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Mark Orders & Ben James

Wales v Georgia exact scoreline predicted - our experts say what will happen

Wales are seeking to avoid a banana skin as they take on Georgia in their third autumn international on Saturday.

Last weekend's win over Argentina eased the pressure on Wayne Pivac after the horrendous opening November loss to New Zealand. But Welsh fans will want to see the team turn on the style and run in the tries against the weakest opposition Justin Tipuric and his team will face this autumn.

What's in store? Our expert writers make their predictions.

Ben James - Strong selection will help

These third autumn matches have always largely - other than a 70-point thrashing of Tonga under Warren Gatland - gone one way in the past couple of decades.

READ MORE: Gwyn Jones on why Rees-Zammit can transform Wales' creative game from 15

Wales make a raft of changes, there's a lack of cohesion and they just about stumble past a stubborn Tier Two side. Or, in the cases of Fiji in 2010 and Samoa in 2012, they don't.

But this time, as he looks to prepare for the final match with Australia, Pivac has steered away from that narrative. Against Georgia this weekend, he's gone fairly strong.

The backline is arguably as strong as we've seen it this autumn, while the pack is largely unchanged from the one that got the better of Argentina. Sure there's the odd change, with Ben Carter handed a start and the potential for debutants off the bench, but this side should get the job done easily.

Hopefully, we'll see some progression in the attacking game too, having seen glimpses of what Louis Rees-Zammit can offer from full-back last weekend. He won't be around for the Wallabies clash, so he'll be looking to finish the autumn with a bang here.

Wales 42-13 Georgia

Mark Orders: A tighter game than many expect

Wales are expected to win comfortably after the latest batch of autumn internationals. While Wayne Pivac’s side were beating Argentina, the eastern Europeans were losing at home to Samoa.

But there are good reasons why the hosts should guard against complacency. Georgia will look to test his team in the front five and if the efforts of their U20s in the summer are anything to go by, they will also aim to want to test the home side's appetite for defending driving mauls.

The visitors also have threats behind, led by Lyon’s exceptional full-back Davit Niniashvili, who played a key role in his club’s European Challenge Cup triumph last term, with scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze a clever operator.

GRAB YOUR COPY: Get your brilliant 48-page Wales at the World Cup preview spec

Wales have pace and mobility in their back row, where Justin Tipuric and Jac Morgan were superb against Argentina, but they look short of a power ball carrier and will have noted that Georgia beat Italy in June, three months after the Azzurri defeated Pivac’s men in Cardiff.

With the likes of Tipuric, Morgan, Ken Owens, Adam Beard, Tomos Williams, George North, Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit, Wales should have too much quality. But if their forwards have an off day, the game may not be as one-sided as some might expect.

Wales 29-14 Georgia

Simon Thomas - Wales, but it'll be hard work

The Georgians are not to be taken lightly having beaten Wales’ Six Nations conquerors Italy 28-19 over the summer and coming tantalisingly close to defeating Samoa last weekend.

But Wayne Pivac has resisted the huge changes you often see against Tier Two opposition in the autumn, picking a strong side, so you would expect a home win, albeit one that could be hard work at times.

Wales 28-12 Georgia

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