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Georgia national rugby union team

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Genadigeno (talk | contribs) at 15:05, 22 February 2020 (→Most caps). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the sevens team, see Georgia national rugby sevens team.

Georgia
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknamesBorjgalosnebi, Lelos
EmblemBorjgali
UnionGeorgia Rugby Union
Head coachLevan Maisashvili (Interim)
CaptainDavit Kacharava
Most capsDavit Kacharava (121)
Top scorerMerab Kvirikashvili (840)
Top try scorerMamuka Gorgodze (27)
Home stadiumMikheil Meskhi Stadium
First colours
Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current12 (as of 16 February 2020)
Highest11 (2016, 2019)
Lowest23 (2009)
First international
 Georgia 16–3  Zimbabwe
(Kutaisi, Georgia; 12 September 1989)
Biggest win
 Georgia 98–3  Czech Republic
(Tbilisi, Georgia; 8 April 2007)
Biggest defeat
 Georgia 6–84  England
(Perth, Australia; 12 October 2003)
World Cup
Appearances5 (First in 2003)
Best resultPool stage, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019
Websitewww.rugby.ge

The Georgia national rugby union team (Georgian: საქართველოს მორაგბეთა ეროვნული ნაკრები), nicknamed The Lelos, is administered by the Georgian Rugby Union. The team takes part in the annual Rugby Europe Championship (previously named European Nations Cup) and participates in the Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years.

Georgia is currently considered a second-tier rugby union nation and is one of the world's fastest-growing rugby nations. The Lelos participate in the Rugby Europe Championship, winning the tournament in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 seasons. The bulk of the national squad are based in France, in both the Top 14 and lower divisions. This is a practice that was popularized by former national team coach, Claude Saurel, a Frenchman.

Rugby is one of the most popular sports in Georgia. The national team qualified for the Rugby World Cup four times, first in 2003 – playing against rugby powers such as England and South Africa. The Lelos recorded their first ever World Cup win in 2007 Rugby World Cup, where they beat Namibia 30–0. As of 6 February 2017, Georgia are ranked 12th in the world by World Rugby. Since 2013, Georgia has hosted the World Rugby Tbilisi Cup.

History

Main article: Rugby union in Georgia

Soviet era

There were several unsuccessful attempts to introduce a rugby union into Georgia, the earliest known being in 1928, with subsequent attempts also in 1940 and in 1948. Rugby was introduced to Georgia by Jacques Haspekian, an Armenian man from Marseilles in France who taught the game to students in the late 1950s through to the mid-1960s, although he then subsequently returned in France. He is still alive and living in Marseilles, he was interviewed on French radio on the occasion of Georgia playing France in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The very first rugby session was held on October 15, 1959 in Tbilisi, at the racecourse, where 20 people attended the meeting. The first Georgian club formed was the GPI (Georgian Polytechnical Institute), now known as "Qochebi".

Rugby's popularity in Georgia might be explained by its resemblance to the traditional Georgian game named "Lelo" or "Lelo Burti" (meaning "Field Ball"). This game was played in Georgia from ancient times and is still played on occasions in rural areas. A field ("Lelo") was selected between two river creeks which represented a playing ground. Two teams, usually consisting of the male population of neighboring villages, would face each other. The number of players from each side was not set, but included any able men each village could summon. A large, heavy ball was placed in the middle of the field and the goal of the game was to carry it over the river creek of the opposing side.

The first teams appeared in 1959. The Georgia Rugby Union was founded in 1964, but until the late 1980s it was part of the Soviet Union's rugby federation. The rugby union connection between France and Georgia started as links were established by the then powerful French Communist Party and many other left-wing organisations. Georgia initially did not have its own team and its best players would play for the USSR team.

In 1988 Georgia produced their first national sevens side. In September 1989, Georgia got together with other FIRA countries to host a tour by Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's first match on the tour was in the wet against Georgia in Kutaisi, west of Tbilisi, which Georgia won 16–3. The next year Georgia went to Zimbabwe where they played two tests, losing the first in Bulawayo and winning the second 26–10 in Harare.

1990s

On 9 April 1991 Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union. Georgia was now a rugby union nation but getting matches was not easy: the old Soviet team continued under the name Commonwealth of Independent States. Georgia were limited to the odd game against Ukraine until they gained membership of the World Rugby in 1992.

