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A day after Wales were defeated by England in a RWC warm-up match the starting test fly half, Gareth Anscombe has been officially ruled out of playing in RWC 2019. The kiwi import was injured in the first half and has been confirmed to have suffered a cruciate ligament injury.
Anscombe is the second Wales player to be ruled out of the tournament in August. He follows No8 Taulupe Faletau in being unable to play in Japan 2019 due to injury.
Both Anscombe and Faletau had been expected to start for Wales at the RWC. Instead Wales are now most likely to play Ross Moriarty to play No8 and Dan Biggar at fly half. Both players are veterans of RWC 2015.
Anscombe’s form in 2018 saw him rising above Biggar to become Wales’ starting fly half. He would hold down the position throughout Wales’ Six Nations Grand Slam campaign in 2019.
The 28-year-old Anscombe was born and raised in New Zealand and speaks with a strong kiwi accent. He played Super Rugby for the Blues and Chiefs before moving to Wales to play for the Cardiff Blues in 2014.
In 2011 he played for New Zealand at the World Rugby u20 Championship. Despite doing so he was able to subsequently be capped by Wales who he qualifies for via his mother.
Wales will compete in Pool D of RWC 2019, doing so against Australia, Fiji, Georgia, and Uruguay. They will play their matches in Toyota, Tokyo, Oita, and Kumamoto. Their final pool match will be against Uruguay on Sunday, October 13.
