Wales v Georgia LIVE: Result and reaction as Louis Rees-Zammit scores hat-trick to confirm top spot in group
Wales 43-19 Georgia: Warren Gatland’s side top Pool C as Rees-Zammit’s hat-trick eased any late nerves
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Your support makes all the difference.Winger Louis Rees-Zammit scored a hat-trick of tries as Wales rugby beat Georgia rugby 43-19 to secure first place in Rugby World Cup Pool C on Saturday and a quarter-final against Argentina or Japan.
Wales, who lost their last match against Georgia 11 months ago, went into halftime with a 17-7 lead after tries by prop Tomas Francis and fullback Liam Williams but then faced a spirited fightback from the Georgians. They had crossed the Wales line before the interval through captain Merab Sharikadze and stunned the Welsh with successive tries after the hour mark from replacement prop Vano Karkadze and wing Davit Niniashvili.
Rees-Zammit and centre George North scored late tries to extend the Welsh lead. Flyhalf Sam Costelow, a last-minute replacement for Gareth Anscombe who was injured in the warm-up, kicked 14 points for Wales. Georgia finished fourth in the pool with no wins and one draw against Portugal despite spirited performances against all their opponents including Australia and Fiji.
Follow all the reaction as Wales defeated Georgia in their final Pool C match plus get all the latest Rugby World Cup odds and tips here:
Warren Gatland has weaved his magic
When Gatland returned for a second stint as Wales head coach at the start of 2023 – his first was laden with Six Nations titles, Grand Slams and World Cup consistency – he took charge at a time when results had dropped through the floor and confidence plummeted.
The Six Nations played out against a back-drop of financial concerns in Welsh professional rugby and contractual worries for players, with strike action only averted just days before Wales met England in Cardiff.
But after an uninterrupted World Cup preparation period that started in late May, Gatland has moulded a squad seemingly on course for a third semi-final appearance during the last four global tournaments, underlining his status among the game’s finest coaches of any era.
Quarter-final opponents to be decided
While Wales got the job done early in terms of progressing from their group, a race for runners-up spot in Pool D will come down to an eliminator between Argentina and Japan on Sunday.
The Pumas have proved underwhelming so far, losing comprehensively to 14-man England, before edging out Samoa and then providing only glimpses of form when they eased past minnows Chile.
Across their three games, Japan have looked more impressive, setting up an intriguing encounter in Nantes for the likely right to face Gatland’s team at Stade Velodrome, Marseille next week.
Wales’ World Cup record against Argentina and Japan is strong – played five, won five.
Wales in charge of World Cup pool
Wales’ World Cup form has proved a far cry from the misery of last season’s Six Nations, when they only avoided the wooden spoon by beating Italy in Rome.
There were doubts whether Wales even would progress from a pool that also included Australia, Fiji and Georgia, but three-successive wins, a quarter-final place secured one game inside the distance and only one point now required to top the group highlight how dominant Gatland’s team have been.
Given their struggles of earlier in the year, few could have expected such an impressive revival.
Pool C permutations
Wales were the first team to secure their spot in the last eight with victory over Australia, and will top the pool assuming they avoid a slip-up against Georgia.
Fiji will join them if they take even a single point from their final game against Portugal due to their head-to-head win over the Wallabies, whose last hope is a Portugal upset in which Fiji fail to either score four tries or remain within seven points.
Mike Forshaw expecting ‘ferocious 80 minutes’ when Wales face Georgia
Mike Forshaw has predicted a “ferocious 80 minutes” when Wales look to maintain their unbeaten Rugby World Cup campaign on Saturday.
Wales qualified for the quarter-finals with victory over Australia 12 days ago, and they need a point against Georgia at Stade de la Beaujoire to finish top of Pool C.
Argentina or Japan await in the last eight, with Wales heading to Marseille as firm favourites to secure a World Cup semi-final spot for the third time under head coach Warren Gatland.
Mike Forshaw expecting ‘ferocious 80 minutes’ when Wales face Georgia
Wales need one point to finish top of their World Cup group.
Georgia head coach Levan Maisashvili:
"We have had a big disappointment [in the World Cup] but definitely against the Welsh a good result for us will be only winning the game.
"If you watch our game we started to play a more balanced game because we understand if you want to compete in the big games with the big countries, you can’t just have a heavy game with scrummaging and mauling."
Pre-match thoughts from Warren Gatland
Wales head coach Warren Gatland says he wants his team to finish top of Pool C with a perfect record of four wins from four meaning they need to defeat Georgia this afternoon.
"We know we’re in the quarter-finals but we want to finish top of the group and it’s about finishing, trying to win four from four.” he said,
"We are excited about where we are and we are looking forward to going deep into this tournament. Georgia are a good side and they will be a good challenge for us on Saturday."
Georgia team changes
Georgia captain Merab Sharikadze returns after missing his team’s 17-12 defeat against Fiji through injury. He’ll win his 99th Test cap this afternoon.
The centre is one of five changes, with Guram Gogichashvili and Shalva Mamukashvili returning to the front row.
Wales team changes
Warren Gatland makes six changes from the side that earned a comprehensive win over Australia with Gareth Anscombe starting at fly-half for the injured Dan Biggar, who returned to training after a chest injury suffered against the Wallabies.
Co-captain Dewi Lake returns in the middle of the front row, while his fellow co-captain Jac Morgan is rested after starting the first three tournament games.
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