Georgia made several changes to the starting lineup to face Fiji on Saturday, hoping to secure the win to keep their hopes of advancing from World Cup Pool D alive.
After the Georgians lost their group opener to Australia, head coach Levan Maisashvili made eight changes to face Portugal. That game ended in an 18-18 draw.
Against Fiji, scrumhalf Vasil Lobzhanidze and flyhalf Luka Matkava, who started the first game but dropped to the bench against Portugal, are in again.
Centre Merab Sharikadze, captain in the first two games, has been dropped.
Maisashvili said some of the changes were forced: “There are always injuries in rugby. You can try to plan for everything but it always goes a different way, you just cannot avoid it.
“But every player who is selected to play is fully ready and will give 100% on the pitch, so I am not losing hope.”
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Against Portugal, Georgia salvaged a draw with a 78th minute try by substitute hooker Tengizi Zamtaradze, who is not in the squad this time.
“We needed to win that game and unfortunately it’s too late to talk about that now,” Maisashvili said.
“Obviously any result other than winning against Portugal would be the same as a defeat. It had an impact on the players, on myself. It wasn’t pleasant.
“We all know that in rugby it’s a fight and every time you fall down you have to get back up.
“So, that has given us even more motivation for the next match, and everything we could not do against Portugal we are going to do against Fiji.”
Georgia drew 15-15 with Fiji when they last met in 2021.
“The difference with that match was we were able to block their game, to block their defence,” he said.
“For this match we are going to attack more because obviously if we only focus on defence we will not be able to advance.
“If we want to have the result we’re waiting for, we’ll have to be strong everywhere, in attack and defence. That is our plan.”
Georgia – 15 Miriani Modebadze, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Giorgi Kveseladze, 11 Davit Niniashvili, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Tornike Jalagonia, 7 Beka Saginadze, 6 Mikheil Gachechiladze, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Lasha Jaiani, 3 Beka Gigashvili, 2 Tengizi Zamtaradze, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili (c).
Subs: 16 Luka Nioradze, 17 Nika Abuladze, 18 Irakli Aptsiauri, 19 Nodar Cheishvili, 20 Luka Ivanishvili, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Tornike Kakhoidze
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP