Wales will be competing against Portugal in their second pool stage match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. They are part of Pool C, alongside Fiji, Portugal, Australia, and Georgia. In their first game against Fiji, Wales secured a hard-fought victory with a score of 32-16, placing them in a strong position to qualify as one of the top two teams in the group. The match against Portugal will take place on Saturday, September 16th at 4.45pm BST (5:45 p.m. local time).
Wales’ head coach, Warren Gatland, has made 13 changes to the squad for this game. Only two players remain from their previous match, winger Louis Rees-Zammit and number eight Taulupe Faletau. Dewi Lake will captain the team as hooker, while full-back Leigh Halfpenny will become Wales’ oldest back to play at the Rugby World Cup, surpassing Shane Williams. This selection also includes former England prop Henry Thomas, who will be defending his Wales cap in this tournament. Other key players who will be rested for this match include Dan Biggar, Liam Williams, Nick Tompkins, George North, and Will Rowland.
The match will be held at Stade de Nice, a stadium with a capacity of 35,983 people. This stadium is known for hosting matches during Euro 2016, as well as the 2019 Rugby World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup. It has also been used as the home stadium for Ligue 1 club OGC Nice, as well as Top 14 home matches for RC Tourone.