A massive weekend of rugby gets kicked off in Tbilisi as Georgia host Canada for the second time. Can the Lelos exact revenge for their defeat in Vancouver last year?
GEORGIA vs CANADA
Saturday, November 9, 12:30 GMT, Tbilisi
EDIT: kickoff time has been confirmed as 12:30 GMT
Giant beastly forwards have been the name of the game for the hirsute Georgians for several years, especially in the front row. Their props are precious commodities scattered amongst the best professional teams in France. What other national side can lose two front line tightheads and still field a first class player in the position? Even Argentina cannot at this moment claim such an embarrassment of riches.
Stade Francais strongman Davit Kubriashvili will anchor the scrum, and will be joined by Montpellier’s Mikheil Nariashvili, a slightly surprising selection ahead of the fancied Davit Khinchagishvili of Racing Metro. Another plying his trade in the Top 14 is second row Kote Mikautadze, a relative youngster but already showing signs of potentially establishing himself as Georgia’s best lock since the days of former Toulouse hard man Guia Ruskini.
An unfortunate broken finger suffered by Dimitri Basilaia during training this week means that Giorgi Chkhaidze lines up at the back of the scrum. The veteran has maybe lost a step in his advanced age but with over a decade’s worth of experience in international rugby he is hardly a downgrade. Not that it matters, as the two players on the flank are absolute demons.
Lyon lead the French Pro D2 division and a key component of their pack is destructive openside Viktor Kolelishvili. The former Clermont Vulcan is an impressive athlete, a fearsome competitor both in appearance and impact, and has been in superb form for his club. His flank partner, Mamuka Gorgodze, needs no introduction. ‘Gorgodzilla’ appears to have slowed somewhat, but he is not yet 30 and still easily capable of smashing through the thickest of walls.
A couple of steam rollers are also lurking on the wings in the powerful forms of captain Irakli Machkhaneli and the even bigger Tamaz Mchedlidze. The centres are of much smaller but classy operators with pace and passing skills. The halfbacks are a bit iffy and fullback Merab Kvirikashvili is known more for his boot than his speed, but it is a solid if unspectacular set of backs.
If all of that sounds somewhat ominous, it’s because it is. Only five players, two of them forwards, remain of the Lelo side that were comprehensively beaten sixteen months ago, meanwhile the Canadians will field a much weaker side without captain Aaron Carpenter and top pros Jebb Sinclair, Jason Marshall, and D.T.H. van der Merwe. Sinclair’s absence is a bit mysterious as he is in Tbilisi and named in the touring squad but he has not been named even among the reserves. His strength and grit would have been hugely valuable so he must have suffered some kind of injury in training otherwise his absence is indefensible.
EDIT: The originally posted team sheet was a misprint and Jebb Sinclair will in fact start the match at #6. John Moonlight starts at #7, with Adam Kleeberger on the bench and Nanyak Dala missing out. Rugby Canada’s communication woes continue…
In the wake of Carpenter’s injury, Tyler Ardron has been asked to take charge at the advanced age of 22. He has been outstanding since he entered the big stage but this will be a big ask of him to lead in such an unwelcoming environment. This is a completely different style of team to the Maori, one that will test the resolve of the forwards from the opening minute until the end.
Ardron will have Hubert Buydens and Andrew Tiedemann doing their best to hold the scrum, but backing them up are two totally inexperienced front rowers who have only just broken into senior rugby. Adam Kleeberger, with all his tenacity, will have to put his body on the line after only just returning from a long-term layoff. John Moonlight is a fine player but more of a link man and not the sort to relish the heavy stuff up front.
In the backs Liam Underwood and Harry Jones were a mixed bag against the Maori, and Conor Trainor still looks rusty. Phil Mackenzie makes a welcome return out wide, where there is a speed advantage, but the ball has to make it there first. Strangely on the bench are Nanyak Dala, Nick Blevins, and James Pritchard, all of whom one would think would be well suited for this kind of contest, particularly fullback Pritchard, whose outstanding goal kicking might have made a difference in a tight contest.
Playing in Tbilisi is a challenge at the best of times, but missing so many strong forwards makes the task almost impossible. The odds are firmly stacked against the visitors and it’s conceivable that Georgia reverses the score of that game in Vancouver. This Canadian team has shown that it has heart, however, and their defense could prove stingy against a less dynamic Lelo attack. Pick the home side to bludgeon its way to victory and win by around 8 points.
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe (SARU)
Assistants: Dudley Phillips (IRFU) & Vlad Iordachescu (FRR)
TMO: n/a
*Canadian cap totals include all senior appearances that have yet to be acknowledged as official test caps
