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Wales and Australia may be facing point deductions at the Rugby World Cup

Published 10:21 3 Sept 2015 BST

Updated 10:22 3 Sept 2015 BST

Kevin Beirne
Wales and Australia may be facing point deductions at the Rugby World Cup

Homesport

England's Pool A rivals Wales and Australia both run the risk of being deducted points at this year's Rugby World Cup after selecting just two specialist hookers in their final  31-man squads.

According to World Rugby rules, each team must pick six specialist front-row players in their matchday squad - two of which must be specialist hookers. https://twitter.com/WillGreenwood/status/638312699374518272 This means that if any of the Welsh or Australian hookers go down with an injury less than two days before a game, their team could be punished with a points deduction. Teams are allowed to replace injured players in their squads during the tournament, but must wait 48 hours from when the injury was reported to do so. In a group as competitive as Pool A, any points deductions could prevent a team from making the quarter-finals. It certainly seems like a huge risk to take on the biggest stage.

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Wales and Australia may be facing point deductions at the Rugby World Cup