By Lestyn
June 17 2004

WALES have made four changes in personnel and two positional switches for their second and deciding test in Buenos Aries, against Argentina. A stomach bug has played havoc with Wales’ preparations, with Rhys Williams ruled out and Mefin Davies forced onto the bench.

Gavin Henson moves to full back in Williams’s absence, with Tom Shanklin re-taking his vacated inside centre position. Barry Davies makes his first appearance in a Welsh twenty-two, as cover on the bench.

Hooker Huw Bennett is presented with his first starting cap, just eight days past his twenty first birthday.

Another youngster in the shape of Nicky Robinson moves up from the bench, as one of four unforced changes from Wales’s horror show in Tucman, replacing Ceri Sweeney.

Despite a try-scoring debut, Jason Forster is dropped, as Wales look for a more physical back row, with Dafydd Jones starting at blindside, as Charvis returns moves across to open side.

Coach Mike Ruddock is convinced that those players coming in will be able to level the series for Wales;

"Gavin [Henson] is a talented player who filled in capably for Rhys at full-back in the first Test, and we are looking for him to do so again.

"He is no stranger to the position and has played there before at both club and regional levels, and this also gives Tom [Shanklin] a deserved start at centre.

"Tom is a top-quality international centre and it is a testimony to the strength of our squad that we have someone of his calibre to come into the side.

"With Gareth Thomas and Kevin Morgan not making the tour through injury and now Rhys falling ill, you may say we have had little luck with full-backs recently.

"But the squad is rich with talented backs and we have also brought in Barry Davies - who has performed consistently well for the Scarlets in that position - to provide cover from the bench.

"Dafydd Jones is deserving of a chance to impress and he slots into his natural position on the blindside."

The Wales team
15 – Gavin Henson (Ospreys)
14 – Hal Luscombe (Dragons)
13 – Sonny Parker (Ospreys)
12 – Tom Shanklin (Blues)
11 – Shane Williams (Ospreys)
10 – Nick Robinson (Blues)
9 – Dwayne Peel (Scarlets)
1 – Duncan Jones (Ospreys)
2 – Huw Bennett (Ospreys)
3 – Adam Jones (Ospreys)
4 – Brent Cockbain (Ospreys)
5 – Gareth Llewellyn (Unattached)
6 – Dafydd Jones (Scarlets)
7 – Colin Charvis (Newcastle) Captain
8 – Michael Owen (Dragons).

Replacements: 16 – Mefin Davies (Unattached), 17 – Gethin Jenkins (Blues), 18 – Darren Morris (Leicester), 19 – Jonathan Thomas, 20 – Michael Phillips (Scarlets), 21 – Ceri Sweeney (Dragons), 22 – Barry Davies (Scarlets).