| Venue: Stade de Marseille, Marseille Date: Saturday 14 October Kick-off: 16:00 BST |
| Coverage: Live BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio 5 Live Sport, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport website & app; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & app |
Wales and Argentina will face each other in the World Cup knockout stages for the first time on Saturday in Marseille, as they bid to become the first team to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 tournament.
After Wales won a solitary game during last season’s Six Nations, any prospect of them becoming World Cup semi-finalists seven months later could have been described as fanciful in the extreme.
But head coach Warren Gatland has come up trumps once again in his second stint at the helm, transforming Wales through an unbeaten four-match run in their pool, collecting 19 points out of a possible 20.
It would be Wales’ third semi-final appearance in the last four World Cup campaigns under Gatland if they get there, and Argentina have their work cut out to stop them, especially given patchy form during the group phase when they qualified as Pool D runners-up behind England.
The South Americans lost to 14-man England, struggled past Samoa and then had to beat Japan in an eliminator to make the last eight.
It has led to Wales being installed as favourites for the Stade Velodrome showdown by Pumas coach Michael Cheika.
Team news
Fly-half Dan Biggar and full-back Liam Williams have been passed fit to start for Wales. Biggar had been battling to overcome a chest injury and Williams was a doubt because of a knee problem.
There is no place in the match-day 23 for Gareth Anscombe, after the fly-half was forced to withdraw 45 minutes before kick-off against Georgia last Saturday because of a groin problem.
Taulupe Faletau’s World Cup-ending broken arm sustained in the 43-19 victory over the Georgians has resulted in a reshuffle to the back row.
Aaron Wainwright moves across from blind-side flanker to fill the void at number eight created by Faletau’s injury, while skipper Jac Morgan takes the number six shirt.
Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell comes in at open-side to complete the back-row adjustments.
Argentina have made just two changes to the team that edged out Japan 39-27, having also lost a key back-row player in Pablo Matera last week.
Facundo Isa starts at number eight while Tomas Cubelli replaces Dragons scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou.
View from the Wales camp
Head coach Warren Gatland: “Argentina bring that South American mentality, they’re very passionate, and that’s why they’ve won big games against the top teams in the past in the southern hemisphere.
“They don’t give up. They stay in the fight. They’re a tough team to break down and beat, so we’ve got a huge amount of respect for them as a team and we know it’s going to be a big challenge for us.
“The quarter-final poses its own challenges and pressures, because you’re either here until the end of the tournament or you’re going home on Monday.
“We’re not ready to go home. It’s pressure rugby now in the knockout stages. That’s what we’ve prepared for and all the hard work we’ve put in.”
View from the Argentina camp
Head coach Michael Cheika: “We know Wales are favourites and that’s pretty clearly obvious, everyone’s made that point to us bar our Argentine supporters.
“We know that we’re going to have to do something different, something special around the game on Saturday so that we can be competitive with them, but I’m a huge believer in our team. I love the fellas, they’re always together, they’re a very committed team and I know they’ll enjoy this occasion.
“They’ve felt a bit of that expectation of trying to make it through, and from the work we’ve done I feel like they’re ready.”
Line-ups
Wales: L Williams; Rees-Zammit, North, Tompkins, Adams; Biggar, G Davies; G Thomas, Elias, Francis, Rowlands, Beard, Morgan (capt), Reffell, Wainwright.
Replacements: Lake, Domachowski, D Lewis, D Jenkins, Tshiunza, T Williams, Costelow, Dyer.
Argentina: Mallia; Boffelli, Cinti, Chocobares, M Carreras; S Carreras, Cubelli; Gallo, Montoya (capt), Gomez Kodela, Petti, Lavanini, Gonzalez, Kremer, Isa.
Replacements: Creevy, Sclavi, Bello, Alemanno, Bruni, Bazan Velez, Sanchez, Moroni.
Match officials
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Touch judges: Karl Dickson (Eng) & Andrea Piardi (Ita)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Match facts
Head-to-head
- Wales have won 14 out of 21 matches between the two nations, with Argentina having six victories and one draw.
- Wales have lost just two of their last 11 Test matches against Argentina with eight wins, two defeats and a draw.
- Wales and Argentina are facing each other for the third time at the World Cup. Wales won both group games in 1991 and 1999 in Cardiff, but this will be the first knockout match between the two sides.
Wales
- Wales have reached the World Cup quarter-finals on six previous occasions, winning three and losing three last-eight encounters.
- Head coach Warren Gatland has led Wales to a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final.
- Centre George North will become the first Welshman to feature in four World Cup quarter-finals.
Argentina
- Argentina have reached the World Cup quarter-finals on four occasions and won two and lost two at this stage in the competition.
- The Pumas’ best World Cup finish was third place in France in 2007.
- Fly-half Nicolas Sanchez has not missed a kick at goal at RWC 2023, converting all 10 attempts.
