Get Newsletter

Preview: Wales v Uruguay

Warburton will happy to have had a good run against Italy in their last warm-up match.

ADVERTISEMENT

He managed to finish the game without any injury scares after the British and Irish Lions captain recovered from a shoulder injury that threatened to sideline him from the World Cup.

The openside flank has since recovered and will wear the captain's armband against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium for their opening game of the World Cup against Pool A minnows Uruguay.

Fullback Liam Williams and prop Lee make their long-awaited return from injuries.

Williams will be slotting into Leigh Halfpenny's slot at the back and his return will surely give the Welsh a huge boost after the loss of their talisman.

Samson Lee packs down with Ospreys duo Paul James and Scott Baldwin, while veteran prop Gethin Jenkins will be rested for the game against the South American amateurs.

Uruguay come into this World Cup with an entire squad of debutants.

ADVERTISEMENT

This competition will be very difficult for for the South Americans, because they are drawn in arguably the most difficult pool.

The best they can realistically hope for is getting at least one upset victory – and building a team to be more competitive in future World Cups.

Players to watch:

For Wales: Sam Warburton is always a huge threat at the break-down. His leadership skills could melt this new-look Wales team just at the right time – before they face the might of England. Liam Williams is a big threat on the attack but his lack of game-time would be a concern for Wales though.  

ADVERTISEMENT

For Uruguay: Uruguay is an unknown quantity and this may be their biggest advantage – they face a seemingly disrupted Wales team after a few injuries threatened to disrupt their World Cup ambitions. Hooker Carlos Arboleya is Uruguays' most experienced player and the team will look to him to give them some stability in the scrums.

Head to Head: 

Recent results: These teams haven't met before.

Prediction: Wales have lost two key players in Rhys Webb and Leigh Halfpenny, and many people have already written off the Welsh. However, sometimes adversity gives rise to new stars. Wales will be hoping that scrumhalf Gareth Davies and fullback Liam Williams will play a major role on Saturday – confirming Wales as true World Cup contenders. Wales will probably win 32-6 in what should be good game in the first half – the second half will see the Welsh start to turn on the style.

Teams: Matias Beer will battle Sam Warburton at the rucks. Warburton's experience should see him give Wales the edge in this facet of the game.

Wales: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Cory Allen, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 James King, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Sam Warburton (captain), 5 Jake Ball, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Paul James.

Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Dominic Day, 20 Dan Lydiate, 21 Ross Moriarty, 22 Lloyd Williams, 23 Matthew Morgan.

Uruguay: 15 Gaston Meres, 14 Santiago Gibernau, 13 Joaquin Prada, 12 Andres Vilaseca, 11 Rodrigo Silva, 10 Felipe Berchesi, 9 Agustin Ormaechea, 8 Alejandro Nieto, 7 Matias Beer, 6 Juan Manuel Gaminara, 5 Jorge Zerbino, 4 Santiago Vilaseca (captain), 3 Mario Sagario, 2 Carlos Arboleya, 1 Alejo Corral.

Replacements: 16 German Kessler, 17 Oscar Duran, 18 Mateo Sanguinetti, 19 Franco Lamanna, 20 Agustin Alonso, 21 Juan De Freitas, 22 Alejo Duran, 23 Francisco Bulanti.

Date: Sunday, September 20

Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Kick-off: 14.30 (13.30 GMT; 10.30 Uruguay time)

Expected weather: A barmy 19 degrees with patches of sunshine and a slight breeze, some rain may be expected later in the day.

Referee: Romain Poite (France)

Assistant referees: Pascal Gauzère (France), Mathieu Raynal (France)

TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Write A Comment