French coach, Claude Saurel, first arrived in Georgia in 1997 with a brief to assess the standard of sport; he and his development team have helped boost the profile of the sport. Saurel went on to work with the Georgia national rugby sevens team, until he was appointed as the national coach in the summer of 1999.

Georgia's 1998 loss to Romania saw them play a two legged repechage play-off against Tonga to qualify for the 1999 World Cup. On that occasion Georgia lost the first leg 37–6 in Nukuʻalofa before a 28–27 win in Tbilisi. This was not enough and Georgia failed to qualify.

2000s: World Cup play

Georgian team celebrating victory

After France and Italy dropped from the reborn European Nations Cup, Georgia became a major force in the tournament. In 2000, Georgia finished second in the competition, finishing behind Romania. The following year, Georgia improved upon this, winning all five of their matches during the 2000–01 tournament, and thus finishing at the top of the table. They clinched the title by beating Romania away 31–20 on the final day. Rugby union took off in the country, the travel and opportunities to land lucrative contracts in France made rugby union a glamorous pursuit in Georgia. Georgia placed second in the 2001–02 tournament. When Georgia played Russia in the European Nations Cup 65,000 people crammed into the national stadium in Tbilisi.

Georgian first made an impact at Rugby Sevens by finishing a respectable 10th in the 2001 edition of the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Argentina.

In October 2002 Georgia faced Russia, in what was at the time one of the most important clashes ever between the two national sides. The victorious nation would head to the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and the loser would be relegated to fight it out for a repechage position. Neither nation had ever been to a World Cup, though Georgia had come close in 1999. 50,000[1] spectators turned out to the national stadium. Both nations kicked penalty goals in the first half, but Russia moved ahead with a 13–9 lead through a try, but Georgia were able to score a try of their own just before half time, with Levan Tsabadze putting them in front 14–13 at the break. Georgia held on, winning 17–13, a victory which sparked celebrations throughout the capital.[2] Three of the 75 French-based Georgian players were denied permission to play in the tournament and were suspended. Another five were sacked and arrived in Australia as free agents. In a warm-up game held in Asti the Georgians lost to Italians 31–22.

In the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Georgia were grouped into pool C alongside giants – South Africa and England. They suffered their heaviest ever defeat when beaten by England 84–6 in their opening game. In their second match, Samoa comfortably eased to a 46–9 victory. Although they performed well against the Springboks (losing 46–19) they were disappointingly defeated by Uruguay 24–12, in a match that they were expected to win. They lost all four of their matches but had impressed against South Africa. Despite the sad financial state of their union, qualification has seen the sport's profile rise throughout Georgia.

Lineout for Georgia during their loss to Ireland in the 2007 World Cup.

In the 2007 Rugby World Cup Georgia were drawn against Argentina, Ireland, Namibia and tournament hosts France in Pool D. The team recorded their first win in the rugby world cup with a 30–0 win over Namibia in their Pool D match at Stade Felix-Bollaert. The foundation for the victory was laid by Georgia's experienced forward pack who wore down their opponents at the breakdown. The 2007 world cup campaign is also well remembered for Georgians by brilliant display against Ireland, where Georgia narrowly lost the match 10–14. The tournament was over with 7–64 defeat to hosts France on 30 September.

2010–present

At 2011 Rugby World Cup, Georgia's Pool B included England, Argentina and Scotland, as well as local rivals Romania. Despite the close nature of their pool, Georgia were impressive in all matches, including a tight match against Scotland which was lost 15–6, thus missing a bonus point narrowly and a 41–10 loss against England, which featured a man-of-the-match performance by flanker Mamuka Gorgodze. Georgia went on to record only their second ever Rugby World Cup win against Romania, winning 25–9 with another man-of-the-match performance by Mamuka Gorgodze. Georgia finished their campaign with a strong showing against Argentina, leading 7–5 at half time before conceding 20 unanswered points to lose 25–7. Thus Georgia finished their campaign with 1 win and 3 losses.

In the 2015 Rugby World Cup Georgia played against Tonga, Argentina, title holders New Zealand and the top African qualifier Namibia in Pool C. The group opener finished with Georgia's 17–10 victory against Tonga. It totally paid off for what the Lelos have worked so hard during RWC preparations. With this history-maker fixture, they won the third World Cup match in the history of Georgian Rugby. Georgia lost second match against Argentina 9–54, although in the first half finished 14–9 for the Pumas. In the third match Georgia were defeated by New Zealand 43–10 in Cardiff. Again in the first half The Lelos held very well against the mighty All Blacks, with score remaining 22–10 for the world champions. In the last match Georgia defeated Namibia 17–16, for the first time ever finished the group on third place with two wins and two defeats and secured their qualification for 2019 Rugby World Cup.

