The two summer tests saw Wales drawn against Argentina and France as a final warm up for the Rugby World Cup with Gareth Jenkins eager to try out his charges having spent several months carefully selecting his final squad for the tournament. After an extensive training period in Nantes during July coupled with the Investec Challenge Test against England at Twickenham that was used to test those squad members pushing for the fringe places in the final cut all done and dusted, the final squad announced for the World Cup on the 12th August was put through its paces in the two Invesco Summer Series tests.

Argentina were first up for Wales, a team that had grown in stature across the course of the last season and a half recording significant wins, not least of which included a November 2006 victory over England at Twickenham. Going into the match Argentina were also a team ranked above Wales in the IRB table.

Wales’s own record against Argentina didn’t make for pretty reading going into the first match of the series having not beaten the Pumas since the Summer Tour of 2004 when a hat trick of tries from Shane Williams blitzed the Argentine defensive line in the second Test; Mike Ruddock’s second competitive match in charge of Wales. Since then Wales had capitulated twice to the Pumas during the 2006 Summer Tour where a young development side narrowly lost the first Test 27-25 before being comprehensively out gunned 45-27 in the second.

Overall, since 2001, results against Argentina made for troubled viewing with four beatings in five Test outings. A 2001 Autumn Series match at the Millennium Stadium saw Wales crash 16-30 to the visitors as rugby league convert Iestyn Harris experienced a stifling encounter with the South Americans on his Wales debut.

Coupled with that, the opening match of the 2004 Summer Tour was a pulsating yo-yo match where Wales failed to comprehensively control the lead against a fired up home side losing the tie 50-44 in the final outcome in the Estadio del Atlético. Argentina’s rise up the World Rankings going into the first match of the Invesco Perpetual Summer Series coincided with them racking up some impressive results. In addition to their victory over Wales in 2004, they also bested France 14-24 at the Stade Velodrome during the autumn tour and a week later forced Ronan O’Gara into single-handedly producing Ireland’s fight back from the boot. His late winner took the scoreline to 21-19 and spared the blushes of the Lansdowne Road faithful who considered themselves lucky after Ireland had failed to get the ball over the Argentine line.

After all the hype, the team that would go on to shock France in the opening match of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, dispense with Ireland, reach a semi-final and finish third overall in the tournament disappointed in their warm up against a Wales side that produced free-flowing rugby and looked comfortable scoring three tries; even if the final quarter of the match proved an edgy affair.

Argentina opened the scoring with an interception try from wing Ignacio Corleto. However, that was Argentina’s only contribution to the opening 40 minutes and having gone behind, Wales’s first choice XV began to impose themselves on the game. Dominating territory and possession Wales counter-attacked the Pumas catching them on the break to score three tries in quick succession. James Hook produced a move of brilliance to set Gareth Thomas up to stretch his all-time Wales try-scoring record to 39 beneath the posts, Mark Jones touched down a loose kicked ball as it passed over the line and Alun Wyn Jones opened his account for Wales with a brilliant crash down.

However, Wales took their foot off the pedal in the second half and the team ranked fifth in the world hit back with another Coleto try followed by two penalties from Federico Todeschini. A late scramble on Wales’s line produced a crossover from Martin Durard that referee Chris White judged as a knock-on following TV replays, sparing Wales’s blushes.

With a much needed victory secure Wales turned to France in the final match of the Invesco Perpetual Summer Series. The hosts for the 2007 Rugby World Cup came to Cardiff cresting on the wave of a double victory over the then Rugby World Cup Champions 15-21 at Twickenham and an even more satisfying 22-9 at the Stade Velodrome in Marseilles.

The history of recent results between Wales and France counted for little going into this tie. Wales had failed to win three out of the previous four encounters between the two with a ratio of six French wins to two Welsh wins since the Six Nations competition began in 2000. However the patterns of play, possession and try counts in those games didn’t necessarily reflect the score; as recently as February’s clash in the Stade de France, Wales had won the try count by 3-2 but finished a point short of their hosts after David Skrela’s boot proved more efficient than Stephen Jones’s.

