Sixth successive REC title puts pressure back, and the Georgia RWC squad could amplify it

After securing a sixth consecutive Rugby Europe Championship (REC) title, the Georgia RWC squad is still fighting for a spot in the Six Nations. This follows their victory against Wales RWC the previous year. Rugby World Cup fans can buy Wales Vs Georgia Tickets from our website.

The Georgians were strong choices ahead of the competition, and notwithstanding a nervy final against Portugal, they brought on their label.

Wales Vs Georgia  RWC match
Wales Vs Georgia  RWC match

Rugby Europe Championship dominance 

When many were still recovering from Ireland's Six Nations Grand Slam-clinching victory over England, Georgia was tightening their boots in preparation for Sunday's REC championship match. For the Lelos, who had five crowns before the match with Portugal and since 2011, it's not entirely new territory.

Only Romania in 2017 was able to dethrone the Georgians as champions. Even this year's revised and extended event, which featured eight nations and culminated in a grand final, was unable to halt Levan Maisashvili's team.

In fact, Georgia's victory margin of 27 points was its smallest of the competition as it defeated Germany (75-12), the Netherlands (8-40), Spain (3-41) and Romania (31-7) its route to the championship. Lelos did have a rocky first half after cruising through the first half with remarkable ease.

They were only up 12-11 at the break, but they came out firing in the second half, scoring four tries in the closing 40 minutes to win 38-11 and extend their competition-long unbeaten streak to 29 games.

They last suffered a loss in the REC, falling to Romania 8-7, back in 2017. Georgia RWC squad is now within striking reach of the top 10 in the World Rugby standings after their victory, which also saw them move up to a record-equalling 11th spot.

Georgia’s supremacy in the Rugby Europe Contest led to calls for their inclusion in the Six Nations, substituting Italy. However, with the Italians lastly breaking their 36-game winless run in the Six Nations – beating Wales 22-21 last year – it has alleviated the calls rather. In fact, this day.

The calls were nearly non-existent. This notwithstanding the Georgians demanding a historic maiden conquest over Italy less than 1year ago – they then sponsored that up with a maiden victory over Wales in November.

Forcing the issue

Does consistently defeating the Georgia RWC squad in the REC each year help them develop? What else could Georgia do to demonstrate their credentials and not just compel the Six Nations or World Rugby to act?

Well, Lelos might be able to accomplish it in 2023. The heyday of Georgian rugby is definitely right now. In addition to having a seasoned front row that can compete with the best in the world in Scrums, they also have young backline players who are brilliant and some of whom are criminally underappreciated.

For the Rugby World Cup, Lelos' difficult pool stage includes matches against Australia, Fiji, Portugal, and Wales. The Six Nations and World Rugby might be forced into action by eliminating one of the tournament's heavyweights, such as Wales or Australia, and the Georgia RWC squad would be a far cry from the one that lost to England 84-6 in the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

History at the Rugby World Cup

Georgia RWC squad has grown with each Rugby World Cup tournament they have been in, with the exception of 2019. With a pool that is remarkably similar in 2023, they will likely try to pull off a few upsets. In 2007, they defeated Namibia 30-0 to earn their first victory in the competition. They also closely competed with Ireland. Rugby World Cup fans can buy Rugby World Cup 2023 Tickets from our website.

In 2011, they achieved a second triumph by overcoming Romania. They continued to put on strong performances but ultimately lost against Argentina and Scotland. After finishing highest-ever in the standings and defeating Tonga and Namibia, as well as putting forth another brave showing against Argentina and New Zealand, Georgia Rugby World Cup earned automatic qualifying for the 2019 World Cup four years later.

Georgians were strong choices ahead of the competition
Georgians were strong choices ahead of the competition

The talent to create history

They possess a pack that can compete in a scrum with any tier-one club. World-class performers include Guram Gogichashvili, Guram Papidze, Nika Abuladze, Beka Gigashvili, and others.

Beka Saghinadze, who played elsewhere in the pack, had a standout Campaign by leading the team in tackles, recording an incredible 11 dominant tackles, and averaging one turnover per game. Vasil Lobzhanidze, a crucial scrum-half, displayed outside of the pack.