In 2016, Georgia once again cemented its claim to be the seventh best national rugby team in Europe, when they won the European Nations Cup for the sixth consecutive time, with 10 wins from 10 matches. In the 2016 mid-year internationals the Lelos traveled to the Pacific islands for the first time and finished the historic tour unbeaten with 19–19 draw against Samoa, 23–20 victory against Tonga and 14–3 victory against Fiji.

Lelo

The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for try (the highest-valued score in rugby). One standard cheer of Georgian rugby union fans is Lelo, Lelo, Sakartvelo (Try, Try, Georgia).

Record

Overall

Men's World Rugby Rankings
Top 30 as of 11 November 2024[3]
Rank Change[i] Team Points
1 Increase1  South Africa 092.46
2 Increase1  New Zealand 091.21
3 Decrease2  Ireland 090.58
4 Steady  France 086.96
5 Increase1  Argentina 085.60
6 Increase1  Scotland 082.70
7 Decrease2  England 082.62
8 Increase1  Australia 081.14
9 Increase1  Fiji 080.07
10 Decrease2  Italy 078.67
11 Steady  Wales 075.04
12 Steady  Georgia 074.10
13 Steady  Samoa 072.68
14 Steady  Japan 072.31
15 Steady  Portugal 068.82
16 Increase3  United States 067.49
17 Increase1  Spain 067.10
18 Decrease2  Tonga 066.87
19 Decrease2  Uruguay 066.58
20 Steady  Romania 062.62
21 Steady  Chile 061.60
22 Steady  Canada 060.81
23 Steady  Hong Kong 060.40
24 Steady  Russia 058.06
25 Steady  Namibia 057.87
26 Increase4  Brazil 057.40
27 Decrease1  Netherlands 057.28
28 Decrease1  Belgium 056.51
29 Steady  Zimbabwe 056.33
30 Decrease2   Switzerland 056.04
  1. ^ Change from the previous week
{{{2}}}'s historical rankings
See or edit source data.
Source: World Rugby[3]
Graph updated to 11 November 2024

Georgia has won 140 of their 225 representative matches, a winning record of 62.22%. Since World Rankings were introduced by World Rugby in September 2003, Georgia have occupied below number ten the majority of the time.

Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Georgia national team at test level up until 16 September 2019.[4]

