Wales top Pool C after Rees-Zammit’s hat-trick sinks spirited Georgia
A Louis Rees-Zammit hat-trick prevented Wales slipping to a second defeat against a spirited Georgia side and ensured Wales top their World Cup group. It means they will avoid England in the quarter-finals and are instead likely to face Argentina or Japan in Marseille.
It was a trademark turnover for flanker Tommy Reffell that set up the position inside the Georgian 22 that led to the first try for Wales, a lineout and then a series of drives to the line that ended with prop Tomas Francis charging over from short range.
A few minutes later another penalty kick to the corner allowed the backs take control, with full-back Liam Williams waltzing his way over. Sam Costelow converted both and added a penalty to increase Welsh comfort levels.
That stung Georgia into action and they nearly went over after breaking free from a lineout drive. The ball was kept alive for captain and centre Merab Sharikadze to stretch out to the line to score his side’s first try, converted by Luka Matkava.
That gave Georgia confidence to start the second half strongly after bolstering the front row at half-time, but a loose pass went to the Wales centre George North, who was able to put wing Rees-Zammit clear for a 60-yard run to the line.
The changes, four of the front five within a few minutes of half-time, allowed Georgia to get the upper hand up front and forced Wales to change their whole front row.
The Georgia right-wing Akaki Tabutsadze was just squeezed out in the corner by some desperate defence and the pressure led to penalties, which led to lineouts in the corner where the replacement hooker, Vano Karkadze, barged his way over from close range to keep things interesting.
That was followed by a moment of magic by Georgia’s Davit Niniashvili, running a try in from 40 yards with a dive over the line that was every bit as extravagant as the break.
after newsletter promotion
Quick GuideHow do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
It was the pace of Rees-Zammit that eased Welsh nerves, he was the first person to reach a Liam Williams chip ahead when Wales kept the ball in hand. That was followed by a mass brawl between the two teams with Taine Basham and Niniashvili receiving yellow cards.
Closing tries by Rees-Zammit and North put an unfair gloss on the scoreline.