With three wins already in the bag at the World Cup, Wales attack coach Alex King is looking for the players to keep their standards high as they prepare to face Georgia in Nantes in their final pool game on Saturday.
Under King’s guidance the Welsh side has conjured up 11 tries and have already qualified for the quarter finals. Now they want to finish off the job by making it back-to-back clean sweeps at the pool stages to ensure they take top spot in Pool C and set-up a clash with either Argentina or Japan in the knock-out phase.
Under King’s guidance the Welsh side has conjured up 11 tries and have already qualified for the quarter finals. Now they want to finish off the job by making it back-to-back clean sweeps at the pool stages to ensure they take top spot in Pool C and set-up a clash with either Argentina or Japan in the knock-out phase.
“We want to win the game and we want to carry the momentum of the last four weeks. We’ve got high standards, and it is important we adhere to them whoever we are playing,” said King.
“We understand the threat Georgia pose after meeting them in Cardiff 11 months ago, and from the performance they put in against Fiji last weekend. I know one of the coaches (Joe Worsley), and he is a good friend of mine, so I know they will be absolutely firing at the weekend.
“It was great to get five points against Australia and qualify – it was a step in the right direction. But we’ve got to finish well.”
The try in the second minute by Gareth Davies against the Wallabies set the tone for the record 40-6 victory over them. It was a score that came right out of the attacking playbook.
“It’s the balance of the whole team whether that’s attack, defence, kicking game, forwards, everything has to be a good score to win those games. Australia came together but there are certain areas to improve on,” added King.
With Dan Biggar still nursing his injured pectoral muscle received early on in the win over the Wallabies, Gareth Anscombe makes his second start at No 10. He turned into a matchwinner against the Aussies with 23 points from the boot and a delightful dink over the top of the defence to set up a try for Nick Tompkins.
“Dan is just getting his recovery in after his slight injury. He is in the recovery stage and it’s important he gets back ready for the quarter-final,” said King. “Gareth was great after coming on after only nine minutes. If something happens in the game, it shows the guys on the bench have an important role to pay.
“They need to be ready to go straight away, and even the guys who aren’t in the 23. If something happens between Monday and the weekend you have to know your role and be able to step in at a moment’s notice.
“The strength of this squad is the 33, it’s not just the 15 who start.”
