Georgia national rugby union team

Georgia

Union	Georgian Rugby Union
Nickname(s)	The Lelos ბორჯღალოსნები
Emblem(s)	Crepuscular rays
Ground(s)	Dinamo Arena Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
Coach(es)	Milton Haig
Captain(s)	Irakli Machkhaneli
Most caps	Irakli Abuseridze (85)
Top scorer	Merab Kvirikashvili (478)
Most tries	Irakli Machkhaneli (22) Mamuka Gorgodze (22)
Team kit Change kit
First international
Zimbabwe 3 – 16 Georgia (12 September 1989)
Largest win
Georgia 98 – 3 Czech Republic  (8 April 2007)
Largest defeat
England 84 – 6 Georgia (12 October 2003)
World Cup
Appearances	3 (First in 2003)
Best result	One Win, 2007, 2011

The Georgia national rugby union team nicknamed The Lelos or Men of Borjgali represents Georgia in international rugby union. Rugby union in Georgia is administered by the Georgian Rugby Union. The team takes part in the annual European Nations Championship 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 European Nations Cup, winning the tournament in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013 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, who later coached neighbouring rivals Russia.

Rugby union is one of the most popular sports in Georgia. The full national team qualified for the 2003 Rugby World Cup - playing against rugby powers such as Ireland and France. The Lelos also qualified for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, where they beat Namibia 30-0 for their first ever World Cup win. As of 23 March 2015, Georgia are ranked 14th in the world by the IRB. Since 2013, Georgia has played host to the IRB Tbilisi Cup.^[1][2]

The Georgian national sevens team became the first national side from Georgia to compete in a major tournament, playing in the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Cup in Argentina. Georgia also has a Georgia A national rugby union team.

History

Soviet era

There were unsuccessful attempts to introduce rugby union into Georgia in 1928 and also in 1940 and in 1948.

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 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 IRB 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 to the extent that it is now considered the country's most popular team sport, even ahead of football. Saurel went on to work with the 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

After France and Italy dropped from the reborn European Nations Cup, Georgia became a major force in the tournament. In the 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 2000/1 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 2001-2002 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.

World Cup

In 2003 Georgia would face Russia, the two nations would contest another match at the same venue in October 2002, 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. 45,000 turned out to the national stadium, with another one and a half million Georgians watching it on national television. 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.^[3] 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 held the Italians to 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 9–46 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.

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 Felix-Bollaert. The foundation for the three-tries-to-none victory was laid by Georgia's experienced forward pack who wore down their opponents at the breakdown. Dominating territory and possession in the first half it took 37 minutes for Georgia to break Namibia's defensive line, hooker Akvsenti Giorgadze, pushing his way over. Two penalties and a conversion from fly half Merab Kvirikashvili contributed to Georgia's 13-0 lead at the break, becoming Georgia's record point-scorer in rugby world cups. It was another Kvirikashvili penalty in the 68th minute that got the scoreboard ticking over again. Wing Irakli Machkhaneli then scored in the 70th minute after knocking the ball loose in a tackle. Centre Davit Kacharava put the finishing touches on the win intercepting a pass to score on the final whistle. Namibia's RWC 2007 campaign was over with the Georgia 7-64 defeat to hosts France on 30 September.

Georgia began their 2011 Rugby World Cup preparations with a two-match tour in France, the playing base of most of its World Cup player pool, against sides in the country's second-tier league, Pro D2. They won 28-24 against Stade Aurillac on 13 August, followed by a 28-15 win over CS Bourgoin-Jallieu on 19 August.

The pool 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.

Aftermath of the World Cup

In 2008, Georgia augmented its claim to be the seventh best national rugby team in Europe, when it won, for the second time, the European Nations Cup, with nine wins and a single loss over a two-year campaign. Since there is no system of promotion and relegation between the Six Nations Tournament and the ENC, Georgia remained in the ENC for the 2008–10 campaign.

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).

