The Cook Islands overcame an early scare from a valiant Wales outfit to come away with an 18-12 victory at Leigh Sports Village Stadium.
After several missed opportunities early in the match, the Kukis trailed by four points at half-time, but South Sydney young gun Davvy Moale stepped up to ignite the Cook Islands' second-half charge.
For a side who haven't won a World Cup match in 22 years and featured no players from the NRL, Wales stood tall to produce a classy performance on the world stage.