Gareth Jenkins was indebted to the quality of his bench as Wales survived a huge scare to open their World Cup with a bonus-point 42-17 victory over Canada.

Jenkins was forced to cash in his insurance policy and introduce big guns Stephen Jones and Gareth Thomas just five minutes into the second half after Canada scored their third try for a 17-9 lead.

Wales had looked in control for most of the opening period but were stung by a passionate and committed Canadian performance, which brought tries for Jamie Cudmore, Craig Culpan and Morgan Williams.