Lelo has its roots in pagan times; the ball symbolized the Sun, one of the cesestial bodies worshipped throughout the Middle East. The game used to be a proven form of military exercise, it was adopted by the Orthodox Church to such an extent that the Priest used to bless a red - the most revered Christian colour - ball at Easter and throw it up to the players. Village vied with village, Uppies with Downies, married men with betrotheds and bachelors, and sometimes teams were selected on tribal lines. The goal of the Lelo-burti was to bring the ball to a pre-marked place, that is Lelo. Hence, both an 'in-goal area' and a 'try' in contemporary Georgian are referred to as 'Lelo'

Record

Overall

Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by an Georgia national XV at test level up until 24 March 2015.^[4]

World Rugby Rankings
Top 25 Rankings as 27 April 2015[5]
Rank	Change*	Team	Points
1		New Zealand	93.70
2		South Africa	88.23
3		Ireland	85.76
4		England	85.40
5		Wales	84.07
6		Australia	82.95
7		France	79.74
8		Argentina	78.23
9		Samoa	75.39
10		Scotland	74.79
11		Japan	74.70
12		Fiji	74.57
13		Tonga	74.12
14		Georgia	72.16
15		Italy	71.85
16		United States	67.61
17		Canada	66.83
18		Romania	66.23
19		Russia	64.65
20		Uruguay	63.58
21		Spain	62.59
22	1	South Korea	58.38
23	1	Namibia	58.27
24	1	Portugal	57.40
25		Belgium	56.47
*Change from the previous week
Georgia's Historical Rankings
Source: World Rugby - Graph updated to 27 April 2015[5]

Opponent	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
Argentina	3	0	3	0	0%	28	87	−59
Argentina Jaguars [N 1]	3	2	1	0	66.67%	54	61	−7
Barbarians [N 1]	1	0	1	0	0%	19	28	−9
Belgium	2	2	0	0	100%	52	13	+39
Bulgaria	1	1	0	0	100%	70	8	+62
Canada	4	2	2	0	50%	63	103	−40
Chile	2	1	1	0	50%	53	36	+17
Croatia	1	1	0	0	100%	29	15	+14
Czech Republic	8	8	0	0	100%	310	58	+252
Denmark	1	1	0	0	100%	19	8	+11
Emerging Ireland [N 1]	1	0	1	0	0%	15	20	−5
Emerging Italy [N 1]	1	1	0	0	100%	34	10	+24
Emerging Springboks [N 1]	2	0	2	0	0%	10	35	−25
England	2	0	2	0	0%	16	125	−109
Fiji	1	0	1	0	0%	19	24	−5
France	1	0	1	0	0%	7	64	−57
French Universities [N 1]	1	1	0	0	100%	24	20	+4
Germany	4	4	0	0	100%	193	19	+174
Ireland	4	0	4	0	0%	31	196	−165
Ireland Wolfhounds [N 1]	1	0	1	0	0%	5	40	−35
Italy [N 1]	2	0	2	0	0%	29	82	−53
Italy A [N 1]	5	2	3	0	40%	71	83	−12
Japan	3	1	2	0	33.33%	64	81	−17
Kazakhstan	1	1	0	0	100%	17	5	+12
Latvia	1	1	0	0	100%	28	3	+25
Luxembourg	1	0	0	1	0%	10	10	+0
Moldova	1	1	0	0	100%	47	5	+42
Morocco	1	1	0	0	100%	20	10	+10
Namibia	4	3	1	0	75%	95	57	+38
Netherlands	4	3	1	0	75%	164	64	+100
Poland	2	0	2	0	0%	29	52	−23
Portugal	19	13	4	2	68.42%	440	265	+175
Romania	19	10	8	1	52.63%	347	339	+8
Russia	19	17	1	1	89.47%	476	224	+252
Samoa	2	1	1	0	50%	25	61	−36
Scotland	1	0	1	0	0%	6	15	−9
Scotland A [N 1]	2	1	1	0	50%	25	90	−65
South Africa	1	0	1	0	0%	19	46	−27
South Africa A [N 1]	1	0	1	0	0%	17	31	−14
South Africa Kings [N 1]	1	0	1	0	0%	17	31	−14
South Africa President's XV [N 1]	1	0	1	0	0%	16	21	−5
Spain	16	12	3	1	75%	509	253	+246
Switzerland	1	1	0	0	100%	22	21	+1
Tonga	3	1	2	0	33.33%	43	87	−44
Ukraine	9	9	0	0	100%	281	63	+218
United States	4	1	3	0	25%	75	109	−34
Uruguay	4	2	2	0	50%	66	62	+4
Zimbabwe	3	2	1	0	66.67%	58	35	+23
Total	175	107	62	6	61.14%	4067	3175	+892

