Wales v Samoa: Teams

Gatland: Ambitious

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Wales coach Warren Gatland has called on his players to throw down a marker for the 2011 World Cup by beating Samoa at the Millennium Stadium on Friday.

Wales have been paired with the South Sea Islanders in the pool stages in New Zealand - with Samoa having recorded wins at the 1991 and 1999 World Cups.

And although their next World Cup meeting is two years away, Gatland insists a win now will have a positive impact.

"If we do get a result, we are laying down a bit of a marker for two years' time," he said.

"In Hamilton (in 2011) it will be different because they will have a huge amount of support.

"We want to get to a stage where there is always an expectation (to win). A motivating factor for New Zealand in their driving force is the fear of failure because the consequences are dramatic back home.

Ambitious

"We are not afraid of getting to that stage. We are ambitious as a team, and we don't want to run away from those expectations."

Gatland has made five changes from the side that went down 19-12 to the All Blacks.

British and Irish Lions trio Shane Williams, Stephen Jones and Martin Williams are among those rested, with Tom James, Sam Warburton and Dan Biggar stepping in.

Experienced duo Huw Bennett and Dwayne Peel also come into the starting XV.

Rookie Ospreys prop Craig Mitchell and flanker Jonathan Thomas have been named among the replacements.

Samoa have named seven Premiership players in their match-day squad - with five in the starting XV.

London Irish flanker George Stowers will lead the Samoans, with Exiles team-mate Seilala Mapusua, David Lemi, Mahonri Schwalger and Filipo Levi also in the line-up and Jonny Faamatuianu and Henry Fa'afili on the bench.

Wales: 15 J Hook (Ospreys), 14 L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), 13 T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), 12 J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), 11 T James (Cardiff Blues), 10 D Biggar (Ospreys), 9 D Peel (Sale Sharks), 1 G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), 2 H Bennett (Ospreys), 3 P James (Ospreys), 4 A-W Jones (Ospreys), 5 L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), 6 A Powell (Cardiff Blues), 7 S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), 8 R Jones (Ospreys, capt).
Replacements: 16 M Rees (Scarlets), 17 C Mitchell (Ospreys), 18 B Davies (Cardiff Blues), 19 J Thomas (Ospreys), 20 M Roberts (Scarlets), 21 J Davies (Scarlets), 22 M Stoddart (Scarlets).

Samoa: 15 L Lui (Apia), 14 D Lemi (Wasps), 13 G Williams (Clermont Auvergne), 12 S Mapusua (London Irish), 11 A Tuilagi (Apia), 10 F Fili (Wellington), 9 J Polu (Bay of Plenty), 1 J Va'a (Glasgow), 2 M Schwalger (Sale Sharks), 3 C Johnston (Toulouse), 4 F Levi (Newcastle), 5 I Tekori (Castres), 6 G Stowers (London Irish, capt), 7 O Treviranis (Apia West), 8 H Tuilagi (Perpignan).
Replacements: 16 A Williams (Apia West), 17 S Taulafo (Tasman), 18 K Thompson (Dax), 19 J Faamatuianu (Bath), 20 U Mai (Apia West), 21 H Fa'afili (Leeds Carnegie), 22 T Esau (Apia West).