Anscombe to start at fly-half - Wales announce squad to play Georgia

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has named his match-day 23 to play Georgia at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Saturday 7 October and has made six changes to his starting 15, including captain Dewi Lake coming in at hooker and Gareth Anscombe starting at fly-half for the injured Dan Biggar.

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

• Dafydd Jenkins earns his second start of RWC 2023 after playing 50 minutes against Portugal in Nice, and starts alongside Will Rowlands in the second-row for only the second time in his career after England in August.

• After starting the first four tests of his career in 2002, Tommy Reffell wears the number seven jersey for only the third time this year, after earning five of his seven test caps in 2023 off the bench.

• Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe renew their halves partnership for the second time this year after starting alongside each other against Portugal. 

• Rio Dyer makes just his second start at RWC 2023, and is still chasing his first try at this tournament. 

• There are only six survivors in the starting XV from their 13-12 loss against Georgia in 2022 with Gareth Thomas, George North, Tomos Williams, Taulupe Faletau, Dafydd Jenkins and Louis Rees-Zammitt all returning. 
• This will be George North’s 19th Rugby World Cup match – only Gethin Jenkins (21) has played more games at this tournament for Wales. He was one of six Welsh try-scorers against Georgia at RWC 2019.