| Venue: Stade de Good Date: Saturday, 16 Sept Kick-off: 16:45 BST |
| Protection: Stay BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio 5 Stay, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport web site & app; dwell textual content commentary on BBC Sport web site & app |
Warren Gatland says Wales’ precedence is to verify they’re “a bloody onerous group to beat” on the World Cup.
Dewi Lake leads a new-look aspect for the sport towards Portugal, with Taulupe Faletau and Louis Rees-Zammit the one survivors from the win over Fiji.
“If we’re a tough group to beat, then issues can occur for you,” Gatland stated.
“I acknowledged earlier than, do not write us off, this group is able to doing one thing particular and I nonetheless imagine that.”
Wales picked up the utmost 5 factors from their opening recreation in Bordeaux and are favourites to triumph in Good on Saturday, with Portugal enjoying in solely their second World Cup.
With a six-day turnaround, Gatland stated the new-look aspect have a chance to “stake a declare” to the shirt, with a match towards Australia to observe in pool C.
“The gamers have to really feel that in the event that they exit and provides a superb efficiency then they’re in rivalry to get chosen for Australia, that is the one approach you are able to do that,” Gatland stated.
Tight-head prop Henry Thomas is the one squad member to not function in a matchday 23 up to now this match and was not risked as a result of he has a good hamstring.
“He was going to begin, we named him earlier within the week with Tomas Francis on the bench, it is simply been a straight swap with Dillon Lewis,” Gatland stated.
The Wales coach stated Faletau retains his place as he missed the World Cup warm-up video games and is a participant “that will get higher with extra recreation time”, whereas Gatland desires Rees-Zammit to maintain enjoying as “he is been unbelievable within the final 5 – 6 weeks”.
After a evaluate of the hard-fought Fiji recreation, Gatland stated there have been “a number of positives and a few issues to work on”.
“There’s quite a bit been stated about us when it comes to how unfortunate Fiji had been, however we have seen a variety of clips ourselves to say that issues had been missed within the recreation too,” Gatland stated. “Simply to get readability on that, the referees got here again to us yesterday on these and we’re in settlement with a number of issues that we would despatched in too.
“That recreation is completed and handled, it is previous us now and focus is now purely on Portugal and hopefully we’ll do a superb job on Saturday then transfer on to Australia subsequent week.”
Portugal have needed to wait an additional week for his or her match opener, with the swimming pools consisting of 5 groups.
Gatland described the opposition as a “related model of Fiji”.
“They play a number of rugby, they have some thrilling gamers, they like to maneuver the ball round, so we’re type of ready virtually in the identical approach we ready towards Fiji, there will not be a number of adjustments, a number of little tweaks to the sport,” Gatland stated.
“I believed from a impartial final week should you had been watching the sport, it was in all probability essentially the most thrilling recreation of the weekend when it comes to the rugby that was performed.
“It wasn’t nice being a coach sitting within the field within the final 10 minutes, I can promise you that, however hopefully we are able to produce one other nice recreation of rugby.”
The Australia recreation on 24 September in Lyon is already being billed because the essential match in Wales’ development out of Pool C to the knockout phases, with the Wallabies enjoying Fiji seven days earlier than, however Gatland says they don’t seem to be trying too far forward.
“For us it is about one recreation at a time,” Gatland stated.
“We have at all times been assured previously about World Cups and the chance to get the group collectively for an prolonged interval, and we predict that we have now finished effectively in earlier World Cups and wish to get to a last of a World Cup.
“You get a bunch of gamers working for one another, placing that jersey on, that keenness about enjoying for his or her nation, ardour about enjoying for for Wales, they recognise the historical past, what it means to the followers, the general public and the households to signify your nation, and should you get these issues proper then issues can occur for you and that for us means a heck of quite a bit.
“I can promise you that when the fellows exit within the weekend of any recreation they will give the whole lot to play for his or her nation.
“The primary precedence is to be a very robust group to beat and if we do this and get issues proper, and our preparation is nice and we do not choose up too many accidents, then there isn’t any purpose why we will not proceed to progress a great distance into this match.”