Wales v Fiji: Gareth Anscombe aims to prove Test longevity

Gatland confirmed Anscombe will have the goal kicking duties this weekend.

The Wales coach accepts Anscombe, who has played 37 internationals in nine years, has adapted his game after also suffering a serious knee injury which ruled him out for two years between 2019 and 2021.

“He won’t like me saying this but he has lost a yard or two of pace from where he was, whereas in the past he was able to cover that full-back position,” said Gatland.

“But having that experience coming back into the side has been good over the last few weeks.

“He brings a lot of confidence and self-belief into the squad. He does communicate well with the players, which is important from a leadership perspective.”

Anscombe’s inclusion will allow Ben Thomas to switch from fly-half, a position he filled on two occasions during Wales’ summer tour of Australia, to his more familiar inside centre role where he will form a new-look midfield partnership with Max Llewellyn.

“I think he [Thomas] has been playing well,” said Gatland.

“He’s got a good balance to his game. He’s not afraid to carry the ball to the line and the pleasing thing is he looks like he’s a player who has time on the ball, that helps his decisions.

“We know there’s not a huge amount of space in international rugby and he has the ability to shift the ball.”

Gatland has only named two replacement backs on the bench against Fiji, which includes Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow.

“Hopefully Gareth goes out and gives a good performance but Sam has been training exceptionally well and starting to develop a good understanding of the game,” said Gatland.

“We feel confident Gareth can get through the game but also we’ve got someone who can come on and hopefully add something to the performance.

“Sam has looked sharp, so we are pleased with those two at the moment.”