He marshalled the troops once more around the park, and as a result, he has been put forward as a candidate for tournament player of the year. The outstanding centre and Captain Merab Sharikadze, who excels in both offence and defence, are also up for nomination.

In this REC, he scored two tries, contributed to three others, and completed every tackle. Although Davit Niniashvili, a standout fullback for Lyon, also demonstrated his value and abilities there, winger Akaki Tabutsadze stole the show by scoring eight goals in five games.

Together with players like Giorgi Kveseladze, Gela Aprasidze, Tornike Jalagonia, and others, the Georgia Rugby World Cup team will enter the World Cup with actual superstars and a balanced roster of young players and seasoned pros.

A handful of these players also work in France, and many of them are members of the Black Lions, a Rugby Europe Super Cup squad. This implies that they will enter the competition with some coherence and familiarity with the venue and some of their opponents.

Lelos have the ideal opportunity to stake their claim in 2023 for a seat at the table with the tier-one countries because rugby chiefs are contemplating a new global Test rugby framework that could only see Georgia featured from 2030.

Sixth successive REC title puts pressure back on Six Nations, and the Rugby World Cup could

In the Capgemini-powered World Rugby Men's Rankings, Georgia Rugby World Cup 2023 payers has reached an equal-all-time high. After successfully retaining their Rugby Europe Championship title, Georgia has closed to within 1.16 points of a record position in the top 10 in the globe.

Georgia qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023
Georgia qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023

With a 38-11 triumph over an injured Portugal in the championship game on Sunday. At the Rugby World Cup 2023, one of the Lelos' opponents from Pool C, the Os Lobos, put a lot of pressure on them, and with 30 minutes left, the outcome was still in doubt.

Georgia's power and experience, though, won out in the end, as a final flurry of tries put the finishing touches on yet another successful campaign. After regaining the championship trophy from Romania six years ago, Georgia has won 29 games in the competition without losing.

Georgia RWC 2023 team has also surpassed Samoa in the World Rugby Men's Rankings powered by Capgemini and climbed to number 11, which they previously held at the end of September 2019. This is due to their 100th victory in the competition.

The bronze medal contest between Spain and Romania was followed by the championship in the Stadium Nuevo Vivero in the border city of Badajoz, Spain.

The home crowd was let down as Romania edged out a thrilling contest 31-25 thanks to two last-second penalties from Vladut Popa. As a result, Los Leones drops to 20th while Romania moves up one spot to 19th in the standings.

DUTCH DELIGHT

The National Rugby Centre in Amsterdam hosted the fifth- and seventh-place rankings finals, and this time, the home crowd could rejoice over a triumph and a piece of history. With a 50-28 victory over Germany, the Netherlands finished the Rugby Europe Championship in fifth place overall, their best-ever placement.

Hugo Langelaan, their most experienced player, was making his final appearance in an orange jersey, and it was the ideal way for him to go out on top. Against Germany, if not their biggest victory (the record margin is still 30 points).

It was undoubtedly the match's greatest point total for the Netherlands. The result had a good knock-on effect on the rankings as well, with the Dutch moving ahead of Brazil into 26th place and Germany losing two spots as a result of the loss. They are currently in 32nd place.

Belgium overcame Poland, who had upset them in the pool round, to earn their first victory under new head coach Mike Ford. In a tight play-off for seventh place, the Black Devils overcame Poland 18-17, but the Netherlands' following victory prevented them from rising in the standings.

Though they received a better rating of 54.58 points, they are still in 29th place. Poland drops one spot to 34th. Sweden saw the weekend's largest drops. They dropped six spots to 47th with a 38–15 Rugby Europe Trophy loss to Ukraine in Split.

Georgia  Rugby World Cup 2023 squad
Georgia  Rugby World Cup 2023 squad

Ukraine gained 1.40 rating points to maintain its 36th-place ranking. Although the last weekend of the Six Nations featured a lot of drama as one might expect, the top of the rankings remained unaltered thanks to home victories by Grand Slam champions Ireland, Scotland, and France.

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