Scotland v Georgia, 26 November

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SCOTLAND v GEORGIA
26 November 2016
KO: 14:30 GMT
Rugby Park, Kilmarnock

Live on [BBC Two]

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees: Mathieu Raynal (France), Dan Jones (Wales)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

A. Head to Head

1 Played 1
1 Won 0
0 Drawn 0
0 Lost 1
15 Points 6

B. Recent Form

14 September 2011
Scotland 15–6 Georgia
Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill

C. TEAMS:

SCOTLAND 

15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tommy Seymour, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw(c), 8 Ryan Wilson, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Dell

Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Alex Allan, 18 Moray Low, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 John Barclay, 21 Ali Price, 22 Pete Horne, 23 Rory Hughes

GEORGIA

15 Merab Kvirikashvili, 14 Giorgi Aptsiauri, 13 Merab Sharikadze, 12 Tamaz Mtchedlidze, 11 Sandro Todua, 10 Lasha Malaghuradze, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Beka Bitsadze, 7 Mamuka Gorgodze(c), 6 Vito Kolelishvili, 5 Giorgi Nemsadze, 4 Kote Mikautadze, 3 Levan Chilachava, 2 Jaba Bregvadze, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili

Replacements: 16 Badri Alkhazashvili, 17 Kakha Asieshvili, 18 Dudu Kubriashvili, 19 Lasha Lomidze, 20 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 21 Giorgi Begadze, 22 Beka Tsiklauri, 23 Shalva Sutiashvili

***

In the recent international series, Georgia posted the following results, having travelled to the Pacific Islands for the first time:

- 11 June 2016: Samoa 19 - 19 Georgia (Apia Park, Samoa)
- 18 June 2016: Tonga 20 - 23 Georgia (Suva, Fiji)
- 24 June 2016: Fiji 3 - 14 Georgia (Suva, Fiji)
- 12 November 2016: Georgia 22−28 Japan
- 19 November 2016: Georgia 20–16 Samoa

This now means that:

- Georgia have now beaten all of the Tier 2 rugby nations (Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga, Canada, USA, Uruguay, Namibia, Portugal, Romania, Russia and Spain)
- Georgia are now ranked 11th in the world
- This ranks them higher than Japan, Italy, Samoa, Tonga and the USA
- Georgia has now played in 4 RWCs and has automatically qualified for Japan 2019
- They have now won the European Nations Cup (i.e. the Tier 2 version of the 6 Nations) nine times in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:So basically the backs are a bit crap but the pack is fearsome!

If by fearsome you mean having players who play for Worcester and Bristol then yes, sure

Let's be honest, we're going to give this shower a pumping!




Oh dear, I came over all confident there, most out of character. We're doomed!

I'm more worried about the Montpellier, Toulon and Clermont players!

Don't get me wrong there's no excuses if we lose this, but it is going to be a hard fought test match.

I am going to be semi-controversial but I really hope we hump Georgia, if it is a close game it will add to the calls to allow them into the 6 Nations.

RDW_Scotland wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:So basically the backs are a bit crap but the pack is fearsome!

If by fearsome you mean having players who play for Worcester and Bristol then yes, sure

Let's be honest, we're going to give this shower a pumping!




Oh dear, I came over all confident there, most out of character. We're doomed!

I'm more worried about the Montpellier, Toulon and Clermont players!

Don't get me wrong there's no excuses if we lose this, but it is going to be a hard fought test match.

Thats pretty much my stance, RDW. There is an interesting article on the beeb about Georgian rugby, essentially they are being bankrolled by a billionaire Georgian and they have invested in amazing facilities etc etc. We should beat them, no doubt, but as George points out - most players in their pack play for very good teams. Its going to be a physical and hard test match.

Thinking about it, why the hell would the SRU play this match on a thin pitch when we could have played somewhere else outside MF with a wide pitch and ran them ragged????

They don't think much do they.

Now now Mr Scones, please don't go suggesting that the SRU would ever use foresight and common sense!!!

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:Thinking about it, why the hell would the SRU play this match on a thin pitch when we could have played somewhere else outside MF with a wide pitch and ran them ragged????

They don't think much do they.

Muddy wide pitch = very bad.
Narrow dry track = very good.

We have a backline. They don't. QED.

won't need a wide pitch to find enormous gaps in the defence of that so called backline

They're getting pumped. Fact.

