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Wales boss Warren Gatland has reported a clean bill of health among his World Cup squad heading into the crunch tournament opener against Fiji.<\/p>\n
Co-captain Dewi Lake and number eight Taulupe Faletau were among a handful of players who nursed injuries during Wales\u2019 World Cup warm-up Tests.<\/p>\n
Number eight Faletau played no part in those fixtures due to a calf muscle problem, while hooker Lake went off after suffering a knee injury during Wales\u2019 defeat against England at Twickenham.<\/p>\n
Ryan Elias, Dafydd Jenkins and Gareth Anscombe have also recovered to be available for Sunday\u2019s Pool C clash in Bordeaux.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last couple of weeks we\u2019ve had a few niggles \u2013 we had eight or 10 players not taking a full part in training,\u201d Gatland said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cNothing serious, but just a few bumps. They\u2019ve all been rehabbed and everyone is now fit, which is a positive place for us to be in.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe (Faletau) has been taking a full part in training for the past three weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no doubt in the first week he was blowing pretty hard in terms of some of the set-piece stuff the boys have been doing for a number of weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has taken a little bit of time, but we\u2019ve kept a close eye on his GPS figures and they have been excellent for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though he hasn\u2019t been running around, he has done a lot of off-feet conditioning. Some of the work on the side of the pitch is harder than being on the pitch, and he is definitely in contention for the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lake departed during the first half at Twickenham, and the hooker added: \u201cIt always plays on your mind when you come off injured 20 minutes into a game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very grateful to be sat here, to the medical staff who got me through the three weeks at home and the coaching staff for selecting me post-injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to get me ready for this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wales trained amid temperatures of more than 30 degrees on Tuesday, while the forecast for Sunday\u2019s encounter is for 28 degrees at kick-off, even though the game does not start until 9pm local time.<\/p>\n
It is understood that World Cup organisers are considering water breaks during the opening round of pool fixtures.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like the ball on the park as often as we could. We think we\u2019re in pretty good shape physically,\u201d Gatland said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of that, we are not going to push back on water breaks if that\u2019s what is decided. We won\u2019t be arguing with World Rugby on that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
It will be a fifth successive World Cup for Wales and Fiji to meet in the pool stage, and Sunday\u2019s victors will take a significant step towards the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n
Fiji are fresh from an outstanding away victory over England, and they are fancied by many to defeat a Wales side with just three wins from 13 Tests.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought they were excellent at Twickenham,\u201d Gatland added. \u201cThey have got some great athletes, we are aware of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are a lot more structured now as a team than they would traditionally have been in the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to impose our game on them as well. We know they are a good side at the moment, and a lot of their side play in Super Rugby and in France as well. It\u2019s going to be an exciting challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have always had incredibly world-class individual athletes who could open up a game. But bringing that organisation and structure makes them more dangerous.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think from a coaching perspective, the ultimate pinnacle is the World Cup. It\u2019s the one time in international windows that you get full preparation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like you\u2019re working with a club side in having a pre-season. We\u2019ve been able to work on a lot of things in the last few months in terms of the detail and putting together a strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n