Opponent Played Won Lost Drawn Win % For Aga Diff
 Argentina 5 0 5 0 0.00% 66 186 −120
Argentina Argentina XV 3 2 1 0 66.67% 54 61 −7
 Australia 1 0 1 0 0.00% 8 27 −19
 Barbarians 1 0 1 0 0.00% 19 28 −9
 Belgium 5 5 0 0 100.00% 176 25 +151
 Bulgaria 1 1 0 0 100.00% 70 8 +62
 Canada 7 4 3 0 57.14% 145 141 +4
 Chile 2 1 1 0 50.00% 53 36 +17
 Croatia 1 1 0 0 100.00% 29 15 +14
 Czech Republic 8 8 0 0 100.00% 310 58 +252
 Denmark 1 1 0 0 100.00% 19 8 +11
 England 2 0 2 0 0.00% 16 125 −109
 Fiji 4 1 3 0 25% 58 109 −51
 France 1 0 1 0 0.00% 7 64 −57
France French Barbarians 1 1 0 0 100.00% 16 15 +1
France French Universities 1 1 0 0 100.00% 24 20 +4
 Germany 8 8 0 0 100.00% 418 35 +383
 Ireland 4 0 4 0 0.00% 31 196 −165
 Ireland Wolfhounds 1 0 1 0 0.00% 5 40 −35
Ireland Emerging Ireland 2 0 2 0 0.00% 27 65 −38
 Italy 2 0 2 0 0.00% 59 39 −20
 Italy XV 1 0 1 0 0.00% 7 51 −44
 Italy A 5 2 3 0 40.00% 71 83 −12
 Emerging Italy 2 1 1 0 50.00% 44 36 +8
 Japan 6 1 5 0 16.67% 96 150 −54
 Kazakhstan 1 1 0 0 100.00% 17 5 +12
 Latvia 1 1 0 0 100.00% 28 3 +25
 Luxembourg 1 0 0 1 0.00% 10 10 +0
 Moldova 1 1 0 0 100.00% 47 5 +42
 Morocco 1 1 0 0 100.00% 20 10 +10
 Namibia 5 4 1 0 80.00% 112 73 +39
 Netherlands 4 3 1 0 75.00% 164 64 +100
 New Zealand 1 0 1 0 0.00% 10 43 −33
 Poland 2 0 2 0 0.00% 29 52 −23
 Portugal 20 14 4 2 70.00% 469 268 +201
 Romania 24 14 9 1 56.52% 476 394 +82
 Russia 23 21 1 1 90.91% 579 260 +319
 Samoa 5 3 1 1 60.00% 91 115 −24
 Scotland 4 0 4 0 0.00% 41 138 −97
 Scotland A 2 1 1 0 50.00% 25 90 −65
 South Africa 1 0 1 0 0.00% 19 46 −27
South Africa South Africa A 1 0 1 0 0.00% 17 31 −14
South Africa Southern Kings 2 1 1 0 50.00% 41 51 −10
South Africa South Africa President's XV 1 0 1 0 0.00% 16 21 −5
South Africa Emerging Springboks 2 0 2 0 0.00% 10 35 −25
 Spain 20 16 3 1 80% 614 290 +324
  Switzerland 1 1 0 0 100.00% 22 21 +1
 Tonga 7 5 2 0 71.43% 119 141 −22
 Ukraine 9 9 0 0 100.00% 281 63 +218
 United States 6 3 3 0 50.00% 117 146 −29
 Uruguay 6 4 2 0 66.7% 118 79 +39
 Wales 2 0 2 0 0.00% 20 56 −36
 Zimbabwe 3 2 1 0 66.67% 58 35 +23
Total 225 140 78 7 62.22% 5248 4031 +1217

World Cup

Main article: Georgia at the Rugby World Cup

Georgia has competed in four Rugby World Cup tournaments. Their first appearance was in 2003 when they were placed in Pool C with England, South Africa, Uruguay and Samoa. In 2007 Georgia recorded their first win in the Rugby World Cup with a 30–0 win over Namibia in their Pool D match at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The Lelos best performance was in 2015, where they finished third in a group for the first time. Georgia have to date won four World Cup matches and lost twelve.

World Cup record World Cup Qualification record
Year Round P W D L F A P W D L F A
AustraliaNew Zealand 1987 Part of USSR: Not an independent country -
United KingdomIrelandFrance 1991 Part of USSR: Not an independent country Part of USSR: Not an independent country
South Africa 1995 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 15 38
Wales 1999 8 4 0 4 131 221
Australia 2003 Pool Stage 4 0 0 4 46 200 2 1 0 1 31 76
France 2007 Pool Stage 4 1 0 3 50 111 14 10 1 3 426 182
New Zealand 2011 Pool Stage 4 1 0 3 48 90 10 8 1 1 326 132
England 2015 Pool Stage 4 2 0 2 53 123 10 9 1 0 286 106
Japan 2019 Pool Stage 4 1 0 3 65 122 Automatically Qualified
Total 4/8 16 4 0 12 197 524 46 32 3 11 1215 755

Rugby Europe Championship

Georgia compete annually in the Rugby Europe Championship (previously named European Nations Cup). They won the tournament twelve times in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016,2017, 2018 and 2019

ENC champions
Georgian players celebrate beating Russia

Results correct up until 18 March 2018

Season G W D L PF PA +/− Pts Pos
2000 5 3 0 2 145 105 +73 11 2nd
2001 5 5 0 0 167 68 +99 15 1st
2002 5 3 1 1 184 84 +100 12 2nd
2003–04 10 5 1 4 193 148 +45 21 3rd
2005–06 10 8 0 2 353 125 +228 26 2nd
2007–08 10 9 0 1 292 114 +178 28 1st
2009–2010 10 8 1 1 328 130 +198 27 1st
2011–2012 10 9 0 1 316 83 +233 42 1st
2013–2014 10 9 1 0 286 106 +180 41 1st
2015–2016 10 10 0 0 346 75 +276 45 1st
2017 5 4 0 1 136 44 +123 19 1st
2018 5 5 0 0 188 35 +153 24 1st
2019 5 5 0 0 162 34 +128 24 1st
2020 5    
Total 95 78 4 13 2934 1117 +1817 311 1st

Antim Cup

Main article: Antim Cup

The Antim Cup is contested between Georgia and Romania each time the teams meet in a senior international match other than World Cup matches or qualifiers. The holder retains the cup unless the challenger wins the match, and there is no extra time in case of a draw. It is named after the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan Anthim the Iberian, who came from Georgia.