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote: won't need a wide pitch to find enormous gaps in the defence of that so called backline

They're getting pumped. Fact.

What is this optimism? We're Scottish - I don't like it, it's not natural.

I think Georgia will play pretty much as the Pumas did last week. It will be a tough battle in the forwards but hopefully we will get some ball out to the backs. Fagerson and Dell feel that they have will probably feel they have not so much been schooled in the dark arts as completed a PhD.
Games Within The Game.

Gorgodze versus Big Bad Bob !!!! Titanic struggle or what.

Frodo playing against a 9 who earns his crust in the T14. They'll both have a point to prove.

Furra Linee against a lot of people on here. He is a very talented player who puts in solid defensive shifts for Glasgow. Will this be the day he comes good?

Batman ditto.

EST wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote: won't need a wide pitch to find enormous gaps in the defence of that so called backline

They're getting pumped. Fact.

What is this optimism? We're Scottish - I don't like it, it's not natural.

I'm just trying it out. It feels odd, but strangely satisfying

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:Thinking about it, why the hell would the SRU play this match on a thin pitch when we could have played somewhere else outside MF with a wide pitch and ran them ragged????

They don't think much do they.

100% agree. I'm reading Nasser Hussein's autobiography at the moment and prior to him assuming the England captaincy he said that England were terrible when it came to preparing pitches favourable to the home side. He changed that, and it has continued under Vaughan, Strauss and now Cook. One example he gives is Sri Lanka touring England with a young Murali in two. England could have played in seamer friendly Headingly, but instead chose a dust-bowl pitch at the Oval, favourable to the side with the best spinners.


We want a massive pitch for this game. The goal posts at one end should be in Inverness and the other set in Edinburgh, with touchlines comprising the East and West coast. Width will be our friend, and having a narrow forward orientated arm-wrestle with these people only suits one side. Our back row is lightweight in comparison to theirs (I can't think of a single positive point of comparison between Gorgodze and Wilson), and a traditional Georgian loosehead prop would typically have a belly three times the size of Alan Dell. In hindsight, I can see why Ford has been picked for this. For whatever reason, his non-hooking brand of hooking seems to improve our scrimmaging.

We should and must win this. Laidlaw needs to burst both lungs in order to keep the ball moving at pace. Big game also for Finn Russell.

CDP hasn't been listed in the Edinburgh team - I suspect he will be travelling reserve for this game.

RDW_Scotland wrote:CDP hasn't been listed in the Edinburgh team - I suspect he will be travelling reserve for this game.

Makes sense. He'll be able to learn plenty from the Ryan Wilson masterclass.

Swap Wilson to CDP and that backrow actually works quite well. It is the lack of a big ball carrier in the back row that is infuriating. Hopefully Bradbury and Strauss go ballistic for Glasgow and Edinburgh this weekend.

tigertattie wrote:We should be good enough to give them a proper pumping!

The old saying of "forwards decide who wins a game, backs decide by how much" would indicate that although their forwards will put up a great fight, we should ultimately beat them and with our backs being far better than theirs, we should really be winning by 20+

This was the Scotland pack that faced Georgia last time, and we could only manage 4 penalties + drop goal to win that game 15-6  
Allan Jacobsen,
Ross Ford,
Euan Murray,
Nathan Hines,
Jim Hamilton,
Ally Strokosch,
Ross Rennie,
Kelly Brown

Aye - but who were the backs?

TJ wrote:Aye - but who were the backs?

9.Iain Farley
10.Dan Parks
11.James McLaren
12.G-Dog Morrison
13. Marcus Di Rollo
14.Andy Henderson
15.Rowen Shepherd

Ok, I'm just guessing.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

TJ wrote:Aye - but who were the backs?

9.Iain Farley
10.Dan Parks
11.James McLaren
12.G-Dog Morrison
13. Marcus Di Rollo
14.Andy Henderson
15.Rowen Shepherd

Ok, I'm just guessing.

Now that is a back line to bring fear to the masses (of Scottish fans)

Riskysports wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

TJ wrote:Aye - but who were the backs?

9.Iain Farley
10.Dan Parks
11.James McLaren
12.G-Dog Morrison
13. Marcus Di Rollo
14.Andy Henderson
15.Rowen Shepherd

Ok, I'm just guessing.

