James Hook insists Argentina will be a threat at the World Cup, as Wales prepare to take on the Pumas on Saturday.
Wales starlet expects Argentina test
James Hook insists Argentina will be a threat at the World Cup, as Wales prepare to take on the Pumas in their penultimate warm-up match.
The 22-year-old scored a try on debut against Argentina last summer, and has continued to blossom under coach Gareth Jenkins' guidance since.
But the Welsh endured a record defeat against England in their last outing at Twickenham and have won just three out of their last 14 matches.
Argentina have moved up to fifth in the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings meanwhile, and Hook is full of praise for the weekend's opposition.
"They have a great pack and some great individuals in their backline. They deserve to be where they are and it's going to be a tough game on Saturday," he said.
"Most teams that play against them know they have been in a game and they are slowly coming up and competing with the world's best teams.
"They are in a very tough World Cup pool and no team will look forward to playing against them. Anything is possible at the World Cup and they could reach the knockout stages."
Gameplan
Despite being three places below in the rankings, Hook is convinced Wales can beat the Pumas by preventing rival fly-half Felipe Contepomi dominating the game.
"They rely on Contepomi at 10," he added. "He's a great player and if we can keep him under wraps a bit, we'll be all right. He's really important to them.
"They play with great forward dominance as well, but if we can win good ball up front and supply our backs with good ball we'll be all right. We don't want to be stuck in a dogfight with Argentina."
Wales play their final warm-up match against France on August 26 before their World Cup opener against Canada on September 9.
