Wales warmed up for their eagerly-awaited showdown with Graham Henry’s All Blacks next Saturday by running Romania ragged at the Millennium Stadium in a 66-7 demolition.
Cardiff Blues centre Tom Shanklin led the way, scoring four of his team’s 10 tries to equal the Welsh record at international level.
Fly-half Stephen Jones weighed in with 19 points from seven conversions and a try, while there were also touchdowns for wing Rhys Williams, centre Gavin Henson, prop Gethin Jenkins, flanker Dafydd Jones and substitute scrum-half Gareth Cooper.
Wales coach Mike Ruddock witnessed several encouraging signs, notably a powerful ball-carrying contribution from 6ft 9in lock Luke Charteris on his first international start, with Shanklin, Henson and scrum-half Dwayne Peel also starring.
Shanklin inevitably stole the limelight, matching individual scoring exploits of past Welsh internationals such as Maurice Richards, Ieuan Evans and Glen Webbe.
Romania, with nine French-based players, did their utmost to test the home side, but they did not come remotely close to staving off a sixth successive defeat in the fixture.
Wales scored at just over a point a minute, and there appeared nothing that Romania could do about it, although a wayward midfield pass from Jones allowed the visitors a rare attacking platform.
To their credit, they gratefully accepted it, with Sirbu touching down for a try that Tofan converted.
But it was not enough to dampen the spirits of the Welsh crowd who left happy and with a sense of anticipation for events next Saturday.
Wales: G Thomas (Toulouse, capt); R Williams (Blues), T Shanklin (Blues), G Henson (Ospreys), H Luscombe (Dragons); S Jones (Clermont-Auvergne), D Peel (Scarlets); G Jenkins (Blues), M Davies (Neath), A Jones (Ospreys), G Llewellyn (Narbonne), L Charteris (Dragons), D Jones (Scarlets), C Charvis (Newcastle), M Owen (Dragons).
Replacements: S Jones (Dragons), D Jones (Ospreys), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Blues), G Cooper (Dragons), C Sweeney (Dragons), M Taylor (Scarlets).
Romania: V Maftei (Aurillac); V Ghioc (Dinamo Bucuresti), C Sauan (Rugby Rovigo), R Gontineac (Aurillac), I Teodorescu (U Cluj); I Tofan (Metro Racing), L Sirbu (Metro Racing); P Balan (Biarritz Olimpique), B Zebega (Steaua Bucuresti), M Socaciu (Rugby Rovigo), F Tatu (Steaua Bucuresti), C Petre (Tarbes), C Mersoiu (Perigueux), MA Tudori (Perigueux), A Petrache (Beziers, capt).
Replacements: R Mavrodin (Tarbes), B Balan (Bordeaux Begles), V Ursache (Contor Zennerarad), G Oprisoror (Perpignan), I Andrei (Steaua Bucharest), F Dobre (Dinamo Bucharest), I Dimofte (Contor Zennerarad).
