Warren Gatland will get the chance to run the rule over two of next year’s World Cup opponents this week with Uruguay playing against Cardiff Blues tonight and the Wallabies coming to the Principality Stadium on Saturday night.
The Uruguayans conceded 10 tries on their first visit to the Welsh capital when they crashed to a 66-22 defeat to Wales A at the Millennium Stadium on 24 November, 2001.
There were eight tries when they met Wales at the same venue at the 2015 World Cup in a 54-9 pool defeat.
Their clash with the Blues will lead them into their two tests this month against another of Wales’ World Cup opponents, Fiji, at Hartpury College on 17 November and Romania in Bucharest a week later.
The south Americans include full back Gaston Mieres, hooker German Kessler and flanker Juan Gaminara, who all played against Wales in 2015, in their starting XV. Among their replacements, Mateo Sanguinetti, Andres Vilaseca and Filipe Berchesi also played in Cardiff at the last World Cup.
The Blues will be led at the Arms Park by Dan Fish on his 100th appearance for the region. The 27-year-old Fish, who made his debut against Aironi in 2010, starts at No10 and will have Lewis Jones as his half-back partner.
The team shows 14 changes from the side that beat Zebre 37-0 on Sunday in the Pro14, which was prop Gethin Jenkins’ final game before retirement. Wing Aled Summerhill is the only survivor from that starting XV.
Jones, Fish, Harri Millard and Keiron Assiratti were on the bench against Zebre and are promoted to the starting XV against Los Teros.
Cardiff Blues: Matthew Morgan; Aled Summerhill, Harri Millard, Max Llewellyn, Cam Lewis; Dan Fish (captain), Lewis Jones; Rhys Carre, Liam Belcher, Keiron Assiratti, James Down, Rory Thornton, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Sion Bennett, Alun Lawrence
Reps: Ethan Lewis, Rhys Gill, Will Davies-King, Miles Normandale, Ioan Rhys Davies, Jamie Hill, Ben Thomas, Ioan Davies, Peter Lloyd
Uruguay: Gaston Mieres; Leandro Leivas, Juan Manuel Cat, Agustin Della Corte, Federico Favaro; Rodrigo Silva, Santiago Arata; Matias Benitez, German Kessler, Juan Echeverria, Ignacio Dotti, Manuel Leindekar, Juan Gaminara (capt), Leandro Segredo, Manuel Diana
Reps: Facundo Gattas, Mateo Sanguinetti, Juan Pedro Rombys, Manuel Ardao, Diego Magno, Juan Diego Ormaechea, Tomas Inciarte, Andres Vilaseca, Filipe Berchesi