Competitions

Rugby World Cup

Georgia has competed in three 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 Felix-Bollaert. Georgia have won two World Cup matches and lost ten.

World Cup record									World Cup Qualification record
Year	Round	P	W	D	L	F	A		P	W	D	L	F	A
1987	Not invited								-
1991	Did not enter								Did not enter
1995	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	15	38
1999									8	4	0	4	131	221
2003	Pool Stage	4	0	0	4	46	200		2	1	0	1	31	76
2007	Pool Stage	4	1	0	3	50	111		14	10	1	3	426	182
2011	Pool Stage	4	1	0	3	48	90		10	8	1	1	326	132
2015	Qualified								10	9	1	0	286	106
Total	4/8	12	2	0	10	144	401		46	32	3	11	1215	755

European Nations Cup

Georgia compete annually in the European Nations Cup. They won the tournament seven times in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012,2013,2014 and 2015

Nation	Champs	Games	Won	Draw	Lost	Win/Lose Percentage
Georgia	7	70	54	4	12	81.82%
Romania	4	70	51	2	17	75%
Portugal	1	70	33	3	34	49.25%
Russia	0	64	36	3	25	59.02%
Spain	0	60	16	3	41	28.07%

Results against Russia

The Georgian national rugby team has a successful series of results against the Russian rugby team. Georgia and Russia have played 18 games, out of which Russia managed to win only once, with one match ending in a draw.

Tensions between Russia and Georgia remained high after a brief war in August 2008, resulting in the scheduling of head-to-head rugby matches on neutral soil during 2009 and 2010.

Tournament	Location	Date	Home Team	Score	Away Team
European Nations Cup 2015	Tbilisi	14.03.2015	Georgia	33-0	Russia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2015	Tbilisi	22.02.2014	Georgia	36-10	Russia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2015	Sochi	23.02.2013	Russia	9-23	Georgia
European Nations Cup 2012	Tbilisi	17.03.2012	Georgia	46-0	Russia
European Nations Cup 2011	Sochi	19.03.2011	Russia	9–15	Georgia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2011	Trabzon	20.03.2010	Georgia	36–8	Russia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2011	Mariupol	22.03.2009	Russia	21–29	Georgia
European Nations Cup 2008	Krasnoyarsk	12.04.2008	Russia	12-18	Georgia
European Nations Cup 2007	Tbilisi	24.03.2007	Georgia	31-12	Russia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2007	Tbilisi	4.02.2006	Georgia	46-19	Russia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2007	Krasnodar	20.11.2004	Russia	15-27	Georgia
European Nations Cup 2004	Tbilisi	6.03.2004	Georgia	9-3	Russia
European Nations Cup 2003	Krasnodar	9.03.2003	Russia	17-23	Georgia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2003	Tbilisi	13.10.2002	Georgia	17-13	Russia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2003	Tbilisi	3.03.2002	Georgia	12-12	Russia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 2003	Krasnodar	4.03.2001	Russia	23-25	Georgia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 1999	Tbilisi	20.05.1998	Georgia	12-6	Russia
1996-1967 FIRA Tournament	Tbilisi	20.10.1996	Georgia	29-20	Russia
Rugby World Cup Qualifying 1995	Sopot	25.05.1993	Russia	15-9	Georgia

