Wales v Georgia: Alun Wyn Jones to win 129th cap in Rugby World Cup opener – BBC Sport

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Captain Alun Wyn Jones will equal Gethin Jenkins’ Wales cap record against Georgia in a team featuring flanker Aaron Wainwright and prop Wyn Jones.

Captain Alun Wyn Jones will equal Gethin Jenkins’ Wales cap record against Georgia in a team featuring flanker Aaron Wainwright and prop Wyn Jones.

Captain Alun Wyn Jones will equal Gethin Jenkins’ Wales cap record when he leads out his side against Georgia in Toyota City.

Jones, 34, will win his 129th Wales Test cap on Monday as he starts his fourth World Cup.

Flanker Aaron Wainwright and prop Wyn Jones start ahead of Ross Moriarty and Nicky Smith.

Josh Navidi is named at number eight with Justin Tipuric completing the back-row.

Head coach Warren Gatland has chosen his strongest side for the tournament opener.

This follows a testing week which has seen backs coach Rob Howley sent home for an alleged betting breach.

It will be a first game for new backs coach Stephen Jones who has arrived in Japan to replace Howley and will only have a couple of training sessions with the players.

Prop Jones is picked ahead of Smith at loose-head in a front-row that also includes Tomas Francis and hooker Ken Owens who makes his first World Cup start in his third tournament.

With locks Cory Hill and Adam Bead missing for the first game through injury, Jake Ball partners captain Jones in the second-row with Aaron Shingler covering the position among the replacements bench.

Ospreys lock Jones has also won nine caps for the British and Irish Lions.

Dragons flanker Wainwright has been chosen at blindside with Josh Navidi preferred at number eight to Moriarty and Justin Tipuric completing the back-row.

Scrum-half Gareth Davies partners Dan Biggar at half-back with fly-half Rhys Patchell fit to take his place on the replacements bench after suffering a head injury in the final warm-up game against Ireland.

Scarlets centres Jonathan Davies and Hadleigh Parkes again link up in the Welsh midfield alongside full-back Liam Williams and wings George North and Josh Adams.

With an average age of 28 years 331 days this is the oldest Wales starting 15 at the Rugby World Cup – 80 days per man older than the team which beat Japan 72-18 at the 2007 tournament.

Liam Williams (Saracens); George North (Ospreys), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Hadleigh Parkes (Scarlets), Josh Adams (Cardiff Blues); Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints), Gareth Davies (Scarlets); Wyn Jones (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Alun Wyn Jones (capt, Ospreys), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues).

Replacements: Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Elliot Dee (Dragons), Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues), Aaron Shingler (Scarlets), Ross Moriarty (Dragons), Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues), Rhys Patchell (Scarlets), Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets)