Warren Gatland admitted he was only partially satisfied by Wales’ opening six-try World Cup victory over Georgia at the City of Toyota Stadium in Japan.
Wales became the first team in the tournament to secure a bonus point before half-time, but they were equalled by Georgia in terms of points scored in the second-half as they won 43-14.
The fluency and precision shown in a ruthless first-half, gave way to a scrappy second half display, before Wales reclaimed their grip in the late stages.
Jonathan Davies, Justin Tipuric, Josh Adams and Liam Williams scored their first half tries, with Tomos Williams and George North scoring after Georgia has responded with their own tries from Shalva Mamukashvili and Jaba Bregvadze.
From a 29-0 interval lead, Wales conceded two tries in the second period and Gatland said: “It was a good first half but we were a bit messy in the second and the ball was a bit slippery.
“Georgia came pretty hard at us in the second half and defended a bit better. To concede those two tries was disappointing.
“We scored three set-piece tries which was pleasing. We missed out on a couple of opportunities as well but we were pleased to get the bonus point.”
Wales now face Australia on Sunday in what is likely to be the decisive match in determining who tops Pool D.
Gatland added: “It is a massive game for us this weekend. We have a six-day turnaround and the players have worked incredibly hard in the warm-ups and the camps for that.
“We have had some tough games against them over the years but we came out on top in the last game.”
Wales skipper Alun Whyn Jones – who equalled Gethin Jenkins’ record of 129 Welsh caps – said: “We ticked a lot of the boxes in the first half but we are probably a bit disappointed with the second half.
“We let a couple of tries go and did not continue in a similar fashion. We took our foot off the gas so there is plenty to work on.
“It’s great to come to a stadium like this with a lot of Welsh fans, lots of Japanese fans, lots of Georgian fans, and it makes the game a great occasion.”
With the furore surrounding the return to Wales of attack coach Rob Howley for an alleged breach of betting rules, it was a far from ideal build-up to the tournament for Gatland’s side, but they showed no signs of a hangover.
A simple skip-pass allowed Davies to dot down under the posts, before a break from scrumhalf Gareth Davies was finished off by Tipuric.
Georgia’s accuracy with their kicking out of hand was poor as they were pinned back in their own half. They were not quick enough in thought or action, and their ponderous possession was easy for their opponents to defend against.
The pressure told as Wales scored a third inside 20 minutes, a fine solo try from Adams after he was put through a big hole in the Georgian defence.
Wales had to wait until the end of the first half to secure their bonus-point try as they shifted the ball quickly out wide for Liam Williams to score.
Tomos Williams chased down a kick to score Wales’s fifth try before Chilachava burrowed over after more powerful Georgian forward play. North finished the scoring when he stretched to dot down with four minutes remaining.
Wales: L Williams (Halfpenny, 60); North, J Davies, Parkes, Adams; Biggar (Patchell, 67), G Davies (T Williams, 48); Wyn Jones (Smith, 56), Owens (Dee, 56), Francis (Lewis, 47), Ball (Shingler, 62), Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Wainwright (Moriarty, 51), Tipuric, Navidi.
Replacements: Smith, Dee, Lewis, Shingler, Moriarty, T Williams, Patchell, Halfpenny.
Georgia: Matiashvili; Modebadze, Kacharava, Mchedlidze, Kveseladze; Abzhandadze, Lobzhanidze; Nariashvili (capt; Gogichashvili, 47), Mamukashvili (Saginadze 58), Gigashvili (Chilachava, 47), Nemsadze, Mikautadze (Sutiashvili, 51), Tkhilaishvili (Mamukashvili, 55), M Gorgodze (Giorgadze, 60), B Gorgodze.
Replacements: Bregvadze, Gogichashvili, Chilachava, Sutiashvili, Saginadze, Giorgadze, Aprasidze, Khmaladze.
Officials: Referee, Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keefe (New Zealand), Mathew Carley (England)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)