Players

Current squad

Georgia 27-man squad for the 2014–16 European Nations Cup First Division.^[6]

Head Coach – Milton Haig

• Caps updated: 6 February 2015 2014

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player Position Date of Birth (Age) Caps Club/province Shalva Mamukashvili Hooker (1990-10-02) 2 October 1990 27 Sale Sharks Zurab Zhvania Hooker (1991-09-23) 23 September 1991 13 Stade Français Levan Chilachava Prop (1991-08-17) 17 August 1991 18 Toulon Vasil Kakovin Prop (1989-12-01) 1 December 1989 24 Toulouse Mikheil Nariashvili Prop (1990-05-25) 25 May 1990 21 Montpellier Davit Kubriashvili Prop (1986-03-12) 12 March 1986 38 Stade Français Davit Zirakashvili Prop (1983-09-20) 20 September 1983 44 Clermont-Ferrand Giorgi Chkhaidze Lock (1982-06-24) 24 June 1982 77 Lille MR Vakhtang Maisuradze Lock (1987-03-11) 11 March 1987 22 Albi Konstantin Mikautadze Lock (1991-01-07) 7 January 1991 26 Toulon Giorgi Nemsadze Lock (1984-09-26) 26 September 1984 43 Tarbes Mamuka Gorgodze Flanker (1984-07-14) 14 July 1984 57 Toulon Shalva Sutiashvili Flanker (1984-01-24) 24 January 1984 43 Massy Giorgi Tkhilaishvili Flanker (1991-04-08) 8 April 1991 16 Batumi Beka Bitsadze Number 8 (1991-03-24) 24 March 1991 10 Locomotive Lasha Lomidze Number 8 (1992-06-30) 30 June 1992 6 Béziers Giorgi Begadze Scrum-half (1986-03-04) 4 March 1986 28 Kochebi Vasil Lobzhanidze Scrum-half 0 Armazi Lasha Khmaladze Fly-half (1988-01-20) 20 January 1988 34 Lelo Saracens Lasha Malaghuradze Fly-half (1986-01-02) 2 January 1986 51 Stade Bagnérais Davit Kacharava (c) Centre (1985-01-16) 16 January 1985 76 Yenisey-STM Tamaz Mchedlidze Centre (1993-03-17) 17 March 1993 21 Agen Merab Sharikadze Centre (1993-05-17) 17 May 1993 28 Aurillac Alex Khutsishvili Wing 0 Kochebi Alexander Todua Wing (1987-11-02) 2 November 1987 44 Lelo Saracens Giorgi Aptsiauri Fullback (1994-01-20) 20 January 1994 1 AIA Merab Kvirikashvili Fullback (1983-12-27) 27 December 1983 80 Montluçon

Notable players

Ilia Zedginidze - He 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.^[7] 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 in Stade Toulousain, RC Nîmes, US Tours, in 2003, RC Cannes-Mandelieu, from 2003/04 to 2006/07, in the Fédérale 2, Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne, from 2007/08 to 2008/09, in the Rugby Pro D2 and Groupe Sportife Figeacois, since 2009/10, in the Fédérale 2.

He is one of the best players and scorers for Georgia, holding currently 65 caps for his National Team, with 18 tries, 42 conversions, 41 penalties and 1 drop goal, in an aggregate of 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 2 penalties and 1 drop goal, 9 points in aggregate. In the game against England at Perth, 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 - 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 wasn't 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 and then signed for Montpellier in 2005. Gorgodze started his career at Montpellier mainly as a reserve in the side and didn't get much game time. He was still a regular in the Georgia side though and was selected for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Gorgodze started three of Georgia's four matches at the World Cup, and was one of Georgia's star players.