Players

Current squad

Georgia`s squad for the 2020 Rugby Europe Championship.

Head Coach: Georgia (country) Levan Maisashvili

Caps updated: 17 February 2020

Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Giorgi Chkoidze Hooker (1991-05-17) 17 May 1991 (age 33) 9 Russia Locomotiv Penza
Vano Karkadze Hooker (2000-06-25) 25 June 2000 (age 24) 4 France Brive
Shalva Mamukashvili Hooker (1990-10-02) 2 October 1990 (age 34) 73 Georgia (country) RC Kochebi Bolnisi
Guram Gogichashvili Prop (1998-09-04) 4 September 1998 (age 26) 12 France Racing 92
Giorgi Melikidze Prop (1996-06-24) 24 June 1996 (age 28) 17 France Stade Français
Lasha Tabidze Prop (1996-08-31) 31 August 1996 (age 28) 5 France Union Bordeaux Bègles
Giorgi Tetrashvili Prop (1993-08-31) 31 August 1993 (age 31) 10 France SU Agen
Davit Gigauri Lock (1994-04-03) 3 April 1994 (age 30) 4 France US Colomiers
Lasha Jaiani Lock (1998-04-21) 21 April 1998 (age 26) 0 England Exeter University
Shalva Sutiashvili Lock (1984-01-24) 24 January 1984 (age 40) 81 France Angoulême
Nodar Tcheishvili Lock (1990-11-13) 13 November 1990 (age 34) 24 England London Scottish
Mikheil Gachechiladze Back row (1990-12-24) 24 December 1990 (age 33) 10 Russia Enisey-CTM
Beka Gorgadze Back row (1996-02-08) 8 February 1996 (age 28) 25 France Bordeaux Bègles
Tornike Jalaghonia Back row (1998-03-02) 2 March 1998 (age 26) 0 France Biarritz Olympique
Beka Saghinadze Back row (1998-10-29) 29 October 1998 (age 26) 10 France Aurillac
Giorgi Tkhilaishvili Back row (1991-04-08) 8 April 1991 (age 33) 55 Georgia (country) Batumi RC
Giorgi Tsutskiridze Back row (1996-11-26) 26 November 1996 (age 27) 20 France Aurillac
Gela Aprasidze Scrum-half (1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 26) 23 France Montpellier Hérault
Giorgi Begadze Scrum-half (1986-03-04) 4 March 1986 (age 38) 65 Georgia (country) Jiki Gori
Tedo Abzhandadze Fly-half (1999-06-13) 13 June 1999 (age 25) 13 France Brive
Lasha Malaghuradze Fly-half (1986-01-02) 2 January 1986 (age 38) 96 Russia VVA-Podmoskovye
Davit Kacharava (c) Centre (1985-01-16) 16 January 1985 (age 39) 121 Russia Enisey-CTM
Tamaz Mchedlidze Centre (1993-03-17) 17 March 1993 (age 31) 56 France Rouen
Demur Tapladze Centre (2000-03-18) 18 March 2000 (age 24) 0 Georgia (country) Lelo Saracens
Zurab Dzneladze Wing (1992-01-23) 23 January 1992 (age 32) 10 Georgia (country) RC Locomotiv Tbilisi
Akaki Tabutsatde Wing (1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 26) 1 Georgia (country) Lelo Saracens
Alexander Todua Wing (1987-11-02) 2 November 1987 (age 37) 84 Georgia (country) Batumi RC
Lasha Khmaladze Fullback (1988-01-20) 20 January 1988 (age 36) 81 Georgia (country) Batumi RC
Soso Matiashvili Fullback (1993-01-27) 27 January 1993 (age 31) 25 Georgia (country) Lelo Saracens

