Wales v Georgia predictions and rugby union tips: Lelos ready to go down fighting

Where to watch Wales v Georgia

ITV1, 2pm Saturday

Best bet

Georgia +17
2pts 10-11 general

Wales v Georgia odds

Wales 1-12
Georgia 9-1
Draw 40-1

Wales v Georgia preview

Considering Wales and Georgia have met just four times, all in the last six years, this fixture carries a fair bit of baggage.

Their first contest in 2017 ended in controversy as Georgia trailed 13-6 late on but were dominant at the set-piece before uncontested scrums were called and their advantage was negated.

Wales won 43-14 at the 2019 World Cup and 18-0 in the following year's Autumn Nations Cup, but last November the Lelos pulled off a shock 13-12 win in Cardiff which helped bring down the curtain on the Wayne Pivac's spell as head coach.

Pivac lasted another week before defeat to Australia sparked his sacking and the return of Warren Gatland.

Gatland will no doubt have banished all talk of that November defeat and has named a strong side for this match. But while the Welsh can't take their opponents lightly, they know they have a quarter-final berth in the bag and won't relish the kind of physical contest Georgia present.

Winger Louis Rees-Zammit and number eight Taulupe Faletau are both starting their fourth pool match of four so managing playing time will be a key consideration for Gatland, and given how obdurate and frustrating Georgia can be as opponents, this could well turn into a scrappy, stop-start affair.

Having shipped two early tries in their opener against Australia, Georgia fought back well for long spells, and while they were disappointed to draw with Portugal, they set out on the front foot against Fiji, leading 9-0 at the break.

That clash showed Georgia at their battling best and they have a strong record against tier-one teams at the World Cup, having covered the handicap in 11 of their 14 matches.

Wales enjoyed a big win against the Lelos in Japan four years ago but the other three meetings have been close and a handicap in the high teens looks within Georgia's compass.

Teams 

Wales: L Williams; L Rees-Zammit, G North, N Tompkins, R Dyer; G Anscombe, T Williams; G Thomas, D Lake, T Francis, W Rowlands, D Jenkins, A Wainwright, T Reffell, T Faletau.
Replacements: E Dee, N Smith, H Thomas, C Tshiunza, T Basham, G Davies, S Costelow, M Grady 

Georgia: L Khmaladze; A Tabutsadze, G Kveseladze, M Sharikadze, D Niniashvili; L Matkava, V Lobzhanidze; G Gogichashvili, S Mamukashvili, B Gigashvili, N Cheishvili, K Mikautadze, M Gachechiladze, B Saginadze, T Jalagonia.
Replacements:  V Karkadze, N Abuladze, I Aptsiauri, V Chachanidze, G Tsutskiridze, G Aprasidze, T Abzhandadze, D Tapladze 

Team news 

Wales: Captain Dewi Lake returns in one of six changes to the team that beat Australia. Taulupe Faletau and Louis Rees Zammit make their fourth successive starts.

Georgia: The Lelos, already out of the tournament, make five changes to the team pipped by Fiji.

Click for more free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.