Wales will kick off their bid to lift the ever elusive Rugby World Cup trophy by playing against Georgia who will be looking to make it out of the group stage for the very first time and registering their 5th win in world cup games. While Wales will be looking to end it with maximum points when the two sides meet on the 23rd of September, 2019, Georgia will be battling their hearts out as they add more sauce to their bid to be included in the 6 Nations tournament.

Previous Game Result

Wales beat Georgia 13-6 when these two sides last met in the 2017 November Internationals. Hallam Amos scored the only try of the match for the Welsh XVs in the opening half and Georgia tried to make a 2nd half comeback but Wales held on. Priestland converted the try and added two more penalties for Wales while Matiashvili kicked two penalties for Georgia’s only points of the game.

Head to Head

Wales and Georgia have only met once in a game that Wales won by 13-6

Key Players

Dan Biggar has received both love and hate from different quarters of the Welsh fanbase but the outside-half has what it takes to decide games single-handedly. His unshakable mental resolve will be crucial for Wales in this game and in the tournament as a whole. Another player to watch for the Welsh side is Gareth Davies who is deadly on the break and Georgia should be worried of the threat that he poses.

Soso Matiashvili is capable of the impossible and Wales will be wary of the threat posed by the Lelo Saracens winger. Additionally, Mamuka Gorgodze made a comeback to feature for Georgia in their 4th consecutive tournament while Gela Aprasidze will be looking to lift the crowds with exciting performances as they too look to hit Wales on the break.

Game Prediction

Wales come into this game after winning just one game in 4 warm-up matches while Georgia are winless in the previous 5 matches in the run-up to the RWC. Moreover, Wales have a 57% win rate in RWC games having won 21 and lost 16 in 37 world cup matches with an average of 28.35 points per game while Georgia has a 25% win rate in 16 RWC matches having won 4 and lost 12 and averaging 12.31 points per game in that period. However, 2 of the 4 Georgia wins came in the 2015 RWC Pool Stage and they will be looking to improve on that tally but beating Wales will be a tough ask.

Prediction: Wales to Win

Wales 29-12 Georgia