Recent call ups

Past 2 years

Caps updated: 27 January 2020

Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Jaba Bregvadze Hooker (1987-04-23) 23 April 1987 (age 37) 58 Japan Sunwolves
Badri Alkhazashvili Hooker (1995-07-31) 31 July 1995 (age 29) 9 France Lyon
Davit Kubriashvili Prop (1986-12-03) 3 December 1986 (age 37) 47 France Grenoble
Zurab Zhvania Prop (1991-09-23) 23 September 1991 (age 33) 40 England Wasps
Karlen Asieshvili Prop (1987-04-21) 21 April 1987 (age 37) 35 France Brive
Anton Peikrishvili Prop (1987-09-18) 18 September 1987 (age 37) 27 unattached
Irakli Mirtskhulava Prop (1988-12-22) 22 December 1988 (age 35) 14 France Oyonnax
Tornike Mataradze Prop (1996-10-19) 19 October 1996 (age 28) 8 France Nevers
Giorgi Chkhaidze Lock (1981-08-20) 20 August 1981 (age 43) 101 France Nice
Giorgi Nemsadze Lock (1984-09-26) 26 September 1984 (age 40) 95 retired
Lasha Lomidze Lock (1992-06-30) 30 June 1992 (age 32) 47 Italy Lazio Rugby
Giorgi Javakhia Lock (1996-09-24) 24 September 1996 (age 28) 1 France Aurillac
Grigor Kerdikoshvili Lock (1994-11-15) 15 November 1994 (age 29) 1 Georgia (country) Lelo Saracens
Mamuka Gorgodze Back row (1984-07-14) 14 July 1984 (age 40) 75 France Toulon
Viktor Kolelishvili Back row (1989-10-09) 9 October 1989 (age 35) 50 unattached
Beka Bitsadze Back row (1991-03-24) 24 March 1991 (age 33) 29 Romania CSM Baia Mare
Saba Shubitidze Back row (1994-04-07) 7 April 1994 (age 30) 12 Georgia (country) Batumi RC
Guram Shengelia Back row (1992-10-10) 10 October 1992 (age 32) 2 Georgia (country) Aia Kutaisi
Vazha Khutsishvili Scrum-half (1993-06-27) 27 June 1993 (age 31) 24 Georgia (country) Kharebi Rustavi
Revaz Jinchvelashvili Fly-half (1995-08-18) 18 August 1995 (age 29) 8 Georgia (country) Jiki Gori
Merab Sharikadze Centre (1993-05-17) 17 May 1993 (age 31) 66 France Aurillac
Giorgi Koshadze Centre (1996-02-09) 9 February 1996 (age 28) 11 Georgia (country) Kharebi Rustavi
Giorgi Aptsiauri Wing (1994-01-20) 20 January 1994 (age 30) 25 Georgia (country) Locomotive Tbilisi
Giorgi Pruidze Wing (1994-06-02) 2 June 1994 (age 30) 15 Russia Krasny Yar
Anzor Sitchinava Wing (1995-09-08) 8 September 1995 (age 29) 9 Georgia (country) Batumi RC
Merab Kvirikashvili Fullback (1983-12-27) 27 December 1983 (age 40) 115 retired
Beka Tsiklauri Fullback (1989-02-09) 9 February 1989 (age 35) 29 Georgia (country) Jiki Gori

Notable players

Ilia Zedginidze
  • Ilia Zedginidze – Played as a Number 8 and was a lineout specialist. A member of their inaugural World Cup side in 2003, he captained Georgia in the 2007 tournament, but was forced out of the squad because of an injury. This injury ultimately led to him announcing his retirement from international rugby, after gaining 48 caps. He returned to the squad in late 2008, playing against Scotland A and taking part in the 2009 European Nations Cup, where he scored a game-saving try against Portugal on 14 February 2009.
  • Malkhaz Urjukashvili – Moved to France, where he has been playing. He is one of the best players and scorers for Georgia, holding currently 65 caps for his National Team, with 18 tries and 300 points. His first match was a 29–15 win over Croatia, in Tbilisi, at 12 October 1997, aged only 17 years old. This made him one of the youngest players ever to be capped at international rugby level. He was present at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, playing three matches and scoring 9 points. In the game against England, he kicked a long range penalty that registered as Georgia's first Rugby World Cup points (England eventually won the game 84–6). He was called once again for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, playing in all the four matches and scoring one conversion. He continued to be a valuable player in the 2011 Rugby World Cup qualification, the third Georgia gained in a row.
Mamuka Gorgodze
  • Mamuka Gorgodze – Switched to rugby from basketball aged 17. His first club was Lelo in the Georgian Top League, he was soon selected for the Georgia national team and made his debut in 2003 against Spain, at the age of just 18 and not long after he started playing rugby. However he was not selected for Georgia's first appearance at the 2003 Rugby World Cup later that year. In 2004 he became a regular fixture for the Georgia side. He was a regular in the Georgia side though and was selected for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and started three of Georgia's four matches at the World Cup, being one of Georgia's star players. Gorgodze became a success as flanker during this season, and halfway through the season French newspaper L'Équipe commented that he improved his technique and became a mobile and unstoppable player. Gorgodze played a big role in Montpellier finishing the 2010–11 Top 14 season as runners up.[5] At the end of the season L'Équipe named him as the best foreigner in the league. He was selected for the Georgia squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and played all the Georgia matches, being named man of the match in two matches, against England and Romania.

