Rugby World Cup: Gorgodze leads Georgia to rare win

“Man Mountain” sees side clinch just their third overall win in the mega event

GLOUCESTER: Georgia captain Mamuka “Man Mountain” Gorgodze led his country to just their third World Cup win with a 17-10 upset success over Tonga in their opening Pool C game on Saturday.

Gorgodze and his teammates erupted with joy at the Kingsholm stadium in Gloucester after the famous win which capped a record breaking day as 18-year-old scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze become the youngest player in World Cup history.

Gorgodze, who plays for European champions Toulon, led a brilliant scrummaging effort by his side and put them on course for victory with a first-half try.

In the second half, Tonga set up a frantic finale when, with Georgia making tackle after tackle, they finally found a way through for a try by left wing Fetu’u Vainikolo.

Kurt Morath added the conversion to reduce Georgia’s lead to seven points, with Kvirikashvili sent to the sin-bin.

But Georgia hung on for the victory.

All Blacks determined not to be chokers

New Zealand’s most experienced side ever will take on Argentina on Sunday, looking to shed the “chokers” tag in their quest to become the first side to win back-to-back World Cups.

It was a predictable selection by coach Steve Hansen, saddled with the hard fact that his All Blacks may be defending champions and perennial top-ranked side in the world, but they have never won the global championship away from home.

To make an emphatic statement in their Wembley match against an Argentina side powered by a bruising pack, the All Blacks will field a team with an average age of 28 and featuring 1,013 caps in the starting XV and a further 316 caps on the bench.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2015.

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