Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale lending his support...

Image source, Reuters

Under five minutes until the Millennium Stadium erupts. Wales captain wipes his brow as he prepares to lead his team into battle. Scott Williams standing behind him, a big gulp from the centre as they await the call. 

Will Wales slay Uruguay just as they did Namibia four years ago? That match, by the way, marked the most points and tries Wales had scored in a Rugby World Cup match. They will certainly need a bonus point ahead of the tougher ties which are to come.

Image source, BBC Sport

Uruguay have won just two matches at a Rugby World Cup and have been absent from the tournament for 12 years so what does coach Pablo Lemoine make of his team's chances today? 

"It's a very difficult challenge, we never play against these types of teams", he says. 

"We are looking forward because we know what they are capable of and, if we don't do our things correctly, our defence and our offence, we are going to suffer."

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Richard Williams
BBC Sport at the Millennium Stadium

"After concerns about ticket sales ahead of this match, the ground is filling up nicely and there are no tell-tale flags over the seats at one end of the ground, which normally signifies a smaller than usual crowd.

"The mix of fans is extraordinary. Japanese, Australian, Irish and Fiji shirts are dotted among the the daffodils and sparkly cowboy hats we have come to expect in Cardiff.

"The World in Union - it must be, there are even some England shirts on display."

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Fifteen minutes until kick-off and the teams are warming up on the Millennium Stadium turf and Wales prop Samson Lee is among them. 

He's the sort of man who goes ferreting instead of celebrating victory over South Africa with his team-mates. But the Scarlet, described as a once-in-a-generation tight-head by Lion Adam Jones, has quite ferreting for rabbits to ensure he's 100% for the World Cup. That's dedication.

"The last thing I want is to slip and rupture my Achilles again. I'm trying to keep off it," said 22-year-old, who ruptured his Achilles against Ireland during the Six Nations.

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BBC Sport Wales' Richard Williams: "Cardiff has the feel of a city where something special is happening - like a Six Nations match day, but different. 

"Outside the ground the Fanzone is milling with fans of all ages wearing a wide variety of team colours. As well as the red of Wales and the blue of Los Teros, there are Irish, Tongan, Fijian and at least one Cook Island shirt on display. 

"The neutrals - and there are a lot - will want to see a repeat of Japan's defeat of the Springboks. Welsh fans, on the other hand, will feel they have been on the wrong side of enough World Cup shocks already, thank you very much!"

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Every cloud has a silver lining, so they say, because Leigh Halfpenny's injury has inspired Welsh entertainer Max Boyce to write a new song, called The Halfpenny piece. , external

Had Halfpenny not injured his knee, the world would be without another Boyce classic. You win some, you lose some...

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There's no denying Leigh Halfpenny's absence from this World Cup is a loss for Wales and the tournament. 

For those of you who don't know, you can get updates on team news, scores and results on your phone thanks to the BBC Sport app. If you like the sound of that - click here to find out more. 

Image source, BBC Sport

There's live coverage of this afternoon's match on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra - which you can listen to on this page - and there's also live coverage on BBC Radio Wales. Take your pick. 

Uruguay's squad is full of amateurs and no-one in coach Pablo Lemoine's line-up has played at a Rugby World Cup before. 

On the back of Japan's victory over South Africa, if Uruguay beat Wales fish will start climbing trees and the sky will turn fuchsia pink. 

Image source, BBC Sport

"We will go with our foot down for the full 80 minutes," says Wales captain Sam Warburton. 

The men charged with just doing that this afternoon are not Wales' big-hitters, but Liam Williams and Samson Lee, key players in this tournament, start after recently coming back from injury.

Image source, BBC Sport

Warren Gatland, perhaps rugby's equivalent of former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson for his enjoyment for manipulating the mind, has been bullish on the back of the disappointment of losing three key players to injuries. 

There's no Leigh Halfpenny, no Jonathan Davies, no Rhys Webb. Three of their best players are out, out, out. 

They're in the Group of Death and underdogs to progress to the quarter-finals. Australia are still to come. England are still to come. 

But Wales fans are an optimistic lot when it comes to rugby, sort of, and there's no better way to start the most closely contested Rugby World Cup in recent memory than an opener against a group of part-timers. 

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