WALES boss Gareth Williams wants his young players to relish the hostile Argentine atmosphere when they kick off their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign on Tuesday, writes Chris Kirwan.

The 28-strong squad have arrived at their Rosario base to continue preparations for their opener against the hosts (kick-off 5pm), a clash that is followed by pool games against champions France and Fiji.

Warren Gatland's seniors triumphed twice against the Pumas in Argentina last summer and Williams hopes the next generation can follow in their footsteps to get their tournament off to a flying start.

"It should be a fantastic occasion, the atmosphere will be brilliant," said the head coach. "It's a new experience heading out to Argentina and playing them first will be great.

"They will be excellent hosts, the appetite for rugby out here is immense. I expect it to be a quite passionate atmosphere, as we've seen with the senior teams over the years, it's a difficult place to play but it should be really enjoyable as well.

"We want these players playing in these hostile environments and really showing up strong and relishing it. It is something we'll have to deal with but something we'll enjoy too."

All nations play five games in 20 days in a schedule that pushes squads to the limit.

Eight Dragons have travelled – wings Deon Smith and Rio Dyer, centre Aneurin Owen, scrum-half Dafydd Buckland, prop Tom Devine, hooker Will Griffiths, lock Ed Scragg and flanker Lennon Greggains – along with Caldicot's Nick English, a tighthead with Bristol.

The experience will be invaluable for the youngsters but Williams wants to improve on last year's seventh-placed finish.

"We're development-focused but we want to win every game," he said. "We left Welsh shores wanting to win the World Cup.

"My firm belief is that winning can help development. We need to be careful as coaches that we don't get too focused on the winning, we have to find a balance.

"So while here in Rosario, not only will we be thinking about their development, but we also want to win every game we're involved in."