Wales will be hoping to hit the ground running when they take on a confident Georgia side in their end-of-year Test in Cardiff on Saturday.
After kicking off their Autumn campaign with a 29-22 home defeat against Australia last weekend, nothing less than a convincing victory against their Eastern European visitors will suffice for Wales’ passionate supporters.
That is easier said than done though as Georgia are one of the most improved sides at Test level in recent years and they are on a high after beating Canada 54-22 last weekend in Tbilisi.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland has rung the changes making 14 alterations to his starting XV for their first ever Test against the Lelos. That doesn’t mean he is underestimating the Georgia though.
“It’s going to be tough,” said Gatland.
“They have improved in recent years, Milton Haig has done a great job coaching them, and they had a good win against Canada last week.
“In the last three games they have won something like 15 scrum penalties so we know we’ll have to scrum well and we’re confident about doing that.
“We want to continue being positive in the way that we play and we want to ask questions of them in terms of keeping the ball on the park and taking quick taps if it’s on.”
After that demolition of Canada, Georgia head coach Milton Haig has kept faith with his players who were on duty in that clash and named an unchanged starting line-up with the only change to the matchday squad being made amongst the replacements where Merab Kvirikashvili takes over from Giorgi Kveseladze as back-line cover.
That triumph against Canada has led to calls from Haig for his side to be allowed to compete in a revamped Six Nations tournament.
He knows, however, that Wales will be a different kettle of fish and is hoping for an improvement on their last performance against a Six Nations side when they were beaten 43-16 by Scotland in Kilmarnock last November.
“When it comes to so-called ‘David v Goliath’ games we just point out to our players that their opponents only have two arms and two legs just like us. The key thing is to take your opportunities when they come along and be clinical,” said Haig.
“If we were able to knock over a top tier nation then it would add strength to the Georgian argument to be added to the Six Nations. If you are one of the partners in the Six Nations then you would be saying to a country like us, ‘show us what you can do’.
“Until we can do that, and take a major scalp, our claims are merely hot air. To that end, this game against Wales is no different to the one we had against Scotland last year.
“We want to legitimise ourselves by winning a game of this stature. I know we are knocking on the door, but at some stage we have to bang it open and walk through to announce ourselves.
“We were disappointed by our performance against Scotland. We don’t want to make the same mistake 12 months later.”
Players to watch:
For Wales: As the captain and most experienced player of a relatively inexperienced starting XV, there will be some pressure on Dan Lydiate to perform in the leadership role. He should cope well with that pressure, however, as he has captained his country twice before. Lydiate should also be a threat on attack as a ball carrier and also on defence where he is expected to lead by example.
For Georgia: One of the highlights in last weekend’s win over Canada was the superb all-round showing of Soso Matiashvili, who finished that Test with a 34-point haul after scoring a brace of tries, six conversions and four penalties. Although he’s adept with ball in hand, Matiashvili is deadly from the kicking tee and in that clash with Canada he was successful with all 10 of his shots at goal. If Wales are penalised within his range, he is sure to punish them.
Head-to-head: The duel between the two scrum-halves will be an intriguing one as both players are capable of changing the course of a match with a moment of brilliance. Rhys Webb will be keen to impress as his pending move to Toulon will make him ineligible for his country from 2018 onwards. The 28-year-old showed on the the British and Irish Lions’ recent tour of New Zealand that he can mix it with the best after some solid performances off the bench and will be a danger on attack. His direct opponent, Vasil Lobzhanidze, is highly rated and made history at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England when he became the youngest player ever to play in that tournament at the age of 18 years and 340 days. Lobzhanidze, who plies his trade with Brive in the Top 14, has a nippy service and a keen eye for a gap and will not be daunted by Webb’s reputation.
Prediction: Although Georgia will put up a gallant fight, the home side shouldn’t have too many problems in taking this one. Wales to win by 15 points.
The teams:
Wales: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Seb Davies, 7 Sam Cross, 6 Dan Lydiate (c), 5 Cory Hill, 4 Adam Beard, 3 Leon Brown, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Josh Navidi, 20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Owen Williamsd
Georgia: 15 Soso Matiashvili, 14 Giorgi Koshadze, 13 Davit Katcharava, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 11 Mirian Modebadze, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Beka Bitsadze, 7 Vito Kolelishvili, 6 Lasha Lomidze, 5 Giorgi Nemsadze, 4 Kote Mikautadze, 3 Levan Chilachava, 2 Jaba Bregvadze, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili
Replacements: 16 Shalva Mamukashvili, 17 Kakha Asieshvili, 18 Soso Bekoshvili, 19 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 20 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 21 Giorgi Begadze, 22 Revaz Jintchvelashvili, 23 Merab Kvirikashvili
Date: Saturday, November 18
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-Off: 14:30 GMT
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees: Shuhei Kubo (Japan), Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)
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