Warren Gatland says it would be “a huge achievement” if Wales reach their third Rugby World Cup semi-final in the last four tournaments by beating Argentina on Saturday.
Gatland’s team face the Pumas in Marseille after dominating a pool that some thought they might not qualify from following a dismal Six Nations campaign last season.
Four successive wins and 19 points collected saw them leave sides like Fiji and Australia in their slipstream to set up the Pumas clash at Stade Velodrome.
“It would be our third semi-final, and then in 2015 we were leading South Africa for 75 minutes (in the quarter-finals) and conceded at the end,” Gatland said. “Reflecting on that, we would be pretty proud.
“I have always spoken about how much I have enjoyed the World Cup preparations.
“It is the only time you get to feel like you are a club side in getting that detail done. You feel like you have made a huge amount of progress.
“After all the challenges during the Six Nations, with the potential (player) strike and the contracts and the money with the Union (Welsh Rugby Union) and regions, as coaches we would joke about what would happen next, what would be the next thing thrown at us?.
“I definitely think there has been a line in the sand drawn under that. If we can make the semi-final it would be a huge achievement for this group of players and coaches, who have done a great job, and the back-room staff have been outstanding.
“I know there are some people and some teams out there who won’t want to face a Wales team when they start playing with confidence and when we start having momentum.
“That is when we are at our most dangerous. We are starting to look that way at the moment.”
Wales have not met Argentina in the World Cup for 24 years, but their recent form against them is impressive, having lost just two of the last 11 Tests.
And while Wales sailed through their group, Argentina lost to 14-man England, unconvincingly beat Samoa and then defeated Japan in what was a quarter-final eliminator.
Gatland added: “We are expecting them to come really hard at us. I don’t think anything changes, and the players are well aware of that.
“We talk about being on the edge mentally and you can’t be there at the top of that every single week, so it is how close you can get to it.
“We’ve had a couple of games already where we feel we have been really on the edge in a positive way, and a couple of games where we have been off two or three per cent, so it is how close you can get to that 100 per cent mental peak.
“I am expecting that will be right up there from that physical challenge that will come at us.”
Wales show one change from the side that beat Fiji and Australia, with Tommy Reffell called up to the back-row and Aaron Wainwright switching from blindside flanker to number eight instead of broken arm victim Taulupe Faletau.
Centre George North, meanwhile, will become the first Wales player to feature in four World Cup quarter-finals.
“It is an unbelievable achievement, especially when you realise it after how much hard work all of the boys in every team have to do for a World Cup – it is years in the undertaking,” North’s midfield partner, Nick Tompkins, said.
“So, for him to do it four times is pretty impressive. I am not sure I would be able to do that.
“It speaks volumes for the determination and kind of bloke he is. He is on the best form he has been on for a long, long time.”
'Job not done' for Springboks after All Blacks triumph, says Kolisi
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi warned his team the job is far from done despite them rallying for a thrilling victory over New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The Springboks secured a 31-27 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, coming from behind with two late tries from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Grant Williams.
The victory hauled South Africa onto 14 points in the Championship standings as they bid to end New Zealand's four-year stranglehold on the title, but Kolisi says there is still work to be done.
Addressing the capacity crowd in his post-match interview, Kolisi said: "We play for a lot but you people are our number one motivation.
"We appreciate you every single day. Please don't stop. When times are tough, please keep supporting us. We cannot do it without you.
"We respect the All Blacks. No matter what people say about them, when they need to turn up, they turn up. We believed in ourselves, we didn't panic, and we did what we wanted.
"They were catching us on the exit. After the first try in the second half, we picked it up. I'm really proud of the boys but the job is not done."
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, meanwhile, was proud of his team-mates' efforts but admitted they had just fallen short of putting together a complete performance.
"Well done to the Springboks, it showed the class team they are," he said. "We weren't quite good enough. We were good for 62 minutes and it's an 80-minute game.
"There were two key moments after kick-offs where we couldn't quite get out of our half and they punished us. It was a huge effort, we're certainly proud, but it was just not quite to be.
"We'll regroup pretty quickly. Some guys have played here for the first time. It's intense and we'll have to be better next week."
South Africa host New Zealand again in Cape Town next week, while Australia go to Argentina for their round-three matchup.
Rowe swaps Norwich for Marseille in season-long loan deal
Jonathan Rowe has completed a season-long loan move to Ligue 1 side Marseille after a breakthrough campaign with Norwich in the Championship.
Rowe, who made 56 appearances for the Canaries in all competitions, has signed an initial loan deal with an option to buy for £17million.
After coming through the club's academy, Rowe made his Norwich debut in a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League back in December 2021.
But the 21-year-old established himself as a regular under David Wagner last season, netting 12 times in 32 league outings as the Canaries reached the play-offs.
His 36 completed dribbles was a total only bettered by Gabriel Sara (40) and Borja Sainz (43) in the Norwich squad, while he also created 24 chances for his side.
Rowe becomes Roberto De Zerbi's 11th signing of the transfer window, offering the former Brighton manager another creative option in the final third.
Marseille started their Ligue 1 campaign with an impressive 5-1 away win over Brest last week, and welcome Reims to the Stade Velodrome on Sunday.
Lionel Messi absent for Argentina World Cup qualifiers after Copa America injury
Lionel Messi has been omitted from Argentina's upcoming World Cup qualifiers as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained in the Copa America final.
The superstar forward limped off a little over an hour into La Albiceleste's 1-0 victory over Colombia in Miami on July 14 and has not featured since.
Messi, 37, did not play in the MLS All-Star game, with his club side Inter Miami confirming he had sustained ligament damage to his right ankle and no timeline has been put on his return.
Lionel Scaloni has the likes of Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Gonzales to call upon, while Lazio forward Valentin Castellanos earns a first call-up.
Argentina face Chile in Buenos Aires on September 5 before travelling to Bogota for a rematch with Colombia five days later.
Scaloni's side, who are hoping to defend their World Cup title in 2026 by qualifying for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, are top of CONMEBOL qualifying with five wins from six matches.
The top six nations from CONMEBOL qualify for the tournament, while seventh place goes into a play-off for an additional berth.
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