​Wales head coach Steve Tandy is hopeful his side has learned from the painful experience of their previous meeting with Argentina, a 52-28 defeat in Cardiff that marked the start of his tenure in November 2025. The Pumas’ seven-try rout set the tone, but Wales now have a chance to exact revenge as they prepare to travel to San Juan for the second round of the new Nations Championship on Saturday at 20:10 BST. Reflecting on that first game together, Tandy acknowledged the lessons Argentina offered while emphasizing that the team has moved on since then. “It was our first game together and I thought Argentina gave us a lot of lessons,” he said. “It’s always relevant looking back at games, but we’ve also moved on.”
In altering his selection, Tandy has dropped Rees-Zammit to the bench with Costelow earning the start, while James is hoping Wales’ scrum can help subdue the Pumas. Adams, meanwhile, is optimistic that Wales’ mini-revival on tour can continue. Following autumn defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, and a narrow one-point win against Japan, Wales endured a tough run in the Six Nations, losing their first four matches before finally beating Italy in Cardiff to end a three-year drought in the championship. The Nations Championship began with a 39-24 victory over Fiji in Cardiff, Wales recording back-to-back Test wins for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, with an uncapped victory against the Barbarians sandwiched in between.
“Everyone’s always happy when they win; the sun comes out probably a little bit brighter,” Tandy said. “Winning builds confidence, you learn different things, and it becomes more habitual. The reality for us is we can’t take our eye off the ball because we’ve still got a long way to go. It’s nicer to win, which is great for the players and rewards the hard work they’ve put in.” He added, “It’s great to see for the supporters and for the nation, but we want to win more consistently.”
Tandy also reflected on what the Fiji victory taught Wales as they headed toward Argentina. He recognises that travelling to face the Pumas represents a higher level of opposition, with Wales currently ranked 11th in the world and Argentina seventh. “It’s a great opportunity to see how far our development has come and to play a world-class team in their own backyard,” he explained. “We know this is a major challenge for us. There’ll be lots of passion, they’re at home, it will be hostile. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to embrace that. The boys are used to playing in hostile environments, but it will probably be a bit more intense this weekend.”
Tandy stressed that remaining connected as a team on the field will be crucial, as they will likely endure moments that test their resilience. “When we get an opportunity to put ourselves in the game, it’s about making sure we are ruthless.” He also noted that Wales’ preparation has been constrained by travel, with players enduring a split journey from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires on consecutive days, a trip spanning seven hours in total, which may add to the challenge of tactical readiness for the clash with Argentina.