Seen by many as the team most likely to halt the All Blacks from cantering to the Rugby World Cup title and as host nation, France could not afford to fall at the final hurdle coming out of their warm up campaign and into the tournament for real.

In a match of controlled possession by the visitors, Wales failed to match up to the four tries they scored with the alarm bells sounding for the home side as early as the first minute as Aurelin Rougerie found himself stopped just metres short of the line. Lionel Beuxis contributed 12 points from the boot as France ensured a disciplined approach to rugby absent in the RBS Six Nations encounter months beforehand. Wales showed good line-out handling and made good use of the ball in hand but failed to break down a dogged French resistant defence.

Jerome Thion opened the try-scoring for the visitors with Pierre Mignoni following shortly after from a charge down by Imanol Harinordoquy. Rougerie got his reward after 60 minutes and Sebastien Bruno finished things for the French late on. James Hook ensured Wales were on the scoreboard with a try towards the end of the first half but all-in-all it was a disappointing send off for Wales with a kick off against Canada only a fortnight away.

With the Rugby World Cup over, news of the inaugural Prince William Cup match was announced with Wales hosting South Africa at the Millennium Stadium on November 24th 2007, the only international fixture to be played by two countries in the autumn window during Rugby World Cup year.

Nigel Davies as Caretaker Coach was charged with selecting a team to take on the Springboks who later arrived at the Millennium Stadium as World Champions.

The prospect of a match against the World Champions needed little billing, yet more expectation was placed upon the likely Wales line-up that Davies would pick with Gavin Henson returning to the international fold, Tom James returning to the squad since coming on at the death at Twickenham in August and new boy Morgan Stoddart of the Scarlets receiving his first call up to a Wales squad; and Davies, in charge for only one match free to paint a match canvas of his own choosing without constraint.

The World Champions arrived in Cardiff with a nearly full complement of medal winners from the match against England in Paris only weeks before. Wales introduced a new captain in the form of prop Gethin Jenkins with South African born Rhys Thomas of the Dragons also getting his chance to test his mettle in the other prop berth. Looking to the future, Davies also introduced Robin Sowden-Taylor for the first time in a season at No.8 filling the void of international retirement left by Martyn Williams with Luke Charteris returning on the bench and, with injury to Lee Byrne, Morgan Stoddart started for Wales at fullback.

Showing their class as World Champions, South Africa played Wales for a second time in an Invesco Perpetual Series match and eased their way to a 12-34 victory in a generally good-natured game. Allowing Wales to play the attacking game, South Africa relaxed and stiffened their own attack whenever Wales came close to registering a score. In the smoke of the pre-match fireworks Wales threw the kitchen sink at their opponents but failed to find a chink in the armour of fifteen collective green jerseys. JP Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Juan Smith and Ryan Kankowski powered over for four well-worked quick tries that kept Wales at arm’s length until the latter’s effort pulled the visitors well away towards the end of the match.

Stoddart relishing his turn in a red jersey nearly scored on his debut in the first half when he was caught just short of the line only for Charvis to follow up and become a World title holder himself; as the leading forward try-scorer in international rugby. Stoddart didn’t have to wait long for a chance to make his debut a dream debut and when James Hook decided to go ‘off-script’ and float a ball out to the right hand side of the South African try line he out-jumped Bryan Habana of all people to catch the chip and touch down for the home side.

Hook missed the Charvis conversion but got the Stoddart one but it was to little avail as the Springboks failed to provide adequate opportunities to keep the scoreboard ticking away from crossing the try line. In the presence of Prince William, John Smit added the Prince William Cup to the William Webb Ellis Cup in his recent trophy cabinet by lifting it to the assembled crowds at the Millennium Stadium.