave to Dunkley who side-stepped an attempted tackler crossing the line at 41 minutes. "My team mates did all the work all I had to do was carry it over," said the modest Swansea professional.

Prop Jon Thiel finished Canada's scoring when he walked in unopposed after Mike James and Nick Fairhurst manfully kept the ball from going into touch allowing the Bridgend professional the score. Ross missed the conversion, the only kick missed by Canada all day.

"Canada is a very strong team and kept us from employing our rolling maul," said Los Teros coach Diago Oromaechea, the legendary former #8 Uruguayan international. "In the end they ran us off our feet. When we play them again in Montevideo we hope to have a stronger team as some of our players could not travel because of work or studies."

Canada:
1. Rod Snow 2. Pat Dunkley 3. Jon Thiel 4. Colin Yukes 5. Mike James 6. Al Charron (Capt) 7. Dan Baugh 8. Ryan Banks 9. Morgan Williams 10. Jared Barker 11. Sean Fauth 12. John Cannon 13. Nik Witkowski 14. Fred Asselin 15. Winston Stanley
Reserves: 16. Mark Lawson 17. Kevin Tkachuk 18. Adam van Staveren 19. Philip Murphy 20. Ed Fairhurst 21. Bob Ross 22. Marco Di Girolamo

Uruguay:
1. Eduardo Berruti 2. Juan Perez 3. Pablo Lemoine 4. Rodrigo Capo 5. Juan Ignacio Alzueta 6. Nicolas Brignoni 7. Marcelo Gutierrez 8. Hernan Ponte 9. Emiliano Cafera 10. Sabastian Aguirre 11. Emiliano Iberra 12. Joaquim De Freitas 13. Diago Aguirre (Capt) 14. Alfonso Cordozo 15. Diago Reyes
Reserves: 16. Rodrigo Sanchez 17. Diago Lamelas 18. Gullermo Storace 19. Juan Carlos Alvarez 20. Ignacia Conti 21. Martin Mendaro 22. Juan Ramon Mendaro 23. Jose Viana 24. Feernado Auersperg