Senior men’s head coach Warren Gatland has named his Wales XV to play Argentina at Stade de Marseille in the first quarter-final of Rugby World Cup 2023 (Saturday 14 October KO 4pm BST / 5pm local time live on ITV and S4C).
Following the 43-19 win against Georgia last weekend to make it four from four in pool C, Wales have been preparing for the quarter-final from their new team base in Toulon.
Jac Morgan makes his fourth start of the tournament and captains the side at blindside flanker, he is joined in the Wales back row by Tommy Reffell (openside flanker) and Aaron Wainwright (No. 8).
Ryan Elias is named at hooker. Elias features alongside props Gareth Thomas (loose-head) and Tomas Francis (tight-head), who is making his 15th overall RWC appearance.
Adam Beard partners Will Rowlands in the second row for the third time this tournament with both players making their fourth appearance at RWC23.
Dan Biggar returns at fly-half and Gareth Davies is at scrum-half.
Nick Tompkins and George North continue their centre partnership for the fourth time this competition. North is making his 20th RWC appearance in his fourth tournament.
Liam Williams is named at full-back with Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit on the wings.
Among Wales’ replacements Dewi Lake, Corey Domachowski and Dillon Lewis are the front row cover. Exeter Chiefs duo Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza cover the second and back rows respectively, with Jenkins in line to make his fifth RWC23 appearance and Tshiunza his third.
The back line cover is provided by Tomos Williams, Sam Costelow and Rio Dyer.
Gatland said: “We had a goal of making the quarter-finals which we have achieved. Now it’s about building on that momentum.
“It’s exciting to enter into the knock-out stages of the tournament and we are ready for the challenge of a quarter-final. All our preparation has been geared to getting to this spot and we’re very much relishing the opportunity.
“We’re expecting another tough encounter this weekend against a physical Argentina side. We haven’t had the perfect performance yet, but we have shown that we are a hard team to beat.
“There is a lot more growth in this squad – collectively and individually – and we can’t wait to get out there in Marseille on Saturday.”
15. Liam Williams (Kubota Spears – 88 caps)
14. Louis Rees Zammit (Gloucester Rugby / Caerloyw – 31 caps)
13. George North (Ospreys / Gweilch – 117 caps)
12. Nick Tompkins (Saracens / Saraseniaid – 31 caps)
11. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 53 caps)
10. Dan Biggar (Toulon – 111 caps)
9. Gareth Davies (Scarlets – 73 caps)
1. Gareth Thomas (Ospreys / Gweilch – 25 caps)
2. Ryan Elias (Scarlets – 37 caps)
3. Tomas Francis (Provence Rugby – 76 caps)
4. Will Rowlands (Racing 92 – 28 caps)
5. Adam Beard (Ospreys / Gweilch – 50 caps)
6. Jac Morgan (Ospreys / Gweilch – 14 caps) captain / capten*
7. Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers / Caerlŷr – 12 caps)
8. Aaron Wainwright (Dragons / Dreigiau – 42 caps)
Replacements:
16. Dewi Lake (Ospreys / Gweilch – 11 caps)
17. Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Rugby/ Caerdydd – 5 caps)
18. Dillon Lewis (Harlequins – 53 caps)
19. Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs / Caerwysg – 11 caps)
20. Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs / Caerwysg – 9 caps)
21. Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby/ Caerdydd – 52 caps)
22. Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 7 caps)
23. Rio Dyer (Dragons / Dreigiau – 13 caps)
Devil Bread
Sport Trivia: What is the name of the cricket ground in Cape Town? Answer: Newlands – Newlands Stadium in Cape Town lies beneath the imposing Table Mountain which makes it a beautiful location for a cricket match. The first test played at Newlands was in 1889 with South Africa vs England.
Marbles
Virender Sehwag is the only batsman who got an 80+ strike rate after playing 100 or more tests.