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Ben James

Wayne Pivac Q&A: The Wales players who had huge games as we righted some wrongs

Wales bounced back from last week's hammering against the All Blacks with a physical victory against Argentina.

It wasn't the perfect performance, but it provided Wales with just their second victory in Cardiff in 2022 and their third of the calendar year.

Here's everything Wales coach Wayne Pivac had to say afterwards...

Was that the response you needed after last week?

"It was a very good response. The boys were challenged obviously with in terms of the physicality we felt we lacked last week.

"We needed a response, and the boys responded well. The pleasing part was we knocked them back right up to the 80th minutes.

"Other than the try, we contained them very well, which is a credit to the work done in the week."

Read more : The reasons Wales were so much better as defence transformed and Rees-Zammit experiment works

It was largely about defence today, but what were your thoughts on the attack?

Argentina fill the field in defence and they’re not easy to break down. They've had some fantastic results, you only have to look six days ago.

"We were pleased to have got the points on the board and defend the way we did. It’s not the perfect performance but it’s a step in the right direction.

"There’s still some discipline things to tidy up, but you couldn't fault the effort. A lot of guys put in 80-minute efforts there."

There were some big from Taulupe Faletau and Tomos Williams today...

"You can throw George North and the guy next to me (Justin Tipuric) in there.

"There were so many guys who put in big performances and worked very hard. George out wide with them being dangerous in the last few months of the Rugby Championship, we contained them well. "

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What's the latest on the injuries?

"Will Rowlands is a shoulder so we’ll get a scan on that on Monday and we will know more then. Dan was an arm so we’ll know more about that next week."

How will you approach the match with Georgia now?

"We’re not going to make wholesale changes. We’ve got a game against Australia the following week and some boys have to go back to clubs and there are a few injuries.

"So we want to put out a side that might go again against Australia. We will how we scrub up on Monday."

How do you give new faces a chance when you've got world-class talent in the back-row like that who can't really be dropped?

"We’ll see how everyone scrubs up on Monday. We want to learn as much as we can in this window about the guys in the squad.

"It’s not just on the pitch out there on an afternoon like today, it’s also what we’re seeing in training. The boys go live at each other for several periods throughout the week and we see what a lot of the younger guys are capable of.

"Where we can, we will have a look. But certainly we have to make sure that we are building results as well. That’s very important to us."

Was it a question of restoring pride today?

"Very much so. Rugby players, anywhere in the world, my experience is when they’re challenged around physicality, you normally get a response.

"These boys were very keen to get out there and put some of the wrongs of last week right. We can’t fault that defensive effort tonight.

"The boys kept coming forward over the 80 minutes and there’s some big boys there that have caused the top teams in the world a lot of problems in the last 18 months in particular.

"So I was really pleased with that effort. It tells you something around the character of the team because you judge a team’s character by its defence normally.

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Has Tomos Williams finally nailed down that scrum-half jersey?

"It’s like any position - if a player is playing well enough, week in week out, he’ll keep the jersey. If they’re not then probably someone else gets an opportunity.

"It’s been a bit of a mixed bag with injuries, but Tomos got the 80 minutes tonight because he’s playing so well. We just felt he needed to stay out there, it’s a good confidence booster for him.

"Everything we asked him to do during the week he’s delivered on. I thought he marshalled the forwards really really well because the effort they put in, they would have been tiring at times and he led from the front with his actions and also his voice.

"I’m very pleased that he had such a good game."

How do you feel Louis Rees-Zammit went at full-back?

"It’s his first Test match in the 15 jersey and I think he did exceptionally well. What Louis brings obviously is express pace so if there’s a bit of a dogleg, if you don’t bring that chase line up, he can hurt you like he did at the start of the game.

"He’s also got a big kicking game which you saw tonight. I thought first up, he made a pretty good fist of it. So it’s pleasing for us because Liam Williams and Leigh Halfpenny have dominated that jersey for a good part of 10-12 years probably, so to have Louis step up and play the way he did, it’s great for us and gives us more depth."

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