Wales’ Jamie Roberts, left, is tackled by England’s Sam Burgess during the Rugby World Cup Pool A match between England and Wales at Twickenham stadium in London
Wales will have a full squad to select from for Saturday’s Pool A decider against Australia at Twickenham, in a reverse of fortunes in an injury-marred campaign.
The Welsh lost six players from their initial 31-man squad, including star fullback Leigh Halfpenny, but the squad has evolved and is unbeaten in three matches, including a comeback 28-25 win over England that contributed to the host team’s pool-stage exit.
Australia, which finished off any hopes England had of advancing with a 33-13 win last weekend, will be without vice-captain Michael Hooper, who is suspended, and likely without injured outside backs Israel Folau and Rob Horne.
Wales had more positive news, with fullback Liam Williams and prop Paul James both likely to be available after missing the match against Fiji with injuries.
“We’ve had a longer turnaround for this Australia game, which has benefited the lads a lot,” Wales team conditioner Paul Stridgeon says. “We are all fully fit. We have got a couple of bumps and bruises, but generally we are good to go.
“England losing at the weekend took a bit of pressure off us, but our goal has always been to top the group.”
The winner of the Australia vs. Wales match will top the pool, and likely avoid a quarterfinal against South Africa.
Fiji
Fiji coach John McKee has dismissed media speculation linking him to the soon-to-be-vacant Japan position, and says he’d like to take Fiji to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
“I am committed to Fiji, and when I return I want to discuss with the board the possibility of extending my contract (to 2019),” he said at Milton Keynes, a day after Fiji’s campaign finished with a 47-15 win over Uruguay in Pool A.
“I’m contracted until 2017 at the moment, and I want to stay there until then, but I feel if I’ve gone all that way with them I should really stay until after RWC 2019 at least.”
Eddie Jones is standing down as Japan head coach after this World Cup, where the team has already performed beyond expectations with an historic upset win over South Africa and another pool stage win over Samoa.
McKee, a New Zealander, was appointed to the Fiji job in May last year, four months after Inoke Male was fired while the national union had its funding suspended by World Rugby. At the time, McKee was Fiji’s high performance director.
The Fijians were divided and dispirited at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, but in the last 18 months, he’s helped to transform their set-pieces to genuinely threaten England, Australia, and Wales at this tournament without losing their flair.
“For Fijian rugby, it’s been a very positive tournament, we have shown we can compete,” McKee says. “There was a lot of talk before the tournament on our set plays and our fitness and whether we would cope, but we have proved that we are a competitive nation.”
New Zealand
New Zealand will be without injured captain Richie McCaw against Tonga in its final pool-stage game at the Rugby World Cup tomorrow, but named an otherwise strong lineup that included Ma’a Nonu for his 100th test appearance.
McCaw is missing with a sore hip, having hobbled off during the 43-10 win over Georgia with what he said were shin and quad injuries.
Prop Charlie Faumuina (hamstring) is the only other unavailable player. AP
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