Renowned for their scrummaging prowess, Georgia have the opportunity several generations have strived for this month when they face Tier 1 opposition in four successive weeks. What can we expect from the Lelos as they prepare for the Autumn Nations Cup?
Thursday 12 November 2020 17:37, UK
With Tests to come against England, Wales and Ireland over the next three weeks in the Autumn Nations Cup, what can we expect from famed scrummagers Georgia?
According to England head coach Eddie Jones, Georgia possess a scrum like no other in world rugby.
In fact, he has gone further: "They have a massive scrum and the strongest pack in the world. Babies there are born with beards.
"We want to have the best scrum in the world and they're the biggest, ugliest, strongest scrum pack in the world. Why wouldn't we want to scrummage against them?"
Tongue in cheek in terms of language used, but his opinion is clear. Back in 2018, this was further evidenced when videos of Georgia scrummaging against England in training - piling through and past them - during a fallow week in the Six Nations went viral on social media.
The likes of props Levan Chilachava (Ex Toulon, now Montpellier) and Davit Zirakashvili (Clermont) forged outstanding careers in France thriving at the highest level, while also clinching domestic and European honours.
And they are not one-offs. Georgia have a long history of providing props to the Top 14.
Even now, all five props within their squad for the Autumn Nations Cup ply their trade in France's top tier: Beka Gigashvili (Toulon), Guram Gogichashvili (Racing 92), Lekso Kaulashvili (Bordeaux), Giorgi Melikidze (Stade Français), Mikheil Nariashvili (Montpellier). Hooker Shalva Mamukashvili has also just joined the Leicester Tigers.
But how has one nation of little success on a world stage consistently been able to produce high-level prop forwards?
Many in Georgia put this down to the local sport of Lelo Burti, its cultural significance and the traits needed to succeed in it.
In Lelo Burti, two rival villages compete to force a weighted ball to opposing ends of a field. It's a scene of mayhem and chaos, a scramble of testosterone, utter physicality, brute strength and sheer will. Full contact, no discernible rules.
An ancient folk sport, it became standardised during the soviet period. Today, the Georgian national rugby team is nicknamed the Lelos.
Back in 2015, Jones was so worried about Georgia's pack strength - they have produced several top-level back-rows too such as Montpellier and Toulon legend Mamuka Gorgodze - that he picked nine forwards as Japan coach, deploying No 8 Hendrik Tui in the backs. The Brave Blossoms won that day 13-10, and Jones had suggested doing similar with England.
Terming it a drive for 'hybrid players', Jones is said to have trialled Gloucester wing Ollie Thorley in the back-row and Bristol flanker Ben Earl at centre during England training recently, but when team selection came he stuck to convention.
Currently ranked 12th in the world, Georgia sit two places above Italy, with the likes of Fiji, Argentina and Japan just above them. Adept scrummagers and a fascinating prospect they may be, but Georgia have yet to translate that into a marquee victory.
In the original make-up of this Autumn Nations Cup, Georgia were not actually involved. Indeed, it took a Covid-affected withdrawal from Japan to see them invited.
Georgia's place in the sport over the last decade has largely seen them engage in a continual and repeated cycle: comprehensively dominate the Rugby Europe Championship vs the likes of Romania, Russia and Spain - a title they have won 12 times - but lose to Tier 1 teams at the Rugby World Cup, and very rarely face them outside of that showpiece event.
In Tbilisi they draw crowds of 50-60,000 for Tests against Russia, but Georgia are caught in an impasse at present: too big for the Rugby Europe Championship, but not big enough for the Six Nations.
In recent years, such has been Italy's downturn in performances - now 27 straight Six Nations losses - there have been calls for Georgia to replace the Azzurri from some quarters. But there is little-to-no track record to show that this is appropriate or would be successful.
What Georgia have consistently pined for is more regular fixtures against Tier 1 opposition (The Six Nations countries, and four Rugby Championship ones).
