Wales aim for superhero showing in Marseille

Rugby World Cup 2023: Wales 'not ready to go home' - Gatland

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

The message has been short and simple all week. Wales are not ready to go home.

Seven years on, the mantra is the same for the country's rugby stars as they aim to book their own last-four place in a major tournament by beating Argentina.

So the 2023 World Cup odyssey will today take Warren Gatland's side to France's oldest and second largest city as a festival of quarter-final rugby descends on Marseille.

While the Stade de France in Paris will host Ireland and New Zealand and France and South Africa, all Welsh eyes will be further south on the Mediterranean port city as Gatland's charges take on the Pumas before England tackle Fiji 24 hours later.

Wales fans have a fifth city to visit after already travelling to watch their side win in Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Nantes, with supporters from four nations flooding into the famous Le Vieux-Port.

The football fans never made it to Marseille in 2016 while the rugby supporters missed out on the opportunity to follow Wales in 2007 when Gareth Jenkins' side were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stages by Fiji. They plan to make the most of it this weekend.

Favourites or underdogs?

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Argentina coach Michael Cheika was spotted talking to his Fiji opposite number Simon Raiwalui down in the "Old Port" on Thursday evening.

Perhaps they were exchanging notes on the opposition they face this weekend after Wales had defeated Fiji and Argentina lost to England in the group stages.

In the post-match press conference following their victory over Japan, Cheika used his first possible opportunity to install Argentina as underdogs.

Among the sea of red that has drifted into Marseille over the last few days, there appears to be a cautious optimism of victory among Welsh supporters.

This is countered by a nagging concern the Pumas might produce the sort of performance they have not managed in the tournament so far.

It would have been fanciful seven months ago to identify Wales as possible World Cup semi-finalists when a miserable Six Nations campaign saw them win one game.

Now Wales are expected to progress through the last-eight encounter and become the first team into the semi-finals.

"It's funny how things change," said fly-half Dan Biggar.

"If someone said four or five months ago we would top our pool and be in with a shot at making a World Cup semi-finals, people would have thought it madness."

Gatland has turned things around, masterminding an unbeaten group phase that produced key victories over Fiji and Australia and further success against Portugal and Georgia.

In contrast, Argentina found it tough going, losing to 14-man England before posting an unimpressive win against Samoa and then qualifying as Pool D runners-up.

It is a first World Cup meeting between Wales and the Pumas since 1999 with history supporting a Wales win. Argentina have beaten Wales only twice in the last 11 meetings, and their World Cup performances so far do not suggest an immediate turnaround in fortunes.

Home from home

Dan Biggar joined Toulon from Northampton in 2022

After spending most of the tournament based in Versailles, Wales switched to Toulon this week, about an hour outside Marseille. This is Biggar's manor now - with Wales training at his home club ground.

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The lopsided World Cup draw has been under scrutiny again this week with the four best world ranked teams in Ireland, New Zealand, France and South Africa in the top half of the draw.

If Wales win on Saturday they will reach the semi-finals without having played any of the top five sides in the world. They will care little about that.

As well as avoiding the big guns, Biggar pointed to another reason why it was good for Wales to be in the bottom half of the draw.

"It has been a special week and it's brilliant where we are based," said Biggar.

"All of us are glad we are on this side of the draw for a few reasons but probably because we get to play in this magnificent stadium and sample something different."

Biggar is recovering from a pectoral injury suffered against Australia almost three weeks ago, with his leadership and game-management vital to Wales successfully negotiating their quarter-final hurdle.

The 33-year-old, who has won 111 caps, will retire from international rugby after the World Cup, and is likely to be front and centre in Marseille as Wales target a triumph that would take them on the road to Paris for the tournament's final fortnight.

"It has been strange for us because we have been in a bit of a bubble out here, in our own little world," said Biggar.

"We've noticed as the weeks have gone on the support from home has grown and the belief has also.

"We are hoping to have a load of Welsh fans here and loads of families and friends are coming to the game.

"I've got 13 people staying in my house in Toulon! It shows the interest and what happens when you do well in this Wales team."

Superheroes

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Gatland continually uses new methods to inspire his side. Assistant coach Jonathan Thomas has this week spoken about players relating their individual ability to a "superhero" and ensuring they use a particular "super-strength".

Biggar's superhero name is "Bullseye", a super-villain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel. One description of the character is "an assassin with perfect aim and fierce temper".

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The fly-half believes the concept has proved important in the build-up.

"We've gone back to a bit of basics," said Biggar.

"We've spoken in all our meetings about making sure you play to your individual strengths.

"There's no point somebody trying to be world-class at something they'll never be world class at, we've tried to focus on what we're individually good at.

"That's what we're trying to focus on for the whole tournament. Hopefully what we've done is bring all those individual strengths together and forged a strong collective team."

Captain Marvel

Jac Morgan played against Argentina in November 2022 when Wales won in Cardiff

Budding heroes have emerged during this tournament with wing Louis Rees-Zammit near the top of the try-scoring charts.

He will be in direct competition against Mateo Carreras with both grabbing World Cup hat-tricks last weekend.

Wales' leading light in this tournament has been co-captain Jac Morgan who has emerged as one of the players of the World Cup so far.

While Wales' cap centurions like Biggar, Taulupe Faletau and George North - who makes a Welsh record fourth World Cup quarter-final appearance - have all made their presence felt in France, the relatively inexperienced Morgan has also operated at an impressive level on a consistent basis.

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Squad co-captain with hooker Dewi Lake, Morgan led Wales superbly in key pool-stage victories over Fiji and Australia, while his performances warranted the rave reviews they received.

There is a calm authority about the 23-year-old Ospreys flanker, who revels in Test rugby's unforgiving and unrelenting environment.

This weekend Morgan will be asked to switch from the magnificent seven position he has adopted so far to blind-side flanker to accommodate Tommy Reffell and help fill the absence of injured number eight Faletau.

Wales' victory over Georgia last weekend was clouded by Faletau suffering a broken arm that ruled him out of the tournament, while Argentina have lost influential flanker Pablo Matera.

With 104 caps to his name and a consistent ability to hit world-class standards, Faletau's absence cannot be sugar-coated, even if Wales have back-row strength. Few Wales players have delivered such quality so regularly as Faletau during his 12-year Test career.

The Wales show goes on with Aaron Wainwright stepping into the number eight role, but one of its star performers has left the stage and returned home.

Wales' players, coaches and supporters will be hoping they will not be joining him this weekend. As Gatland has hammered home all week, Wales are not ready to leave France just yet.