Wales coach Warren Gatland praises his side as ‘b****y tough to beat’ as the team prepare for Georgia clash having already topped Pool C and qualified for quarter-finals
- Wales take on Georgia in their final game of the pool stages, but are already top
- 1st place is guaranteed for Wales, they will play Argentina or Japan next round
- Warren Gatland has praised his side’s positive turnaround after a difficult runĀ
- Latest Rugby World Cup 2023 news, including fixtures, live scores and results
When Warren Gatland said in the build-up to this World Cup his Wales side would ādo something pretty specialā and āsurprise some peopleā in France, it was difficult to see that happening.
After returning for a second spell as Wales head coach, Gatland oversaw an awful Six Nations at the start of the year as his team was dogged by problems both on and off the field.
But, with such issues now put to one side, the New Zealanderās August comments have come to look almost prophetic. On Saturday, Wales are likely to seal top spot in Pool C with a win over Georgia.
āThe whole focus for this group has been about the rugby and building confidence,ā said Gatland, whose team is already in the quarter-finals after wins over Fiji, Portugal and Australia.
Warren Gatland has transformed Wales into a tough team to beat after difficult pre-World Cup
Wales are unbeaten so far in the tournament, registering wins over Australia, Fiji and PortugalĀ
āTheyāve worked their butts off. I couldnāt have asked more in terms of what this group of players has put into it.
āMaking a comment or statement like that is not just about what I say, itās for the other coaches and players.Ā
If they go out there and implement the game plan and create that self-belief, then we know weāre a tough team to beat. That was very much the focus early on for us.
āWe didnāt talk early on about winning as a group.Ā We talked about becoming a b****y tough team to beat and if youāre a tough team to beat, then often the performances and results take care of themselves.Ā
āThatās where we are at the moment. If we give a good performance on Saturday then we can look forward to a quarter-final.ā
Wales donāt even need to win against Georgia to finish top of Pool C, but they should still do so regardless given the strong side named by Gatland and the injuries in the Lelos camp.
Walesā quarter-final opponent will be one of Argentina or Japan who are vying to finish as runners-up to England in Pool D.Ā
Like Wales and Georgia, the Pumas and the Brave Blossoms also meet in Nantes this weekend with that game taking place tomorrow (SUN).
Gatland has indeed made Wales tough to beat once again. His team has confidence and momentum behind them.Ā Gatland said this week Wales are in an āoutstanding place.āĀ
It might be enough to take them to what would be a third World Cup semi-final under Gatland.Ā
Wales should beat Georgia and either Argentina or Japan is an eminently winnable first knock-out game.
Gatland was brought in to replace Wayne Pivac and is enjoying his second stint as head coachĀ
Captain and flanker Jac Morgan has been a stand-out player for Wales in this Rugby World Cup
The team has showed strong unity, and will play Argentina or Japan in the quarter-final
Like England, Gatlandās men are benefiting from being in the easier half of the draw.
Wales lost to Georgia in November last year in a result which hastened the Welsh Rugby Unionās decision to replace former head coach Wayne Pivac with a returning Gatland.
A repeat shock is unlikely. Gatland has rested captain Jac Morgan and key figures Dan Biggar and Adam Beard but Wales should still have more than enough.
Only four players who lost 13-12 to Georgia at Principality Stadium in 2022 start in Nantes.
Wales v Georgia: Pre-match facts
Wales: L Williams; Rees-Zammit, North, Tompkins, Dyer; Anscombe, T Williams; G Thomas, Lake (capt), Francis, Rowlands, Jenkins, Wainwright, Reffell, Faletau
Replacements: Dee, Smith, H Thomas, Tshiunza, Basham, Davies, Costelow, Grady
Georgia: Khmaladze; Tabutsadze, Kveseladze, Sharikadze (capt), Niniashvili; Matkava; Lobzhanidze; Gogichashvili, Mamukashvili, Gigashvili, Cheishvili, Mikautadze, Gachechiladze, Saginadze, Jalagonia
Replacements: Karkadze, Abuladze, Aptsiauri, Chachanidze, Tsutskiridze, Aprasidze, Abzhandadze, Tapladze
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Kick-off: 2pm, Saturday October 7
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