Warren Gatland has played his strongest possible hand for Wales' Rugby World Cup opener against Georgia on Monday in Toyota, with Alun Wyn Jones captaining a XV featuring 11 of the Grand Slam-winning side from the
Six Nations.
Jake Ball starts alongside captain Alun Wyn Jones in the second row, with Cory Hill still working his way back from a long-term ankle injury and Adam Beard only having arrived in Japan on Saturday following appendix surgery.
Aaron Shingler will provide second row cover from the bench, with Gatland admitting that Beard is not going to be in contention to face Australia next week.
Dan Biggar, Wyn Jones and Aaron Wainwright are the other three players along with Ball who did not start in that famous win over Ireland back in March. They replace Gareth Anscombe (injured), Rob Evans (left out of the squad) and Ross Moriarty, who is named among the replacements. Josh Navidi starts at No 8, as he did recently in the warm-up fixture against Ireland in Cardiff back in August.
Tomas Francis, Wales' best tighthead and cornerstone of the pack, will do battle with arguably the world's top loosehead prop in Georgia captain Mikheil Nariashvili.
Alun Wyn Jones wins his 138th Test cap, moving him one closer to fourth place all-time, currently held by Australia's George Gregan. He will also equal the record of most Test appearances for his country when he draws level with Gethin Jenkins on 129 Welsh caps.
- Telegraph UK
