Wales coach Steve Hansen has virtually finalised his starting line-up for next weekend's opening World Cup clash against Canada in Melbourne.

Hansen has told the players who has and who hasn't been selected, but won't make it public knowledge until Friday.

"There is probably only one position I'm still tinkering with in my mind, the rest of them I'm pretty sure of," said Hansen, whose squad is currently preparing in Canberra for their Pool D campaign.

"We will now just tighten a few nuts here, screw in a few screws and make sure that we are ready.

"We need to be ready with our set pieces and ready with our game plan and ensure that people understand what their roles are as individuals and as a collective group."

With competition heavyweights New Zealand expected to go through the pool matches undefeated, the battle for second spot among the other Pool D sides - Wales, Italy, Canada and Tonga - is expected to be tight.

"We've spoken about the fact that for us to be successful, everybody needs to step up to the plate," Hansen added.