The Wales coach Warren Gatland has defied what has become World Cup convention that it takes experience to succeed. While South Africa exited the tournament last weekend despite taking the field against Australia with the most capped line-up in their history, Wales's faith in youth earned them a place in the last four.

The men in red go into Saturday's semi-final against France at Eden Park with a starting line-up that contains, for the first time in more than 25 years, a greater number of players who have tasted success more often than defeat in the national jersey than vice-versa.

The four players whose Wales appearances have been marked more by defeat than victory have all won at least 57 caps. Of the five who have a positive record, Jonathan Davies, Sam Warburton and Toby Faletau are 23 or younger.

Gatland said he had become concerned that too many players had become scarred by losing and he had opted for an infusion of youth to help remove the fear of failure. One of Gatland's protégés, however, will miss the semi-final. The outside-half Rhys Priestland has failed to recover from a shoulder injury sustained in the final minutes of the victory over Ireland. Few would have predicted 10 weeks ago that the 24-year old, who is not the first-choice outside-half for his region, the Scarlets, would have become an integral part of the side.

Not that Wales have a shabby replacement. James Hook will win his 58th cap, but it is only his 18th start in his favourite position. Wales have won 12 of the 17 Tests in which he has started at outside-half, including the 2008 grand slam decider against France, the last time Gatland's men defeated Les Bleus.

Wales have a poor record against France since 1982, winning just seven of the 33 encounters between the sides, but it will be the first time they have met in the World Cup. "We just look at this as new territory," said the full-back Leigh Halfpenny. "None of us has been here before. It is mad. I have never seen so much media attention in my life."

The flanker Dan Lydiate took in the media scrum with a smile. "It makes you feel excited," he said. "This is where you want to be. I just cannot wait for the game to come around. Everyone is really good. The camps we had in Poland in the summer brought everyone together. We are all mates, ready to throw our bodies on the line."

There is a youthful exuberance to Wales that makes France feel apprehensive, yet it was only seven months ago that the Six Nations encounter between the sides was largely one-sided with France easing to their third consecutive victory in the fixture. "This is a World Cup semi-final," said the second-row Luke Charteris. "There will be no holding back because we want to take the final step. If we get our processes right, we are confident we will get the right result. We believed coming into this tournament that we could win it. It is fun being part of this side because the coaches encourage us to play an expansive game."

Fun is not normally a word associated with World Cup semi-finals. Think England and France in 2007, a dour kicking contest. Wales have stepped lightly so far but have always carried an element of surprise. Could they be luring Les Bleus into a tighter, cagier game than they will be expecting?

"It is knockout rugby now," said the centre Jamie Roberts, whose nose, broken last weekend after one of his many charges into the Ireland defence, will likely receive some attention. "We do not want to rein in our open game, but we know that against France it only takes one turnover and they can hurt you. We will have to pick our moments to play rugby."

Wales will celebrate if they win, but only for a few hours as the players observe a curfew. "Despite reports, there has not been an alcohol ban," said Gatland. "A lot has been made out that we have become like monks. We are not whiter than white: there has just been a sea-change in terms of professionalism. We knew the players could make an impact if they looked after themselves and they have done that."