Wales spring surprise with Faletau's replacements

SQUAD UPDATE: Wales confirmed that Scarlets scrumhalf Kieran Hardy has been called up to the World Cup squad.

The scrumhalf has replaced injured loose forward Taulupe Faletau.

The No.8 has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after suffering a broken arm during Saturday’s 43-19 win over Georgia.

Hardy will be the third scrumhalf in the side, with Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies the other two in the original 33-man squad.

Commenting on the scrumhalf’s inclusion, Wales head coach Warren Gatland said: “We feel we have a number of options in the back row at the moment.

“We’ve decided to call up Kieran to give us extra cover at scrumhalf and to take some pressure off from a training perspective.”

The 27-year-old Hardy will join up with Wales in Versailles on Sunday to join preparations for the Argentina game.

Wales face Argentina in a World Cup quarterfinal in Marseille on Saturday, October 14.

#REACTION: “It’s a big loss for us.” #rugby #sports #Wales @WelshRugbyUnion https://t.co/Su8m7jE963

— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) October 7, 2023