After the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Gorgodze started playing for Montpellier a lot more regularly and was their first choice lock. Gorgodze was signed by Brive for the 2009/10 season but Gorgodze changed his mind and decided to stay at Montpellier, who were forced to pay Brive 200,000 euros to keep him.^[8]

A known weak spot for Gorgodze is his indiscipline, he has received 16 yellow cards for Montpellier since 2007. During 2010 he was banned twice for fighting, once with Sébastien Pagès against Albi^[9] and the other time with Alex Tulou against Bourgoin.^[10]

Gorgodze changed position for Georgia to the back row, and when Fabien Galthié and Eric Béchu became the new Montpellier coaches before the 2010/11 season they also converted him to the back row. Gorgodze became a revelation at 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.^[11] Gorgodze played a big role in Montpellier finishing the 2010/11 Top 14 as runners up, and had a particularly massive match in the Top 14 semi final against Racing-Métro.^[12] At the end of the season L'Équipe named him as the best foreigner in the league.

Gorgodze was selected for the Georgia squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and played all the Georgia matches and was named man of the match in two matches, against England and Romania.

Individual all-time records

Most caps

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Won	Lost	Draw	%
1.	Irakli Abuseridze	Scrum-half	2000–2013	85	76	9	40	8	0	0	0	52	30	3	62.94
2.	Merab Kvirikashvili	Fly-half	2003-	80	63	17	580	12	104	101	3	47	31	2	60.00
	Tedo Zibzibadze	Centre	2000-	77	65	12	115	23	0	0	0	48	25	4	64.93
3.	Giorgi Chkhaidze	Flanker	2002-	77	65	12	35	7	0	0	0	50	25	2	66.23
6.	Malkhaz Urjukashvili	Wing	1997-2011	69	65	4	313	17	45	45	1	40	29	0	57.97
4.	Davit Kacharava	Centre	2006-	76	61	15	70	14	0	0	0	49	25	2	64.70
7.	Gia Labadze	Flanker	1996-2012	67	64	3	60	12	0	0	0	39	25	3	65.78
5.	Irakli Machkhaneli	Wing	2002-	73	68	5	115	23	0	0	0	41	29	3	58.21
9.	Ilia Zedginidze	Lock	1998-2011	64	62	2	65	13	0	0	0	37	23	4	60.93
10.	2 players on 62 matches

Last updated: Georgia vs Samoa, 23 November 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only. ^[13]

Most tries

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	Mamuka Gorgodze	Lock	2003-	54	49	5	110	22	0	0	0
	Irakli Machkhaneli	Wing	2002–	67	62	5	110	22	0	0	0
3.	Tedo Zibzibadze	Centre	2000-	72	62	10	105	21	0	0	0
4.	Malkhaz Urjukashvili	Wing	1997-2011	69	65	4	313	17	45	45	1
5.	Bessik Khamashuridze	Fullback	1998-2011	59	50	9	70	14	0	0	0
6.	Davit Kacharava	Centre	2006-	68	53	15	65	13	0	0	0
	Ilia Zedginidze	Lock	1998-2011	64	62	2	65	13	0	0	0
8.	Akvsenti Giorgadze	Hooker	1996-2011	62	53	9	60	12	0	0	0
	Gia Labadze	Flanker	1996-2012	67	64	3	60	12	0	0	0
10.	2 players on 10 tries

Last updated: Georgia vs Samoa, 23 November 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only. ^[14]

Most points

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	Merab Kvirikashvili	Fly-half	2003–	72	55	17	478	8	93	82	2
2.	Pavle Jimsheladze	Fly-half	1995-2007	57	55	2	320	9	61	48	3
3.	Malkhaz Urjukashvili	Wing	1997-2011	69	65	4	313	17	45	45	1
4.	Mamuka Gorgodze	Lock	2003-	54	49	5	110	22	0	0	0
	Irakli Machkhaneli	Wing	2002-	67	62	5	110	22	0	0	0
6.	Tedo Zibzibadze	Centre	2000-	72	62	10	105	21	0	0	0
7.	Nugzar Dzagnidze	Fly-half	1989-1995	12	12	0	104	3	9	22	3
8.	Lasha Malaghuradze	Fly-half	2008-	41	28	13	103	3	17	15	3
9.	Bessik Khamashuridze	Fullback	1998-2011	59	50	9	70	14	0	0	0
10.	2 players on 65 points

