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Edwards wary of Georgia’s all-round game

Edwards wary of Georgia’s all-round game

Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards knows Georgia are preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime clash at Principality Stadium on Saturday.

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Visiting head coach Milton Haig will take on his fellow New Zealander Warren Gatland when their respective sides meet in Cardiff for the Under Armour Series tie.

Edwards knows Wales are in for a tough challenge.

He said: “It is probably Georgia’s biggest game for 10 years outside of World Cups because they are fighting desperately for entry into the Six Nations.

“They know a good performance against Wales would put them in good stead, I presume.”

The Eastern European side are well-known for their forward power, but Edwards knows Georgia are far from a one-trick pony.

“We know Georgia are going to come with a driving and scrummaging game, but they actually play a lot more rugby than you would think,” said the former Wigan great.

“We are certainly not underestimating them in any way, shape or form. For me, defensively, it’s stopping their first phase, stopping that driven line-out

“Everyone knows they have a big pack with a big scrum and a good driven line-out, but their number 10 is very creative, the number 12 is a real handful for getting them over the advantage line, and they are very dangerous on kick-returns. We will have to be on our guard.”

Wales boss Gatland has indicated he will make changes to his side for this weekend.

Fly-half Rhys Priestland, his fellow backs Rhys Patchell and Owen Watkin, and back three flyer Hallam Amos are all pushing for starts.

Up front, Kristian Dacey, Leon Brown, Seb Davies and Dan Lyidate will hope for a spot in the XV.

One man who won’t be involved is centre Jonathan Davies who suffered an ankle injury in the 29-21 defeat to Australia.

Davies – man of the series for the British & Irish Lions in their draw with New Zealand last summer – faces six months out and will miss the 2018 Six Nations.

“Jon is a massive loss, there is no doubt about that and they are big shoes to fill,” said Edwards.

“We wish him a speedy recovery. He is probably the form 13 in world rugby and he is going to take some replacing. But the last World Cup was a great example of where we had injuries and just had to get over it.

“We were in the toughest group there has ever been in that tournament and we had an horrific injury list. People were falling down left, right and centre, and we still got through it.

“We have to show a bit of the resilience we have shown in the past.”

Edwards continued: “I am incredibly upset for the player. It is Jon’s third really, really big injury in the last three or four years.

“I am not saying he is irreplaceable, but it would definitely be one of the positions you would least want to lose. I have got a lot of work to do in the next three weeks.”

Under Armour Series 2017 – BUY TICKETS HERE

WALES v GEORGIA – Saturday, 18 November 2017 (14:30)
WALES v NEW ZEALAND – Saturday, 25 November 2017 (17:15) SOLD OUT
WALES v SOUTH AFRICA – Saturday, 2 December 2017 (14:30)

Official Hospitality Packages are available from 02920 822 413 or visit www.wru.wales/hospitality and official travel packages can be purchased from the WRU’s official travel supplier, Gullivers Sports Travel by visiting www.gulliverstravel.co.uk

The WRU’s official resale marketplace, which gives clubs the opportunity to re-sell a limited selection of their allocated tickets to the general public, can also be found at www.seatwave.com/wru

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