Georgia will use the Boks to gatecrash Six Nations
Brendan Gallagher looks at the strength of the countries playing in the European Nations Cup
WHILE the clamour for Georgia to be included in an expanded Six Nations as of right has died down – a relegation/promotion play-off seems the best they are likely to be offered in the near future – the need for them to improve continues and that process gets under way with their opening 2020 European Nations Cup game on Saturday at home to Romania.
The Lelos weren’t entirely happy with their showing in Japan, they didn’t trouble the big boys like they had hoped, and typically they have reacted with a frenzied burst of energy and activity.
They despatched their U20 squad – who are undoubtedly good enough to play and win regularly in the junior Six Nations – to South Africa again for another warm weather camp and two highly competitive games against their Boks counterparts.
Soon after the youngsters arrived back a formal agreement was announced with South Africa whereby, starting this summer, a Georgian Clubs XV consisting of home-based players will travel down south for two months every year to compete in the Currie Cup.
This is a proven development route with Argentina’s Pampas XV doing likewise a few years back and breeding a crop of young players who made a good impression at RWC2015.
That same Clubs XV, almost by way of a trial run, has just returned from Argentina where they have been escaping the Georgian winter and contested two controlled training matches against the Jaguares as they get their Super Rugby preparations underway.
Almost uniquely among T2 nations, finance is not a great issue for Georgia with billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili – a former Georgian President – seemingly happy to continue bankrolling the national squads. Big home games in Tbilisi also ensure there is useful cash flow of Lari rolling into the Georgian Federation, all of which means they can undertake these winter training camps and bring a little leverage to bear. There is no question, for example, that they would have been required to give financial guarantees to SARU to ensure their acceptance into the Currie Cup.
Having reached a plateau – the best team in Europe outside of the Six Nations and a solid 14th in the world ranking – Georgia want to spend a couple of years consolidating their player base and in particular getting their young backs more exposure in France and in the Currie Cup. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see they are still lacking international quality in their midfield backs and out wide.
So Georgia have been busy although they haven’t found time yet to replace Milton Haig who did such a fine job as head coach for nearly eight years before stepping down in November. Levan Maisashvili, their assistant coach in Japan, has been appointed interim coach and might have designs on a more permanent arrangement, but you fancy Georgia are taking their time and might eventually look for a big hitter, perhaps from South Africa given that developing relationship.
This week the senior squad – much the same as the World Cup squad although Mamuka Gorgadze has finally retired from Test rugby – gathered in France, where most of them play, for a three-day camp and they will be clear favourites to win their ninth European Nations title from the last ten competitions. One notable addition is all-action flanker Mikheil Gachechiladze who enjoyed an outstanding 2018 before serious injury saw most of 2019 written off.
They face Romania first up in what used to be the perennial title decider, but the Oaks have slipped significantly recently as they seek to steady the ship after they were thrown out of RWC2019 before it started for fielding an ineligible player in qualifying. Andy Robinson is now in charge and will unquestionably have them revved up. He will eventually get the Oaks much fitter but the unknown quantity is the availability of their dwindling number of French-based players.
There are still some quality performers of theirs in France – there was a much publicised picture last weekend of Romanian brothers Andre and Valentin Ursache captaining Carcassonne and Oyonnax in the big Pro D2 game – while powerful lock Alin Coste is also at Carcassonne and Mihai Macovei is still playing with Colomiers. Times have changed though. Before the emergence of Georgia just about every major French team had at least one big Romanian forward on their books.
Last season the biggest challenge to Georgia came from Spain who have responded well to their expulsion from the World Cup qualifying process and rocketed to a world ranking of 16. The highlight of their campaign last time out was a 16-14 win over Russia who had taken their place in Japan after lodging a complaint about the eligibility of two of Spain’s French-based players. No love lost their.
Spain, like Georgia, are trying to think strategically and have included just seven French-based players in their initial squad including promising Pau centre Pierre Nueno. Los Leones still have plenty of Frenchbased players and Spain will undoubtedly come again when the RWC2023 qualifying matches draw nearer.
For the time being, though, Spain intend not to overburden their players from over the border, many of whom risk big trouble with their clubs for making themselves available despite having every right to do so under World Rugby regulations.
“Finance is no issue for Georgia with billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili bankrolling the team”
One player Spain will be very keen to cap asap is Clermont wing Samuel Ezeala, still only 20, who produced a MOM performance in the European Champions Cup at Bath before Christmas.
France also have their eyes on Ezeala but Spain take the view that Les Blues have enough Fijian wings they can poach and it would be neighbourly to give them a free run on Ezeala who is the best back Spain have produced since Oriol Ripol
Russia, having entered RWC2019 via the backdoor, made a quite a decent impression in Japan with coach Lynn Jones quickly improving their fitness and attending to the basics. Their hugely popular captain Vasily Artemyev, right – the voluble Irish Cossack – has decided to delay retirement so is still at the helm and Russia have pretty much their full World Cup squad available which should be a big advantage in terms of preparation. Tagir Gadzhiev, one of the better opensides on view in Japan, will again spearhead their forward effort when he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Belgium were the third side caught up in the eligibility scandal in 2018 which was a shame because it rather obscured the real progress they have made recently against the odds. They, like Spain, have any number of genuinely qualified dual nationals just over the border in France and like Los Leonas have learned that they must be sharper with their paperwork. They have some forwards of real quality such as Bayonne prop Jean Baptiste de Clerq and young Wasps back five forward Thibaud Flament who learned his rugby at Loughborough University where his introduction to the game was as fly-half for the 5th XV. A couple of years later he was starring for the 1st XV at flanker.
Portugal are the new kids on the block after their promotion last year and although they could find it tough going, Portuguese Rugby is undergoing something of a revival with a very strong U20 group coming through en masse. Look out for brilliant 19-yearold wing Raffaele Storti, currently playing for Trecnico, but being tracked closely by half a dozen T14 and Premiership sides. A big contract awaits sooner rather than later.
One novelty for Portugal this year is that they are going to stage their prestige home game against Georgia at Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris.
With Georgian players enjoying such a high profile in the T14 and with French fans having a good record of supporting the smaller nations, Portugal are hoping for a decent crowd but you fancy the main purpose of the venue is the showcase it could offer for five or six talented Portuguese youngsters who have ambitions to play professionally in France.