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<\/p>\nTaulupe Faletau has been ruled out of the tournament <\/p>\n
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Wales have suffered a major Rugby World Cup injury blow after Taulupe Faletau was ruled out of the tournament with a broken arm.<\/p>\n
Number eight Faletau came off during Wales\u2019 43-19 win over Georgia in Nantes which cemented their place at the top of Pool C.<\/p>\n
The veteran back rower was subsequently seen in a sling and Warren Gatland confirmed after the game that he would miss the remainder of the World Cup.<\/p>\n
The loss of Faletau is significant, with the No 8 a vital part of Gatland\u2019s first-choice forward pack.<\/p>\n
Wales will be able to call up a replacement ahead of next weekend\u2019s quarter-final against either Argentina or Japan in Marseille, while Aaron Wainwright is the likeliest candidate to start at No 8 in the current squad.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ve got to look at a replacement for Faletau, whether that is directly as a loose-forward replacement or whether we look at another position,\u201d Gatland said afterwards. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a few sore players, particularly in the backs, after today\u2019s game. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe felt that he was starting to come back to his best. He was excellent last week in terms of his footwork and carrying and stuff, taking kick-offs and giving us some go-forward as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big loss for us. We\u2019ll just have to make a decision in terms of how we look at the balance of the back row going forward and in particular for next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
There may yet be more injury woe for Gatland, who was forced to make the latest of changes to his side after fly half Gareth Anscombe suffered a groin injury in the warm-up.<\/p>\n
Sam Costelow stepped in at late notice with Dan Biggar recovering from the injury he suffered against Australia.<\/p>\n
Gatland clarified that Anscombe, who was left in tears, would be assessed over the coming days to determine the severity of his injury and decide whether he requires replacing in the 33-man squad.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalking to the medics, he\u2019s got a bit of power still in his leg which is a positive, it means it hasn\u2019t fully come off the bone,\u201d the Wales head coach explained. \u201cWe\u2019ll probably know in the next 48-72 hours in terms of what we need to do with him, whether we have got time for him to recover or whether we need to make a replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Full back Liam Williams also reportedly left the stadium on crutches with an apparent knee injury, but Gatland suggested afterwards that he thought the issue was not \u201csignificantly bad\u201d.<\/p>\n
Wales will play the first of two last-eight ties in Marseille next Saturday after topping their group, with wing Louis Rees-Zammit recording a hat-trick in a bonus point win over a gutsy Georgia. <\/p>\n