Wales too good for Kings
The tourists, who play South Africa in Durban on Saturday in the opening test, led 17-0 at half-time and crossed three more times in the second half to complete a satisfactory outing against an out-gunned but spirited Kings outfit.
Darron Nell's home team, who probably made too many handling errors and missed too many tackles for their own liking, never gave up the fight and were rewarded with tries by wing Siviwe Soyizwapi in the 57th minute and replacement prop Simon Kerrod in the 79th minute. Flyhalf George Whitehead added a conversion.
While the Kings had their moments, they battled to break down a committed Welsh defence, and when they coughed up the ball, the tourists were quick to take advantage. EP kicked several penalties for five-metre lineouts, but only managed to force their way over in the dying moments of the game.
The Welsh, led by flank Dan Lydiate, were strong up front and dangerous from the back where fullback Matthew Morgan often showed his balanced and elusive running, rather than kicking the ball back to the home side.
A strong forward surge from a five-metre lineout led to the first try by Josh Turnbull. This was followed by a period of complete territorial dominance and it was no surprise when the gaps eventually opened and centre Cory Allen crossed for their second try. Flyhalf James Hook added two conversions and a penalty to make it 17-0 at the break.
The second half started with a burst of Welsh scoring as Hook gathered a chip to score under the crossbar and then wing Alex Cuthbert outpaced the cover defence after the visitors made good use of turnover possession to take the score to 29-0 in the 47th minute.
The Kings then gave the home fans some cheer when Soyizwapi darted over in the righthand corner, but Gareth Davies confirmed Wales's class when he crossed for their fifth try five minutes later.
In all, it was a solid performance by the Welsh, but they know they face a far more daunting prospect in Durban.
(File photo:Gallo Images)