End of the road for villainous Victor

SO rugby is bidding farewell to Clermont and Georgia flanker Victor Kolelishvili who, after struggling with concussion issues for the best part of two years, has finally conceded that he must retire... much to the relief of opposition flankers and indeed referees.

Kolelishvili, below, was a villainous looking unmuzzled mad dog of a flanker who can ‘boast’ the worst disciplinary record in Test rugby history. In 50 Tests – 41 starts – he managed to accumulate eight yellow cards and one sending off, against Canada in Tbilisi when it was his high tackle on Liam Underwood which sparked one of the last mass brawls seen in international rugby.

He also famously copped a 14-week club ban for pushing referee Wayne Barnes out of the way in a European Cup match for Clermont against Ospreys although many thought he was hard done by on that occasion.

Barnes himself conceded that he was out of position and possibly impeding Kolelishvili as Clermont looked to defend and seemed very unfazed about the situation, issuing only a penalty and simply asking the player to relax. The citing officer, however, took a different view and an apocalyptic disciplinary committee nearly self combusted and threw the book at him.

Kolelishvili was a frustrating player. He had the physical strength and combativity to be another Mamuka Gorgodze – indeed he was the great man’s natural successor – but his fiery temper and a lengthy list of injuries finally did for him.

On the subject of disciplinary records in Test rugby, the list of those who have copped cards – yellow and red – is perhaps not quite as you might expect. Australia skipper Michael Hooper tucks in behind Kolelishvili with eight yellows in 99 Tests, while former Italy captain Marco Bortolami, not usually considered an ill-disciplined or wild player, managed to cop seven yellow cards and a sending off in his 112 matches.

Next comes Canada’s Jamie Cudmore with seven yellows in 43 Tests – well you knew he would feature somewhere – but on the same number of yellows come Brian Habana. Now that was a tad surprising.