Outside of Rugby World Cup Tests in the last 10 years, Georgia did not play a single game against Tier 1 opposition in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015. The one exception proving a 49-7 loss to Ireland in November 2014 in Dublin. In 2016, they played one Test against Scotland in Kilmarnock, losing 43-16.
In 2017, they gave Wales a scare in a 13-6 defeat in Cardiff in November, before losing 45-29 to Argentina in June. 2018 saw perhaps the biggest Test in the nation's history, when they travelled to face Italy in November, but they lost 28-17 in Firenze. In 2019, they faced Scotland in back-to-back Rugby World Cup warm-up Tests, losing 44-10 in Tbilisi and 36-9 at Murrayfield.
2020 has seen them play one fixture to date: a 48-7 loss to Scotland in October - though, by way of some mitigation, this was their first game for eight months and after almost no training with each other.
Over the same time frame, they have lost a further seven Tests to Tier 1 opposition at Rugby World Cups. So who have they beaten?
Georgia have proven most successful against Samoa (three wins, one draw) and Tonga (four wins, one loss) over the last decade, while also faring well against Uruguay (three wins).
Their record otherwise is fairly mixed: Namibia (two wins, one loss), Canada (four wins, two losses), USA (three wins, two losses), Fiji (one win, three losses), Japan (one win, four losses).
2020 heralds a time when they will have the long-wished-for chance to face Tier 1 opponents in consecutive weeks. Potentially, a once in a generation opportunity, as skipper Merab Sharikadze is acutely aware.
"Pressure and responsibility," Sharikadze said in reference to the squad's feelings before this weekend.
"Because a lot of people who have played for Georgia in the past, who have supported Georgia for years have been waiting for this opportunity. We are the ones playing in what others before us have worked for.
"These games are not standard games for us. Sometimes you don't even get the opportunity to play these kinds of teams at the World Cup and now we're playing three or four games in a row against the best teams in the world."
Georgia will face England, Wales and Ireland in successive weeks, before a play-off fixture against one of France, Fiji, Scotland or Italy - and that final clash could be a huge occasion if Georgia vs Italy comes to pass.
"Any mistake will cost us; much more concentration is needed. The speed and dynamics of the game are much higher," Georgia head coach Levan Maisashvili has said.
It will be far from easy, but can Georgia take their chance on the highest stage and show what they can offer?
Georgia may never have faced England outside of a World Cup before, nor visited Twickenham Stadium in their history, but quite curiously, they do have a member of their squad who has been victorious at Twickenham, and for a British college no less.
Captain and 27-year-old centre Sharikadze attended Hartpury College in 2011 when they - and by extension Gloucester Rugby - held a partnership with the Georgian Rugby Union.
Sharikadze arrived to British shores on an Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme as an 18-year-old, and would go on to feature alongside seven other would-be professionals as Hartpury College beat Henley College to win the AASE championship at Twickenham in 2012.
Alongside England internationals Ellis Genge and Jonny Hill, Wales back-row Ross Moriarty, Italy scrum-half Callum Braley, Billy Burns - who is in line to make his Ireland debut on Friday - Bath lock Elliot Stooke and Gloucester flanker Lewis Ludlow, the Russian-born midfielder made his mark, going on to sign terms with Gloucester.
Thereafter, Sharikadze would forge a career in France with clubs Bourg-en-Bresse and Aurillac.
Speaking to media this week, Sharikadze reminisced on those times: "They [Genge and Hill] are good boys and good friends. I learnt a lot from them and we had a very good few years together. It is very exciting to see them on the pitch.
"Jonny probably doesn't remember but one day he was a bit upset about something. He was saying he would probably not make it to the big rugby.
"I was looking at him, saying: 'Just wait, you'll be one of the best in the world'. I remember that very well and he deserves it, he is one of the best in the world now.
"People will see and decide if we (Georgia) might deserve better chances in the future; we want to show the world that we can play better than we think.
"When we finish this tournament, if we know that we are a better team than when we started, we have had a very successful Eight Nations. I'm confident we will and we're motivated."
