Uruguay eager to confirm their progress with Namibia win

LYON, France :Uruguay number eight Carlos Deus, who scored a try when Los Teros beat Namibia in a warm-up match last month, has been recalled to the starting back row for Wednesday's meeting between two sides desperate for a World Cup win.

Coach Esteban Meneses made one other change to his pack from the 38-17 loss against Italy for the Pool A fixture both teams have a genuine chance of winning with Diego Arbelo replacing Ignacio Peculo at tighthead prop.

In the backline, centre Felipe Arcos Perez, who also scored a try against Namibia in the warm-up, will play his first match of the tournament in place of Tomas Inciarte, while Bautista Basso comes in on the right wing for Gaston Mieres.

Nine of the starting team played in the 26-18 win over the southern Africans in Montevideo at the start of August.

"We recently faced them, but this is a totally different stage," Meneses told reporters on Monday. "For them it is the most important game they have and they have said it openly, 'for us, it’s a final'.

Meneses is expecting a set-piece battle and wants to stop Namibia getting front-foot ball to unleash their backs.

"Their scrum, lineout and maul are their strengths," he said. "They play a very physical game but we are prepared for that. We know what we are facing and the entire team is prepared to defend that and to attack."

Uruguay captain Andres Vilaseca says this is a massive chance for them to add a victory to two promising performances in defeat against France and Italy so far in Pool A.

"Uruguay has only won three games in the history of the World Cup, and this perhaps adds some pressure on our side," he said.

"There are a lot of people talking about the good performances we are having at this World Cup, but the truth is