Anscombe was due to start at flyhalf against Georgia but tweaked his groin while kicking in the warmup and withdrew. The injury was high up, Gatland said, and more will be known in 48 hours. “He’s got a bit of power and stood on his leg which is a positive, it means it’s not come off the bone,” he said.
But it’s doubtful whether Anscombe will be fit in a week, and Wales usual starting 10 Dan Biggar was already carrying a damaged pectoral muscle from against Australia two weeks ago. When Anscombe was hurt, Sam Costelow played flyhalf and Biggar was pressed onto the bench, though he was the only reserve not to be used on Saturday.
The bonus-point win gave Wales 19 points out of a possible 20 in pool play and secured a quarterfinal next Saturday in Marseille against Argentina or Japan, who meet on Sunday.
Wales needed only a point to win Pool C and secured it with a fourth try in the 67th minute that ended a Georgia comeback from 24-7 down to 24-19.
“It was a bit messy and ugly but we got the job done,” Gatland said.
Probably because of seven changes to the team after crushing Australia, and having a quarterfinal already sewn up before kickoff, Wales played without an edge. It went through the motions against a Georgia side that took half an hour to get its game clicking. By then, it was 17-0 down and chasing, and Wales simply waited for errors.
The errors came, and the biggest beneficiary was wing Louis Rees-Zammit, who scored three of Wales’ six tries.
Wales didn’t take long to take charge. When the backs butchered a four-on-two, prop Tomas Francis barged over and scored. Then Costelow threaded a beautiful pass between Georgian defenders for Liam Williams to touch down, and three goalkicks put Wales 17-0 up after 27 minutes.
Georgia made its first entry into the Wales 22 count by forcing an attacking lineout and captain Merab Sharikadze ran over George North to score inside the posts.
Only 17-7 behind at halftime, Georgia needed to score next and was building again. But center Giorgi Kveseladze played first receiver and threw a pass to nobody except North, who sent Rees-Zammit flying away untouched in the 43rd.
Georgia wasn’t fazed with 11 starters from the historic first win against Wales last November.
Soft penalties by Wales gave Georgia the territory to score twice in three minutes. Replacement hooker Vano Karkadze powered over, then wing Davit Niniashvili smoked the defense and finished with a swan dive.
The Lelos were only 24-19 behind and suddenly a game broke out with a quarter to go.
But Wales, just as suddenly, killed the tension with successive tries finished by Rees-Zammit from a Williams chip ahead, then his own kick ahead from 60 meters out. He dribbled the ball into the in-goal and didn’t appear to apply downward pressure but the try is in the record books.
“We need to get the ball in his hands a little bit more,” Gatland said with a smile.
In between those Rees-Zammit tries, Niniashvili didn’t like a tackle over the sideline by Wales’ Taine Basham and they started a melee which ended with both of them in the sin-bin for the rest of the match.
The game finished with Rees-Zammit turning provider for North’s try as Wales remedied a couple of bogeys by beating Georgia after the humiliation of a year ago, and returning to Nantes for the first time since 2007, when Wales was upset by Fiji and eliminated in the pool stage.
Captain and center Merab Sharikadze returns to a Georgia side facing Wales at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday with five changes after the Fiji loss.
Sharikadze’s 99th cap has been accommodated by Giorgi Kveseladze shifting one spot to outside center. They were also the midfield when Georgia beat Wales 13-12 for the first time last November in Cardiff.
The Lelos have 15 survivors from that game, 11 of them starters.
Prop Guram Gogichashvili and veteran hooker Shalva Mamukashvili return to the front row, and Nodar Cheishvili starts with Konstantine Mikautadze in the second row for the first time since the opening loss to Australia.
Lasha Khmaladze at fullback makes his first appearance at his third Rugby World Cup.
The Lelos lost narrowly to Fiji 17-12 last Saturday in Bordeaux. They led 9-0 and had a try ruled out by a forward pass just before halftime.
Georgia is playing for a first win in their last pool game.
Wales is already through to the quarter-finals and wants to secure a fourth straight win to top Pool C.
The Welsh named their side on Tuesday, and changed six of the starting 15 who beat Australia 40-6 in Lyon two weeks ago.
History
Played 4, Wales won 3, Georgia 1
TAB odds
Wales $1.07, Georgia $7.50, Draw $31
How to watch
Sky Sport 1 from 1.45am Sunday
Herald prediction
Wales 40 Georgia 21
Lineups
Wales: Liam Williams, Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Nick Tompkins, Rio Dyer, Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Taulupe Faletau, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Tomas Francis, Dewi Lake (captain), Gareth Thomas. Reserves: Elliot Dee, Nicky Smith, Henry Thomas, Christ Tshiunza, Taine Basham, Gareth Davies, Sam Costelow, Mason Grady.
Georgia: Lasha Khmaladze, Akaki Tabutsadze, Giorgi Kveseladze, Merab Sharikadze (captain), Davit Niniashvili, Luka Matkava, Vasil Lobzhanidze; Tornike Jalagonia, Beka Saginadze, Mikheil Gachechiladze, Konstantine Mikautadze, Nodar Cheishvili, Beka Gigashvili, Shalva Mamukashvili, Guram Gogichashvili. Reserves: Vano Karkadze, Nika Abuladze, Irakli Aptsiauri, Vladimer Chachnidze, Giorgi Tsutskiridze, Gela Aprasidze, Tedo Abzhandadze, Demur Tapladze.
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