TOKYO, 21 Sep - Wales coach Warren Gatland (NZL) has named a strong side for their opening Rugby World Cup Pool D game against Georgia at the City of Toyota Stadium on Monday.

Skipper Alun Wyn Jones wins his 129th cap to equal the Wales record of Gethin Jenkins.

He will be joined in the engine room by Jake Ball with Wales only having two fit second-rows.

Flanker Aaron Wainwright, above, tipped to be one of the stars of the tournament, will make his RWC debut.

Wales field 10 of the starting 15 who played against Ireland in Wales's last outing. Elliot Dee, Ross Moriarty, Tomos Williams, Rhys Patchell, and Leigh Halfpenny were starters that day but are moved to the bench for Monday’s game.

Four players return to the starting line-up from Wales’s starting line-up who lost to South Africa in the quarter-final four years ago. Alun Wyn Jones, Gareth Davies, Dan Biggar, and George North all featured that day. North has moved from number 11 to 14 for Monday’s match.

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 Rugby World Cup 2007.

For the fourth World Cup in a row a Welsh player is playing at his fourth World Cup. Alun Wyn Jones joins Gareth Thomas (1995 – 2007), current attack coach Stephen Jones (1999 – 2011), and Gethin Jenkins (2003 – 2015) in featuring in a quartet of Rugby World Cups. 

 WALES

1. Wyn Jones
2. Ken Owens
3. Tom Francis
4. Jake Ball
5. Alun Wyn Jones (capt.)
6. Aaron Wainwright
7. Justin Tipuric
8. Josh Navidi
9. Gareth Davies
10. Dan Biggar
11. Josh Adams
12. Hadleigh Parkes
13. Jonathan Davies
14. George North
15. Liam Williams

16. Elliot Dee
17. Nicky Smith
18. Dillon Lewis
19. Aaron Shingler
20. Ross Moriarty
21. Tomos Williams
22. Rhys Patchell
23. Leigh Halfpenny

RNS yw/sl/sdg/sw