Last updated: Georgia vs Samoa, 23 November 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only. ^[15]

Most points in a match

#	Player	Pos	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Merab Kvirikashvili	Full Back	32	2	11	0	0	Germany	Tbilisi	06/02/2010
2.	Paliko Jimsheladze	Fly-half	23	1	0	6	0	Russia	Krasnodar	09/03/2003
	Merab Kvirikashvili	Fly-half	23	1	9	0	0	Czech Republic	Tbilisi	07/04/2007
4.	Merab Kvirikashvili	Fly-half	22	1	1	5	0	Japan	Tbilisi	17/11/2012
5.	Malkhaz Urjukashvili	Fly-half	20	0	7	2	0	Czech Republic	Kutaisi	12/06/2005
	Lasha Malaghuradze	Fly-half	20	1	6	1	0	Spain	Madrid	28/02/2009
7.	Malkhaz Urjukashvili	Full Back	19	1	4	2	0	Spain	Tbilisi	28/10/2006
8.	Paliko Jimsheladze	Fly-half	18	0	9	0	0	Netherlands	Tbilisi	03/02/2002
	Malkhaz Urjukashvili	Wing	18	1	2	3	0	Romania	Tbilisi	06/04/2002
	Merab Kvirikashvili	Full Back	18	1	2	3	0	United States	Rustavi	16/11/2013

Last updated: Georgia vs Samoa, 23 November 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only. ^[16]

Most tries in a match

#	Player	Pos	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Paliko Jimsheladze	Wing	15	3	0	0	0	Bulgaria	Sofia	23/03/1995
	Archil Kavtarahvili	Wing	15	3	0	0	0	Bulgaria	Sofia	23/03/1995
	Mamuka Gorgodze	Lock	15	3	0	0	0	Czech Republic	Kutaisi	12/06/2005
	David Dadunashvili	Hooker	15	3	0	0	0	Czech Republic	Tbilisi	07/04/2007
	Malkhaz Urjukashvili	Centre	15	3	0	0	0	Czech Republic	Tbilisi	07/04/2007
	Mamuka Gorgodze	Lock	15	3	0	0	0	Spain	Tbilisi	26/04/2008
7.	41 players on 2 tries

Last updated: Georgia vs Samoa, 23 November 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only. ^[17]

Most matches as captain

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Draw	%	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	Ilia Zedginidze	Lock	2002–2011	32	18	12	2	59.37	30	6	0	0	0
2.	Irakli Abuseridze	Scrum-half	2007-2012	31	21	9	1	69.35	15	3	0	0	0
3.	Zurab Mtchedlishvili	Lock	1997-2007	12	7	5	0	58.33	10	2	0	0	0
	Levan Tsabadze	Prop	2001-2002	12	9	2	11	79.16	15	3	0	0	0
5.	Dimitri Oboladze	Flanker	1993-1998	11	6	4	1	59.09	5	1	0	0	0
6.	Nugzar Dzagnidze	Fullback	1991-1994	7	5	2	0	71.42	61	2	6	11	3
	Irakli Machkhaneli	Wing	2013-	7	4	2	1	64.28	0	0	0	0	0
8	Gia Labadze	Flanker	2000-2010	6	1	5	0	16.66	0	0	0	0	0
9.	Oleg Liparteliani	Wing	1989-1990	3	2	1	0	66.66	0	0	0	0	0
10.	7 players on 2 matches

Last updated: Georgia vs Samoa, 23 November 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only. ^[18]

