Georgia announces squad for 2011 Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland – Rugby News
The Georgian national Rugby Union team, commonly known as the Lelos, has announced their match day 22 for the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) opener against Scotland. Lelos will play their first match of the tournament at Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill on Wednesday,
September 14.
Lelos head coach, Richie Dixon, announced their match day squad on Monday, September 12. He has expressed his confidence that his current squad has the capability to register a win in the tournament.
Georgia was one of the four teams, which did not play a game in the first week of the 2011 RWC tournament. The other three teams include Canada, Russia and Samoa.
Dixon has announced a changed Lelos lineup as compared to their starting xv which took the field against Namibia during the Nations Cup in June earlier this year. The shakeup includes second row forwards pair of Vakhtang Maisuradze and Alexander Todua, hooker
Jaba Bregvadze, and props duo of David Khinchagishvili and David Zirakashvili.
Dixon has termed his match day 22 for the Scotland encounter as a balanced squad. He said, “We feel, for this particular game, this particular combination is the way we want to go. We have versatility in our back row.”
Earlier, Dixon had included the French Top 14 outfit Montpellier’s star overseas player Mamuka Gorgodze in the starting xv. He will start Wednesday’s game from the flanker position.
Additionally in other changes, Dimitri Basilaia has been moved from the bench to star in the starting xv at the Number eight position. Commenting on his new back row forward combination, Dixon said, “We feel for this particular game Mamuka at seven and
Dimitri at eight is how we will start this game.”
In 2007 RWC, Georgia were close to cause an upset as Ireland managed to squeeze past them in a 14 – 10 thriller. Dixon added that his team is more balanced then their previous RWC campaign. He said, “The Ireland game in the last World Cup let everyone see
that Georgia is particularly strong up front. But for our team we're looking to have a more balanced team and to show that we've made progress from that game back in 2007.”
The Lelos match day squad for their upcoming 2011 RWC encounter against the Scotland consists of,
Starting XV: 15 Revaz Gigauri, 14 Irakli Machkhaneli, 13 David Kacharava, 12 Tedo Zibzibadze, 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Merab Kvirikashvili, 9 Irakli Abuseridze (capt), 8 Dimitri Basilaia, 7 Mamuka Gorgodze, 6 Shalva Sutiashvili, 5 Vakhtang
Maisuradze, 4 Levan Datunashvili, 3 David Zirakashvili, 2 Jaba Bregvadze, 1 David Khinchagishvili.
Replacements: 16 Akvsenti Giorgadze, 17 David Kubriashvilini, 18 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 19 Viktor Kolelishvili, 20 Bidzina Samkharadze, 21 Lasha Khmaladze, 22 Malkhaz Urjukashvili.
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