RECENTLY voted the best tighthead prop in the game’s history, Gwent rugby great Graham Price tips Wales to comfortably see off a ‘weak’ Argentina this Saturday.

A member of the mythical Pontypool front row which reigned supreme for club and country in the 1970s, Price was named in a Legends XV selected by French rugby magazine Midi Olympique.

In all, two other Welshmen (Gareth Edwards and Gerald Davies), five All Blacks, five Frenchmen and two South Africans made up a ‘dream team’ selected by journalists and enthusiasts as the finest the world has seen.

At a lavish reception on the Champs-Élysées in Paris last week, the 61-year-old was honoured alongside ‘teammates’ like New Zealand superstars Richie McCaw and Dan Carter at an event dubbed as rugby’s ‘Oscars’, Wales’ current full-back Leigh Halfpenny crowned international player of the year.

“It was a bit overawing to be honest to be among so many great players,” said Price, who won 41 Wales caps between 1975 and 1983 and played in 12 successive Tests for the British and Irish Lions.

“There were forwards I looked up to when I was growing up in the 1960s like France’s Walter Spanghero and Jean Iraçabal, Gareth and Gerald who I had played with for Wales, guys like Danie Gerber, Phillip Sella, Michael Jones and Jonah Lomu – you can’t really get a player much bigger than him – right up to the stars of the modern era in Richie McCaw and Dan Carter.

“I was chatting to Richie who told me the All Blacks are looking for payback against England at Twickenham this weekend after New Zealand lost there last year.

“It was great to meet all these players – Michael Jones was brilliant – and they all seem so humble with their feet firmly planted on the ground.”

Looking ahead to Wales’ showdown with Argentina on Saturday at the Millennium Stadium, Price thinks the Six Nations champions will chalk up a much needed win after last weekend’s disappointing 24-15 defeat to South Africa.

“In theory we should comfortably account for Argentina, but when you look at our stats in recent autumn campaigns, they’re not good,” he said.

“Wales haven’t won a game against all opposition since 2009 so it’s becoming a bit of a pattern.

“They say Wales are slow starters but that shouldn’t be occurring in this professional era of the game.”

The Pumas have hit a rocky patch and haven’t beaten an International Rugby Board top ten ranked team since beating Wales 26-12 last November in Cardiff.

“Argentina have a mountain to climb, but who knows?” Price added. “Wales shouldn’t take any side lightly, but the Pumas are very weak at the moment.”

Midi Olympique's Legends XV: Serge Blanco (France), Gerald Davies (Wales), Danie Gerber (South Africa), Philippe Sella (France), Jonah Lomu (New Zealand), Dan Carter (New Zealand), Gareth Edwards (Wales), Jean Iraçabal (France), Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), Graham Price (Wales), Bakkies Botha (South Africa), Benoît Dauga (France), Walter Spanghero (France), Richie McCaw (New Zealand), Michael Jones (New Zealand).