A re-jigged Wales will seek to bounce back from another nail-biting defeat by Australia against Fiji on Saturday, with one eye on matches against New Zealand and South Africa to follow.
Cardiff Blues prop Gethin Jenkins will captain a Welsh side showing eight changes to the team beaten 33-28 by the Wallabies last weekend in another dress rehearsal of pool action at next year's World Cup.
Jenkins takes over from Paul James in the front row, while Scott Baldwin of Ospreys will make his first Wales start at hooker.
Flanker Sam Warburton, the regular captain, is being rested by coach Warren Gatland ahead of the November 22 and 29 games against the All Blacks and Springboks respectively.
But there are recalls in the backs for fit-again centre Scott Williams, scrum-half Mike Phillips and fly-half Rhys Priestland, who was jeered by parts of the home crowd when he came on as a replacement in the loss to Australia.
Priestland replaces Dan Biggar, who suffered a groin injury against the Wallabies, while Liam Williams moves from wing to full-back instead of Leigh Halfpenny, who went off with mild concussion during the Australia game.
Jenkins is the only surviving member of the Wales starting line-up from their embarrassing 38-34 loss to Fiji in the pool phase of the 2007 World Cup that saw them crash out.
The South Sea Islanders also held Wales to a 16-16 draw on their last visit to Cardiff four years ago and Jenkins says his memories of those encounters have only hardened his resolve ahead of Saturday's game at the Millennium Stadium.
"I remember drawing with them a few years ago -- there was a down dressing room after that game with them drawing in the last minute -- and I remember the 2007 game in France," said the 108-cap forward.
"They are always going to bring an expansive game and try and take us on out wide. We know what to expect, but we have to concentrate on our game and keep doing the things we did well on Saturday (against Australia)."
Fiji got their November series off to a losing start when they went down 40-15 to France, but coach John McKee has called up Josh Matavesi, who plays his club rugby for Welsh regional side the Ospreys, at fly-half alongside scrum-half Nikola Matawalu of in-form Scottish team Glasgow.
At the teams' last meeting, at the 2011 World Cup in Hamilton, New Zealand, Wales thrashed Fiji 66-0, and the Cornwall-born Matavesi said the Fijian side could only envy the amount of time the Welsh had together ahead of next year's World Cup in England.
"It's alright for the Welsh boys because they have the rest of the autumn and the Six Nations to prepare," he told the Western Mail newspaper.
"We just have November and June, so we have limited preparation. People don't understand how much of a struggle it is to get a side together.
"Wales don't get the visa issues or people coming in on a Wednesday before the Test."
Matavesi added: "Imagine George North turning up three days before facing the All Blacks. It would be unheard of, but we have to get on with it."
Source: AFP
