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Anscombe misses Welsh cut

Qualified for Wales through his Welsh mother, Anscombe joined Cardiff Blues from Super Rugby giants the Chiefs in 2014.

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He made his Wales debut in the 21-35 World Cup warm-up defeat against Ireland in Cardiff on August 8, but suffered an ankle injury in training last week.

Coach Warren Gatland has included just two flyhalves in Dan Biggar and Rhys Priestland.

The Welsh coach also called up Bath lock Dominic Day and Exeter prop Tomas Francis.

Day was one of the five second row forwards included in the squad, with Francis, who only made his Test debut last weekend, joining fellow props Paul James, Gethin Jenkins, Samson Lee and Aaron Jarvis.

After the squad was announced by Welsh Rugby Union Chairman Gareth Davies at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Gatland revealed first-choice lock Alun Wyn Jones had suffered a knee strain during Wales's 16-10 warm-up win away to Ireland in Dublin this past Saturday.

Anscombe misses Welsh cutJones is now expected to be sidelined for two weeks, placing a question mark against his availability for Wales' World Cup opener against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on September 20.

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"We have ended up going for five second row forwards, and really because it is such an attritional position, and as a result probably Kristian [Dacey] has been unlucky to miss out at this stage," said Gatland.

"Alun Wyn Jones picked up a little bit of a medial strain on the weekend, which is a couple of weeks, Luke Charteris got a bang on the leg, so we have kind of looked at the squad and said that if players pick up knocks we've got cover for them.

"It's a couple of weeks [for Jones]. That engine room is so important for us. I thought he was outstanding on the weekend."

Gatland also spoke of the seven players, including Anscombe, left out of the original 38-man training squad.

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"It is incredibly disappointing for those players that miss out," Gatland said.

"It's hard, but you have got to accept that is the nature of professional sport and we are entrusted to make what we believe are the right calls," added the former New Zealand hooker, himself left out of the All Blacks' 1991 World Cup squad.

Wales will again be captained by Cardiff back row forward Sam Warburton, who led his country to the semifinals of the 2011 edition in New Zealand – a match where he was sent off in an agonising 8-9 loss to France.

The Welsh have been drawn in a tough World Cup pool that features main tournament hosts England and two-time champions Australia, as well as dangerous outsiders Fiji.

As a result, at least one of Rugby Union's major nations will fail to reach the quarterfinals, with only two teams from each of the four pools qualifying for the last eight.

Gatland's men conclude their warm-up programme at home to Italy, thrashed 48-7 by Scotland last weekend, in Cardiff this coming Saturday.

Wales squad:

Backs: Leigh Halfpenny, Liam Williams, Hallam Amos, Alex Cuthbert, George North, Cory Allen, Jamie Roberts, Scott Williams, Dan Biggar, Matthew Morgan, Rhys Priestland, Gareth Davies, Rhys Webb, Lloyd Williams.

Forwards: Taulupe Faletau, James King, Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric, Sam Warburton (captain), Jake Ball, Luke Charteris, Dominic Day, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Scott Baldwin, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Paul James, Aaron Jarvis, Gethin Jenkins, Samson Lee.

Agence France-Presse

Anscombe misses Welsh cut

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