Wales head coach Warren Gatland is set to select from a fully-fit squad for Saturday’s Pool A decider against Australia at Twickenham.
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Gatland has lost almost a sixth of his original 31-man World Cup group to tournament-ending injuries – Leigh Halfpenny, Rhys Webb, Scott Williams, Hallam Amos and Cory Allen – but the situation is now better than at any point during the competition.
Full-back Liam Williams (concussion) and prop Paul James (calf muscle) were not available for last week’s victory over Fiji, but both players could be involved when Gatland names his match-day 23 today to face the Wallabies.
“We’ve had a longer turnaround for this Australia game, which has benefited the lads a lot,” Wales’ consultant head of physical performance Paul Stridgeon said. “We managed to give them a couple of days off after the Fiji game, so they come into this game a bit fresher.
“We are all fully fit. We have got a couple of bumps and bruises, but generally we are good to go. England losing took a bit of pressure off us, but our goal has always been to top the group. Warren has placed a lot of emphasis on this, but he has given the boys a bit of freedom and told the boys they can go out and play a bit this week.”
If Wales top the group, they are likely to face Scotland or Japan in the quarter-finals, but defeat against Australia would mean a probable last-eight appointment with twice world champions South Africa.
Gatland is likely to make a small number of changes for the Wallabies clash, with prop Samson Lee, Luke Charteris and flanker Justin Tipuric among those who could gain call-ups.
Former England fitness chief Stridgeon, meanwhile, has paid tribute to the Wales squad.
“The culture here is so strong,” he added. “The boys have a great work ethic, no egos, and we haven’t had one person question one aspect of the training. That’s fantastic as a coach to come into an environment that is so hard-working.”
