Wales have already qualified for the quarter-finals, but a point here against Georgia will ensure top spot in Pool C and set up a last-eight match against the second-placed team from Pool D in Marseille next Saturday, regardless of the outcome of this weekend’s other pool match between Fiji and Portugal.
But it’s a win Wales want, if only to erase the memory of a first-ever test defeat to Georgia just 11 months ago, when they gave up a 12-3 half-time lead to lose 13-12, courtesy of a late penalty from Luka Matkava.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland unveiled his matchday 23 on Monday. It included six changes to the starting XV from the comprehensive win over Australia – with Gareth Anscombe starting at fly-half for the injured Dan Biggar and co-captain Dewi Lake returning in the middle of the front row.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland said there is no secret to continued success in the pool stage of the Rugby World Cup: "I don't think there is any secret, it is just hard work. We have spoken in the past about the opportunity in World Cup years - the time you get with the players, the time you can put into things. These guys have worked incredibly hard."
Georgia head coach Levan Maisashvili has made five personnel changes to his starting XV after their 17-12 loss against Fiji, with three in the pack, and two in the backs.
Guram Gogichashvili and Shalva Mamukashvili both return to the front row to pack down alongside Beka Gigashvili, while captain and centre Merab Sharikadze returns to the run-on team to win his 99th test cap, and full-back Lasha Khmaladze makes his first appearance at RWC 2023 after playing three matches in the 2011 tournament and four in 2019.
Georgia head coach Levan Maisashvili said they changed the way Georgia play during the past two years: "If you watch our game, not only at the World Cup but in the last year or two years ago, we started to play a more balanced game because everyone understands if you want to go and win big games against tier-one countries you cannot play only this heavy game with just scrummaging or mauling. Also you see they are changing the rules in the maul and there’s much more advantage for a defensive team against the maul, if you see the statistics, it’s obvious.
Teams:
Wales: 1 Gareth Thomas, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 3 Tomas Francis, 4 Will Rowlands, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Tommy Reffell, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 9 Tomos Williams, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 11 Rio Dyer, 12 Nick Tompkins, 13 George North, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 15 Liam Williams. Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Christ Tshiunza, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Mason Grady.
Georgia: 1 Guram Gogichashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 3 Beka Gigashvili, 4 Nodar Cheishvili, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 6 Mikheil Gachechiladze, 7 Beka Saginadze, 8 Tornike Jalagonia, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 10 Luka Matkava, 11 Davit Niniashvili, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 13 Giorgi Kveseladze, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 15 Lasha Khmaladze. Replacements: 16 Vano Karkadze, 17 Nika Abuladze, 18 Irakli Aptsiauri, 19 Vladimer Chachanidze, 20 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Demur Tapladze.
