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Preview: Wales v Canada

Canada: Watch this man!

Wales will want to silence their critics and put in a flawless display against a pumped up Canada outfit in their Pool B Rugby World Cup opener at the Stade la Beaujoire in Nantes on Sunday.

After the disappointment of the Six Nations and the pre-World Cup warm-up matches, the time has come for Wales to prove to the world that they are still a force to be reckoned with.

How Wales perform in the World Cup will decide Gareth Jenkins' fate after recording just four victories in sixteen starts since taking over as coach - pretty dire stats by any standards.

Wales and Jenkins will be looking to improve that diabolical breakdown and make it five wins from seventeen against what is expected to be a typically strong and forceful Canadian team.

One has to wonder then why Jenkins has opted to bench inspirational skipper Gareth Thomas for the opening match - surely any side under pressure to perform will want to have their skipper calling the shots from start to finish.

Thomas makes way at inside centre for Sonny Parker - a move which Jenkins said was a rotational process and part of the tournament strategy. For Parker it will be his fourth World Cup match and he will be hoping to add to his tally of three tries.

55-cap scrum-half Dwayne Peel will be taking over the captain's reigns for the first time and becomes the 124th player to captain Wales.

The matchday 22-man squad boasts 63 Rugby World Cup appearances and if Thomas takes the field, "Alfie" will make his twelfth World Cup showing for Wales and lift him one clear of co-record holder Ieuan Evans.

But, as usual, the game will be decided up front and the Welsh pack have got to put in a major effort because the Canadians will give it a go, especially early on.

Canada coach Ric Suggitt is relying on a beefed-up pack and a touch of experience in a bid to upset Wales and show the world that they are not in France to make up the numbers.

The Welsh gave the Canucks a 61-26 hiding in their last outing in a match played in Cardiff last year and have beaten their North American rivals in their past seven encounters.

Suggitt decided to adjust his squad following the heavy loss to Wales and a 64-13 loss at the hands of New Zealand in June.

He added more size to his pack, drafting in veterans Jamie Cudmore, Mike James, Rod Snow and Jon Thiel for the battle in Nantes.

"This is a different team than the one that lost (to Wales) in November," said Suggitt.

"We have to try to do things to frustrate them and make them play uncharacteristic rugby."

If Canada have any chance of causing an unlikely upset over Wales, they need to halt their momentum and prevent them from gaining an early ascendancy.

But as history shows, the Canucks have a woeful 1-11 win-loss record against Wales, with their sole victory coming in 1993.

Players to watch:

For Wales: With Stephen Jones making a swift recovery from a groin injury, James Hook will want to prove that he is the main man for the job at fly-half during the World Cup. He has bailed Wales out of countless situations since making his debut against Australia in 2006. It is widely believed that Hook will go on to become the regular number ten for Wales and could one day be one of rugby's greatest ever players. His footwork and running ability will be key to breaking down the charged up Canadian wall of defenders.

For Canada: Mike Pyke is a dangerous full-back with ball in hand as well as with the boot. His deceptive pace was shown against the All Blacks when he touched down for an 80m sprint from an intercept to give Canada a short-lived lead in June. A try against New Zealand works wonders for anyone's confidence and Pyke - if given quality ball to work with - will not be holding anything back against the Welsh.

Head-to-head: Dwayne Peel (Wales) v Morgan Williams (Canada). A mouth-watering battle looms between the two scrum-halves as both captains will look to guide their team behind two heavy-weight packs. Williams, with obvious Welsh ancestry and 51 international caps, is Canada's most capped scrum-half and will captain his team for the thirteenth time. Both players deliver quick service to their fly-half and are dangerous around the rucks and mauls. Peel will have his work cut out for him against Canada's veteran number nine, and will have to put the pressure on captaining his country for the first time behind him when the two teams take to the pitch on Sunday.

Past results:

2006: Wales won 61-26 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
2005: Wales won 60-3 at York Stadium, Toronto
2003: Wales won 41-10 at Colonial Stadium, Melbourne (RWC)
2002: Wales won 32-21 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
1999: Wales won 33-19 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
1997: Wales won 28-25 at Markham
1994: Wales won 33-15 3 at Markham
1993: Canada won 26-24 at Cardiff Arms Park
1987: Pool B Wales won 40-9 in Invercargill (RWC)

Prediction: Canada are a team with nothing to lose and everything to gain and should give the Welsh a run for their money. Though just like a drunk Welshman on ice - the Canucks will at some point slip up, and then struggle to regain their footing. Wales to win by 30 points.

The teams:

Wales: 15 Kevin Morgan, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin,12 Sonny Parker, 11 Shane Williams, 10 James Hook, 9 Dwayne Peel (c), 8 Alix Popham, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements: 16 T Rhys Thomas, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Michael Owen, 19 Colin Charvis, 20 Michael Phillips, 21 Stephen Jones, 22 Gareth Thomas

Canada: 15 Mike Pyke, 14 Dth van der Merwe, 13 Craig Culpan, 12 Dave Spicer, 11 James Pritchard, 10 Ander Monro, 9 Morgan Williams (c), 8 Sean-Michael Stephen, 7 Dave Biddle, 6 Jamie Cudmore, 5 Mike James, 4 Luke Tait, 3 Jon Thiel, 2 Pat Riordan, 1 Rod Snow
Replacements: 16 Aaron Carpenter, 17 Dan Pletch, 18 Mike Pletch, 19 Mike Burak, 20 Colin Yukes, 21 Ed Fairhurst, 22 Ryan Smith

Date: Saturday, September 8
Kick-off: 14:00 (13:00 BST)
Venue: Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
Touch judges: Dave Pearson (England), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Television match official: Malcolm Changleng (Scotland)
Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)