Individual all-time records

Most caps

# Player Pos Span Mat Start Sub Won Lost Draw %
1 Davit Kacharava Centre 2006– 121 103 18 78 40 3 65.12
2 Merab Kvirikashvili Fullback 2003–2018 115 94 21 72 40 3 63.91
3 Giorgi Chkhaidze Flanker 2002–2017 100 78 22 65 32 3 66.50
4 Lasha Malaghuradze Fly-half 2008– 97 49 48 65 30 2 67.36
Giorgi Nemsadze Lock 2005–2019 95 71 24 62 32 1 65.78
6 Irakli Abuseridze Scrum-half 2000–2013 85 76 9 52 30 3 62.94
7 Alexander Todua Wing 2008– 84 74 10 52 31 1 61.58
8 Lasha Khmaladze Centre 2008- 82 64 17 53 26 2 65.82
Shalva Sutiashvili Flanker 2005- 81 53 28 58 21 2 72.15
10 Tedo Zibzibadze Centre 2000–2014 77 65 12 48 25 4 64.93
Last updated: Spain vs Georgia, 9 February 2020. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[6]

Most tries

# Player Pos Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries
1 Mamuka Gorgodze Lock 2003–2019 75 69 6 135 27
2 Davit Kacharava Centre 2006– 121 102 18 110 24
3 Irakli Machkhaneli Wing 2002–2014 73 68 5 115 23
Tedo Zibzibadze Centre 2000–2014 77 65 12 115 23
5 Merab Kvirikashvili Fullback 2003–2018 115 94 21 840 17
Malkhaz Urjukashvili Wing 1997–2011 70 66 4 320 17
7 Bessik Khamashuridze Fullback 1998–2011 61 51 10 75 15
Giorgi Nemsadze Lock 2005–2019 95 71 24 70 15
9 Alexander Todua Wing 2008– 84 74 10 65 14
10 Ilia Zedginidze Lock 1998–2011 66 64 2 65 13
Last updated: Spain vs Georgia, 9 February 2020. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[7]

Most points

# Player Pos Span Mat Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop
1 Merab Kvirikashvili Fullback 2003–2018 115 840 17 148 150 3
2 Pavle Jimsheladze Fly-half 1995–2007 57 320 9 61 48 3
Malkhaz Urjukashvili Wing 1997–2011 70 320 17 47 46 1
4 Lasha Malaghuradze Fly-half 2008– 97 190 6 38 25 3
5 Soso Matiashvili Full-back 2017– 25 143 6 22 23 0
6 Mamuka Gorgodze Lock 2003–2019 75 135 27 0 0 0
7 Beka Tsiklauri Fullback 2008– 29 124 5 24 15 2
8 Davit Kacharava Centre 2006– 121 120 24 0 0 0
9 Irakli Machkhaneli Wing 2002–2014 73 115 23 0 0 0
Tedo Zibzibadze Centre 2000–2014 77 115 23 0 0 0
Last updated: Spain vs Georgia, 9 February 2020. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[8]

Most matches as captain

# Player Pos Span Mat Won Lost Draw % Pts Tries
1 Ilia Zedginidze Lock 2002–2011 34 19 13 2 58.82 30 6
2 Irakli Abuseridze Scrum-half 2007–2012 31 21 9 1 69.35 15 3
3 Merab Sharikadze Centre 2014– 15 9 6 0 60.00 15 3
4 Shalva Sutiashvili Flanker 2014–2019 14 13 0 1 96.42 5 1
5 Mamuka Gorgodze Flanker 2013–2017 13 5 8 0 38.46 10 2
6 Irakli Machkhaneli Wing 2013–2014 12 8 3 1 70.83 5 1
Zurab Mtchedlishvili Lock 1997–2007 12 7 5 0 58.33 10 2
Levan Tsabadze Prop 2001–2002 12 9 2 1 79.16 15 3
9 Giorgi Nemsadze Lock 2018–2019 11 9 2 0 81.81 0 0
Dimitri Oboladze Flanker 1993–1998 11 6 4 1 59.09 5 1
Last updated: Spain vs Georgia, 9 February 2020. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[9]

