A second-string Wales team, without 19 front-line players who are injured or being rested, scored three tries in the first Test but squandered a string of chances to clinch a victory in Jenkins’s first game in charge. Now the Wales coach had demanded a more accurate performance from his up and coming stars.
Jenkins said: “We were very competitive and physical last week and played some good rugby but we were victims of our own errors on occasions.
“The whole team realise that if we can correct some of our link play between our forwards and back-line and get more possession to our backs, then we have the capability to create a result. Our attitude was spot on in the first Test but undoubtedly it was poor execution that cost us. We made nine line-breaks last week which is a high number in international rugby and we should have finished off at least three of those, but that is being critical of what was a good performance.
“We were competitive and the challenge is to take the next step a produce a winning performance. This team is certainly capable of doing that.”
Jenkins saw his side throw away their early grip on the first Test when they conceded 13 points while Alix Popham and Gavin Thomas were serving ten-minute penalties in the sin bin, and he knows discipline will be crucial in front of 40,000 at the Velez Sarsfield Stadium.
Jenkins said: “We’ve looked at both incidents (yellow cards) and they were hard calls but they nevertheless cost us. We must look at that.
“We have prepared defensively for whatever it will face. One thing about defence is that it’s about how much you want it, how physical you are for the job and responsibility.”
Both teams have minimised the number of changes to their team but will both start field new faces at inside centre, though with very different
reputations. Wales hand 20-year-old James Hook his first start at international level as reward for his try-scoring debut off the bench last week after Matthew Watkins was laid low by injury and sickness.
Argentina have vastly experienced Leinster playmaker Felipe Contepomi back in their ranks after he stayed in Dublin to sit medical exams last week, one of three changes to the side that triumphed 27-25 in Puerto Madryn. Edinburgh’s Francisco Leonelli is rewarded for his match winning try last week with a place on the wing while flanker Martin Durand also comes in.
Wales made just one other change with hooker Huw Bennett replacing Matthew Rees after Duncan Jones was given the green light to play despite spraining his thumb and Matthew Watkins and Gavin Thomas recovered from a stomach bug.
Argentina: JM Hernandez; F Leonelli, G Tiesi, F Contepomi, L Borges; F Todescini, A Pichot (capt); R Roncero, M Ledesma, M Scelzo, IF Lobbe, RA Kairelis, G Longo, JM Lobbe, M Durand. Replacements: P Gamberini, M Ayerza, M Carizza, M Schusterman, NF Miranda, F Serra
Wales: L Byrne; M Jones, J Robinson, J Hook, S Williams; N Robinson, M Phillips; D Jones (capt), H Bennett, A Jones, I Gough, I Evans, AW Jones, A Popham, G Thomas. Replacements: R Hibbard, R Thomas, J Yapp, G Delve, A Williams, N Brew, M Watkins
Referee: Dave Pearson (England)
