Big Opportunity For Georgia At Autumn Nations Cup

The top dogs of tier-2 European rugby finally get the opportunity to play with the big boys when Georgia competes in the Autumn Nations Cup.

Nov 12, 2020

Big Opportunity For Georgia At Autumn Nations Cup

The top dogs of tier-2 European rugby finally get the opportunity to play with the big boys of the Six Nations when Georgia competes in the Autumn Nations Cup.

Watch Autumn Nations Cup LIVE & On-Demand on FloRugby!

The Georgians have been knocking on the door of the Six Nations, hoping to be let in for years, but those knocks have fallen on deaf ears. Well, now they have the opportunity to show the world they can hang with the best and can potentially take down some of the Six Nations teams over the next month.

With a powerful scrum and plenty of experience, Georgia can make waves this competition with some mistake-free rugby and a commitment to strong defense.

Roster

Props: Beka Gigashvili; Guram Gogichashvili; Lekso Kaulashvili; Giorgi Melikidze; Mikheil Nariashvili

Hookers: Jaba Bregvadze; Giorgi Chkoidze; Shalva Mamukashvili

Locks: Lasha Jaiani; Giorgi Javakhia; Grigor Kerdikoshvili; Kote Mikautadze; Nodar Tcheishvili

Flankers: Mikheil Gachechiladze; Otar Giorgadze; Tornike Jalaghonia; Beka Saghinadze; Giorgi Tkhilaishvili

No. 8: Beka Gorgadze

Scrum-halves: Mikheil Alania; Gela Aprasidze; Vasil Lobzhanidze

Fly-halves: Tedo Abzhandadze; Lasha Khmaladze; Luka Matkava

Centers: Giorgi Kveseladze; Mirian Modebadze; Merab Sharikadze; Demur Tapladze

Wings: Tamaz Mchedlidze; Sandro Svanidze; Akaki Tabutsadze; Alexander Todua

Fullbacks: Soso Matiashvili; Davit Niniashvili

Strength

Well-renowned for its powerful scrum, it’s actually the guy behind it who is the big dangerman. Scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze is a livewire who snipes around the breakdowns and sets up his teammates to go through holes.

He has a tough job operating behind a forward pack that could be outmatched against some of the top teams in the world at the Autumn Nations Cup.

Weakness

Fly-half is an area that Georgia will be lacking in compared their counterparts. It’s a difficult position which requires the utmost game control, precision, and creativity, as well as kicking from hand and for points.

This isn’t to say the Georgian fly-halves aren’t up to the task, but if there is a weakness in the roster, that’s probably it.

Commentary

Georgia has an immensely difficult group with Wales, Ireland, and England in their pool, but if you want to be the best you’ve got to beat the best. In Georgia’s most recent outing, they struggled to keep up with Scotland’s speed of play and did a poor job of slowing down the Scots at the breakdown.

Some better work at ruck time and more continuity on offense should see the Georgians put together a decent tournament at the end of 2020. If they can’t do those things, they’ll likely go home with the without a victory.

Schedule

England vs Georgia | Nov. 14 | 10:00 am ET

Wales vs Georgia | Nov. 21 | 12:15 pm ET

Ireland vs Georgia | Nov. 29 | 9:00 am ET

How to Watch:

STREAMING: Sign up here to watch the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup on FloRugby.

On Your TV: Now Available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast & Apple TV.

Cast: Cast to your smart TV including Vizio, Samsung and LG TVs.

On The Go: Download the FloSports app on iOS or Android.

Archived Footage

Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloRugby subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

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