Matkava returns at fly-half - Georgia announce team to play Fiji
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Georgia head coach Levan Maisashviki has named his match-day 23 to play Fiji on Saturday, 30 September and he has made seven changes to his starting 15, including the half-back pairing with scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze and fly-half Luka Matkava in for Gela Aprasidze and Tedo Abzhandadze respectively.
1 Mikheil Nariashvili (c)
2 Tengizi Zamtaradze
3 Beka Gigashvili
4 Lasha Jaiani
5 Konstantine Mikautadze
6 Mikheil Gachechiladze
7 Beka Saginadze
8 Tornike Jalagonia
9 Vasil Lobzhanidze
10 Luka Matkava
11 Davit Niniashvili
12 Giorgi Kveseladze
13 Demur Tapladze
14 Akaki Tabutsadze
15 Miriani Modebadze
Replacements:
16 Luka Nioradze
17 Nika Abuladze
18 Irakli Aptsiauri
19 Nodar Cheishvili
20 Luka Ivanishvili
21 Gela Aprasidze
22 Tedo Abzhandadze
23 Tornike Kakhoidze
- There are eight survivors in the match-day team from their RWC 2019 pool match against Fiji: Giorgi Kveseladze, Vasil Lobzhanidze, Mikheil Nariashvili, Beka Gigashvili, Konstantine Mikautadze, Beka Saginadze, Gela Aprasidze, and Miriani Modebadze.
- Two players will make their Rugby World Cup debut, Mikheil Gachechiladze in the run-on team, and Tornike Kakhoidze if used off the bench.
- Georgia have four different try-scorers so far at RWC 2023 in Beka Gigashvili, Tengizi Zamtaradze, Luka Ivanishvili and Akaki Tabutsadze. No Georgian has ever scored more than two tries at a single Rugby World Cup tournament.
- Akaki Tabutsadze is the only Georgian player to have started in all 10 tests this season. He scored all 15 points against Fiji in their last meeting in 2021 from five penalty goals kicked. He is yet to miss a kick at goal at RWC 2023, converting all four attempts.
- Tornike Jalagonia has not missed a tackle at RWC 2023, completing all 29 attempts.
- Davit Niniashvili has been responsible for much of Georgia’s attack making the second-most carries (33) and third-most metres (315) and defenders beaten (16) of any player after three rounds.