WALES won at Canberra Stadium yesterday to keep their World Cup hopes alive, but that's about all after a performance that was anything but impressive.

They were outscored in tries by three to two, they were often outsmarted up front and they were in trouble behind.

All that against, let's be honest, a Third World power with a total population of 100,000 people and the rugby squad lacking a number of players because of injury, never mind missing others who have left for different countries.

It was hardly the kind of performance to lift the spirits ahead of what now looks like being a fraught, tension-packed group decider against Italy for the runners-up spot to go through to the last eight alongside sure-fire pool winners New Zealand.

The Italian camp will hardly be worried about this Welsh performance, and on this evidence must be pretty confident of doing the double over Wales after beating them in the Six Nations Championship.

Wales were never headed, but they failed to get a grip on the game, and astonishingly seemed to lack the confidence to really go for it. Each time they scored, far from forging ahead, they made a mistake and allowed themselves to be caught again.

It was the Tongans who finished the faster after Wales looked to have settled it at 27-15 ahead with 13 minutes left.

Tonga were awarded a series of penalties, all of which they either ran back at Wales or chose a scrum so assured were they, believing a try was always likely.

Their confidence was justified as prop Heamani Lavaka powered over for a try, charging straight through replacement scrum-half Dwayne Peel after receiving from Tongan ace Sililo Martens.

That was just three minutes from the end, and Tonga had a chance to level when lynchpin outside-half Pierre Hola, full-back Sila Va'enuku and Martens handled in a sweeping move, only for centre Sukanaivalu Hufanga to knock on with a try likely.

Wales escaped, but it was the fast- finishing Tongans who captured the imagination of the spectators, and they received a huge reception from the majority of the near-20,000 crowd, even doing their war dance at the end of it all.

They had secured a bonus point, which their efforts deserved, and they had put in a mighty effort to do their small island proud.

Wales failed to match their aggression for some unknown reason, leaving something in the dressing-room, and at no stage did they really get on top.

Iestyn Harris, a late replacement for Sonny Parker, who had not fully recovered from a leg injury, had little chance to repeat his match-winning performance against Canada, for two reasons.

The Welsh pack failed to win sufficient possession, and when they did, outside-half Stephen Jones almost inevitably put boot to ball, thus denying Harris the opportunity to influence the course of the game.

The backs failed to spark, full- back Rhys Williams looked particularly fallible and there was little penetration. And the forward effort proved a damp squib, with no physical presence anywhere. It was all summed up after the video referee failed to award Rhys Williams a try, and a five-yard scrum was awarded only for the Tongans to wheel the Welsh eight and gain the put-in. It was that embarrassing.

Replacements Martyn Williams (above) and Chris Wyatt did make a difference, though. Alix Popham did play a decent game at number eight. Wyatt at least put himself about a bit, while Williams had a decisive scoring influence, from a most unlikely source.

Wales, for once, went through several phases and, knowing Wales had been awarded a penalty, when the ball came back Williams promptly dropped a goal, later describing it as his first and last effort of that kind.

Then, more decisively, he was on hand when Harris, for once given the ball with a bit of room, made it count, created some room and floated out a long pass where Williams was waiting to pounce.

Wales' other try was a super solo effort from scrum-half Gareth Cooper, who romped across after scampering down the unguarded blindside once Tom Shanklin had drifted acrossfield and taken his opposite number with him to leave a huge gap down the flank.

Other than that it was four penalties and a conversion by Stephen Jones, but Tonga managed three tries to make Wales blush further.

The first came five minutes after Cooper's effort when Hola chipped through, Williams failed to gather as he fumbled along the ground, and Hola himself snapped up the try. He converted himself to add to a penalty to make it just 11-10 to Wales, though a Jones penalty made the interval score 14-10.

A fourth Jones penalty and Williams' dropped goal stretched the lead to 20-10, but back came Tonga with their second try scored by their number eight and captain, Benhur Kivalu, who rounded off a massive rolling maul to shunt Wales over their own line for the try. And then came that late Lavaka effort followed by Hufanga's knock-on, which could have saved Tonga's blushes and made Welsh faces even redder than their jerseys.

Scorers: Wales: Tries: Cooper, M. Williams; cons: S. Jones; pens: S. Jones 4. Drop goals: M. Williams.

Tonga: Tries: Hola, Kivalu, Lavaka; cons: Hola; pens: Hola.

Wales: R. Williams, M. Jones, Taylor, Harris, Shanklin, S. Jones, Cooper, I. Thomas, Davies, Jenkins, Llewellyn, Sidoli, D. Jones, Charvis, Popham. Replacements: Peel for Cooper (57), A. Jones for I. Thomas (63), Bennett for Davies (72), Wyatt for Llewellyn (57), M. Williams for Popham (60). Not used: Evans, S. Williams.

Tonga: Va'enuku, Fonua, Hufanga, Payne, Tui'fua, Hola, Martens, Pulu, Ma'asi, Lavaka, Latu, Vaki, Fenukitau, I. Afeaki, Kivalu. Replacements: Lea'aetoa for Pulu (71), Taukafa for Ma'asi (70), Naufahu for Fenukitau (73), J. Ngauamo for I. Afeaki (63). Not used: Palu, Leger, Tuipulotu.

Att: 24,500.

Ref: Paul Honiss (New Zealand).