Youngest players

#	Player	Pos	Age	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Malkhaz Urjukashvili	Wing	17 years and 18 days	Croatia	Tbilisi	12/10/1997
2.	Irakli Chkhikvadze	(Wing)	18 years and 38 days	Chile	Tbilisi	12/11/2005
3.	Mamuka Gorgodze	(Number 8)	18 years and 223 days	Spain	Tbilisi	22/02/2003
	Otar Barkalaia	Fly-half	18 years and 223 days	Ireland	Lansdowne Road	28/09/2002
5.	Vito Kolelishvili	(Number 8)	18 years and 255 days	Italy A	Bucharest	20/06/2008
6.	Giorgi Elizbarashvili	(Wing)	18 years and 265 days	Russia	Tbilisi	13/10/2002
7.	Merab Sharikadze	Centre	18 years and 270 days	Spain	Madrid	11/02/2012
8.	Irakli Giorgadze	(Centre)	18 years and 328 days	French Universities	Tbilisi	10/11/2001
9.	Vasil Kakovin	(Prop)	18 years and 349 days	Scotland A	Glasgow	14/11/2008
10.	Giorgi Jgenti	(Prop)	18 years and 352 days	Uruguay	Montevideo	30/10/2004

Last updated: Georgia vs Samoa, 23 November 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only. ^[19]

• Malkhaz Urjukashvili is the 9th youngest international player of all-time.^[20]

Oldest players

#	Player	Pos	Age	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Gia Labadze	Flanker	38 years and 276 days	Canada	Vancouver	23/06/2012
2.	Zurab Mtchedlishvili	Lock	35 years and 343 days	France	Marseille	30/09/2007
3.	Victor Didebulidze	Lock	35 years and 330 days	France	Marseille	30/09/2007
4.	Akvsenti Giorgadze	Hooker	35 years and 120 days	Argentina	Palmerston North	02/10/2011
5.	Irakli Abuseridze	Scrum-half	35 years and 104 days	Spain	Tbilisi	09/03/2013
6.	Ilia Zedginidze	(Lock)	34 years and 255 days	Argentina	Palmerston North	02/10/2011
7.	Rati Urushadze	Flanker	34 years and 59 days	Italy A	Palmanova	20/11/2009
8.	Bessik Khamashuridze	(Wing)	33 years and 309 days	Namibia	Bucharest	19/06/2011
9.	Mevlud Mtiulishvili	(Prop)	33 years and 301 days	Romania	Iasi	27/03/2004
10.	Goderdzi Shvelidze	(Prop)	33 years and 168 days	Argentina	Palmerston North	02/10/2011

Last updated: Georgia vs Samoa, 23 November 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only. ^[21]

• Gia Labadze is the 9th oldest international player of all-time.^[22]

See also

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

• Rugby union in Georgia
• Georgia at the Rugby World Cup
• History of rugby union matches between Georgia and Romania
• Antim Cup
• USSR national rugby union team
• European Nations Cup

Sources

• Diplomacy the key for Georgia (from BBC News)
• Barbarians beat Georgia in Tbilisi

References

External links

• Official website
• http://arena.ge/
• http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/team-4.htm
• http://www.irb.com//unions/union=11000054/index.html
• http://www.planetrugby.com/international-rugby-union-teams/georgia

{{Navbox |name = Rugby union in Georgia |title = Rugby union in Georgia |state = autocollapse |listclass = hlist |group1 = Governing body |list1 =

• Georgia Rugby Union

|group2 = National teams |list2 =

• Georgia
• A
• Tbilisi Caucasians
• Georgia Women
• U-20
• 7's
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|group3 = Competitions |list3 =

International	World Cup European Nations Cup Tbilisi Cup
Professional Club	European Rugby Challenge Cup Georgia Championship Georgia Cup
Stadiums	Boris Paichadze Stadium Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
Related articles	Antim Cup Lelo burti CIS Rugby union in the Soviet Union USSR national rugby union team Soviet Cup Soviet Championship