Most points in a match

# Player Pos Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Opposition Venue Date
1 Soso Matiashvili Full Back 34 2 6 4 0  Canada Georgia (country) Tbilisi 11/10/2017
2 Merab Kvirikashvili Full Back 32 2 11 0 0  Germany Georgia (country) Tbilisi 06/02/2010
3 Merab Kvirikashvili Full Back 24 1 2 5 0  Portugal Portugal Lisbon 08/02/2014
4 Paliko Jimsheladze Fly-half 23 1 0 6 0  Russia Russia Krasnodar 09/03/2003
Merab Kvirikashvili Fly-half 23 1 9 0 0  Czech Republic Georgia (country) Tbilisi 07/04/2007
6 Merab Kvirikashvili Fly-half 22 1 1 5 0  Japan Georgia (country) Tbilisi 17/11/2012
7 Malkhaz Urjukashvili Fly-half 20 0 7 2 0  Czech Republic Georgia (country) Kutaisi 12/06/2005
Lasha Malaghuradze Fly-half 20 1 6 1 0  Spain Spain Madrid 28/02/2009
9 Malkhaz Urjukashvili Full Back 19 1 4 2 0  Spain Georgia (country) Tbilisi 28/10/2006
10 4 players on 18 points
Last updated: Spain vs Georgia, 9 February 2020. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[10]

Most tries in a match

# Player Pos Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Opposition Venue Date
1 Akaki Tabutsadze Wing 20 4 0 0 0  Belgium Georgia (country) Kutaisi 22/02/2020
2 Paliko Jimsheladze Wing 15 3 0 0 0  Bulgaria Bulgaria Sofia 23/03/1995
Archil Kavtarahvili Wing 15 3 0 0 0  Bulgaria Bulgaria Sofia 23/03/1995
Mamuka Gorgodze Number 8 15 3 0 0 0  Czech Republic Georgia (country) Kutaisi 12/06/2005
David Dadunashvili Hooker 15 3 0 0 0  Czech Republic Georgia (country) Tbilisi 07/04/2007
Malkhaz Urjukashvili Centre 15 3 0 0 0  Czech Republic Georgia (country) Tbilisi 07/04/2007
Mamuka Gorgodze Number 8 15 3 0 0 0  Spain Georgia (country) Tbilisi 26/04/2008
Zurab Zhvania Hooker 15 3 0 0 0  Germany Germany Heusenstamm 07/02/2015
Giorgi Kveseladze Centre 15 3 0 0 0  Germany Germany Offenbach 17/02/2018
Last updated: Spain vs Georgia, 9 February 2020. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[11]

Coaches

Name Span Matches Won Lost Draw %
France Claude Saurel 2000–2003 30 16 13 1 55%
Georgia (country) Malkhaz Cheishvili 2004–2007 35 19 14 2 57%
Australia Tim Lane 2008–2010 28 18 9 1 66%
Scotland Richie Dixon 2010–2011 14 10 4 0 71%
New Zealand Milton Haig 2012–2019 76 49 25 2 66%
Georgia (country) Levan Maisashvili 2020– 0 0 0 0 0%

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Georgia national rugby union team.

References

  1. ^ "Georgia v Russia". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. ^ "When Georgia's XV came of age". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 7 May 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
  3. ^ a b "Men's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Rugby Union – ESPN Scrum – Statsguru – Test matches – Team records". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  5. ^ Lopez, Julien. "Gorgodze percute, tamponne, caramélise, retourne. En plus, il franchit". Le Rugbynistère (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Rugby Union | Georgia | Most matches | ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Rugby Union | Georgia | Most individual tries | ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Rugby Union | Georgia | Most individual points | ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Rugby Union | Georgia | Most matches as a captain | ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Rugby Union | Georgia | Most individual points in a match | ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Rugby Union | Georgia | Most individual tries in a match | ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
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