TOBY Faletau is calling on Wales to match Argentina’s ‘big brutes’ on Saturday as they continue to lick their wounds after last weekend’s disappointing defeat to South Africa.

A brutally physical encounter saw Wales lose 24-15 to the world’s No 2 despite a valiant effort at the Millennium Stadium.

This weekend Wales face an Argentina side who are reeling from a poor Rugby Championship campaign, losing all six games in a tournament which sees them take on the Boks, New Zealand and Australia both home and away.

The Pumas will be without their talismanic number eight and captain Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, who has fractured his elbow, and desperate to halt a miserable losing streak of 11 matches against leading Test sides (they have beaten Uruguay, Chile, Brazil and Georgia this year).

In fact the last time Argentina won was just over a year ago against Wales in Cardiff on November 10, 2012 when they were worthy 26-12 victors against their abject hosts.

But those hopes of heralding in a new era after easily downing the then Grand Slam champions, they have suffered a number of humiliating defeats since, including a 73-13 battering by the Boks in Soweto in August and a 54-17 setback against Australia in Rosario last month.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game against the Pumas, who lost heavily again last weekend (a 31-12 loss to England at Twickenham), Faletau emphasised how sapping Wales’ loss to the Boks was.

“That was up there with one of the most physical games I’ve played in and it took its toll,” he said.

“I was disappointed with the result I guess. But to play one of the best teams in the world is a great experience and it was a good learning curve.

“We’ve got to recover and get ourselves ready for Argentina this weekend which will be another physical challenge.”

Faletau, who celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday, added: “We lost to them last year and hopefully it will be a better result this time.

“Argentina are big brutes so we’ve got to match their physicality and their forwards.

“I think we managed to match South Africa’s physicality but we just couldn’t get enough points on the board.

“They will miss Lobbe – he’s been such a big player for them – but I’m sure the player in his place will do just as well.”

And Faletau is delighted to be working alongside his uncapped Rodney Parade teammate Hallam Amos, the 19-year-old Cardiff University medical student training with Wales, along with fellow regional full-back and wing Tom Prydie, after injuries to Scarlets duo Jonathan Davies and Liam Williams.

“It’s been good to have Hallam involved,” Faletau said. “He has been really playing well for the Dragons and it was great for him to have the call up. It’s like anything, he just takes everything in his stride, nothing seems to faze him at all.”