Georgia at their best for Portugal
Tue, 12 February, 2002
ENC'2001 Champions, Georgia will bring their best possible
22-strong squad to play Portugal on Saturday, 16 February,
at National Stadium (Jamor) in Lisbon. The kick-off is set
for 15:00 local (same GMT; 19h in Georgia).
Last season's first choices, scrum-half Abusseridze and
inside center-cum-flanker Katsadze ('Georgian Lomu',
according to Spaniards) are back to full fitness and would
reclaim their places in the XV.
The same goes for main fetcher/breakaway Labadze, who
served a month-long suspension after had been red-carded in
the French league.
Two more forwards, Ratianidze and Magrakvelidze duly got
promotion to the reserve ranks thanks to impressive
performances in the French league. As for the bench proper,
it would consist of true all-rounders this time as every
reserve but Alania, the one of two of home-based Lelos in
the squad, covers two or even three positions.
The game will be adjudicated by a French trio: M.PRUVOT
acting as ref, and M.CLOT and M.MOSSAN running touch.
*** LELOS of Georgia for Portugal
(tabulated under Club Division AGE; CAPS - SCORING
French divisional hierarchy: T16 > D2 > F1 > F2 )
15 Bessik KHAMASHURIDZE Toulon D2 25 19 - 4T
14 Makho URJUKASHVILI Mazamet F1 22 18 - 4T, 12c, 15p
13 Tedo ZIBZIBADZE Mazamet F1 22 12 - 3T
12 Vassil KATSADZE Grenoble D2 26 18 - 3T
11 Badri KHEKHELASHVILI Angouleme F1 24 14 - 4T
10 Paliko JIMSHELADZE Grenoble D2 27 27 - 6T, 34c, 12p
9 Irakli ABUSSERIDZE Locomotivi GEO 25 11 - 3T
1 Mevlud MTIULISHVILI Agen T16 32 19
2 Goderdzi SHVELIDZE Beziers T16 24 15 - 3T
3 *Levan TSABADZE Castres T16 29 27 - 9T
4 Vano NADIRADZE Bourg@Bresse F1 30 22 - 3T
5 Victor DIDEBULIDZE Figeac F2 32 16 - 4T
6 David BOLGHASHVILI Mazamet F1 23 12 - 2T
7 Guia LABADZE Toulon D2 29 24 - 5T
8 Ilia ZEDGUINIDZE Toulon D2 25 13 - 6T
22 Guja IOVADZE Agde F2 28 10 - 3T
21 Kakha ALANIA Locomotivi GEO 29 16
20 Shota MODEBADZE Nimes F1 28 19 - 3T, 4c, 13p
16 Akvsenti GUIORGADZE Toulon D2 26 20 - 5T
17 Tato RATIANIDZE Beziers T16 22 6
18 Mamuka MAGRAKVELIDZE Auch D2 25 3
19 Zurab MTCHEDLISHVILI Albi F1 31 22 - 2T
Management (all of FRANCE; age indicated):
Claude SAUREL coach 54
Thierry ROUDIL fitness 51
Jean-Louis SALOMON doc 45
Georgia and Portugal have met three times till now.
Portugal won the first encounter and Georgia the following two.
97/04/19 Lisbon (FIRA) Portugal 21 (2T) - Georgia 17 (T)
00/02/06 Lisbon (ENC) Portugal 30 - Georgia 32 (4T)
01/02/17 Tbilissi (ENC) Georgia 36 (6T) - Portugal 12
The first match was a semi-final of the last-ever FIRA
championships. Georgia led by a single point until the very
end but conceded a crucial try from Amaral. Portugal went
on to the final and lost to Spain by 18-25 (away).
On the second occasion at the same Lisbon University
Campus, Georgia led 27-12 at one stage, but thanks to nine
PGs and one DG from fly-half Teixeira, the hosts went ahead
by 30-27, but LELOS' captain Tsabadze just saved the day
with a close-range, injury time try.
Last year Portugal stood firm for the 55 minutes at
Tbilissi National Stadium but then fell apart and conceded
four tries in the final quarter.
END )))