Now that is a back line to bring fear to the masses (of Scottish fans)

I can feel a panic attack coming on just looking at that

Rowan Shepherd refereed a tag rugby tournament when I was 12 - he was a grumpy barsteward and clearly didn't want to be there!

Manky-Flanker wrote:

tigertattie wrote:We should be good enough to give them a proper pumping!

The old saying of "forwards decide who wins a game, backs decide by how much" would indicate that although their forwards will put up a great fight, we should ultimately beat them and with our backs being far better than theirs, we should really be winning by 20+

This was the Scotland pack that faced Georgia last time, and we could only manage 4 penalties + drop goal to win that game 15-6  
Allan Jacobsen,
Ross Ford,
Euan Murray,
Nathan Hines,
Jim Hamilton,
Ally Strokosch,
Ross Rennie,
Kelly Brown

Very decent pack!

Only thing missing, a ball carrying 8!

But aye, just shows you, our pack got us the win, the backs were pish so we didn't win by much! This time we really should open up a good lead!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Rowan Shepherd refereed a tag rugby tournament when I was 12 - he was a grumpy barsteward and clearly didn't want to be there!

I knocked myself out at trying to tackle Rowan Shepard when I was about 16, it was a memorial fundraiser at my old club and we were playing a four quarters, mixed teams friendly. He was down as the "star" attraction. I can remember getting my head in totally the wrong place.

EST wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Rowan Shepherd refereed a tag rugby tournament when I was 12 - he was a grumpy barsteward and clearly didn't want to be there!

I knocked myself out at trying to tackle Rowan Shepard when I was about 16, it was a memorial fundraiser at my old club and we were playing a four quarters, mixed teams friendly.  He was down as the "star" attraction.  I can remember getting my head in totally the wrong place.  

He was deceptively slow with a massive backside. That was probably part of the problem re: tackling him.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

TJ wrote:Aye - but who were the backs?

9.Iain Farley
10.Dan Parks
11.James McLaren
12.G-Dog Morrison
13. Marcus Di Rollo
14.Andy Henderson
15.Rowen Shepherd

Ok, I'm just guessing.

I really am struggling to come up with a worse Scottish backline than that.
I mean, just,....'wow'.

I hope VC will be knocking back a few drams tonight accompanied by the sweet taste of a Scottish Autumn series win.

These games are always first half nail biters followed by the hopefully inevitable flood gates opening.

Kind of us to give them a try. Now its time to smash them.

What the Frak is up with Scottish teams and TMO's

Scotland are winning restarts

Much better from Scotland.

Ford is having a great game!

Why does Ryan Wilson always have to be such a monumental dong?

What a hand off from Ross Ford

Ford having a stormer!

When Low comes on it all goes wrong

Vintage Hoggy! Class

Don't generally post much but I'm compelled to on this occasion. We are playing like a tier 1 nation at the moment. Punishing a team who are clearly inferior to us. So often we make these type of games look so difficult.
Can't believe we are letting Cotter go to accommodate Townsend.

Neither do i, we could have got Townsend back some time in the future. Obviously we have better players now but we score a lot of tries now, i remember Parks chucking it out to the likes of De Luca for years going backwards.

Moray Low is awful though, we will get hammered in the scrums in the second half. Overall excellent start though could have scored even more tries.

With the young props coming through ATM. Moray low' s days are numbered.

Lovely forwards try that, fantastic

Normal service has resumed. Why have we let his team back into the game. Ffs. Every other tier 1 would have buried this Georgian team by now.

Dreadful second half, Wilson, no words.

Having watched Georia string together a great series of phases, is it too much to ask to get them into a 7 Nations competition?

Instead of have two games, one week off, one game, one week off, then the final two games, could we not have three games, one week off, then three more? Or is that too much rugby without the required rest time?

Heuer27 wrote:Normal service has resumed. Why have we let his team back into the game. Ffs. Every other tier 1 would have buried this Georgian team by now.

You're underestimating how bad Wales are when favourites, too.

miaow wrote:

Heuer27 wrote:Normal service has resumed. Why have we let his team back into the game. Ffs. Every other tier 1 would have buried this Georgian team by now.

You're underestimating how bad Wales are when favourites, too.

Nah. Wales are awful at the moment but they would have punished this Georgian team

Great first half from Scotland, crap second half!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Great first half from Scotland, crap second half!

Agreed!!

Indeed, a big steaming turd of a second half

The amount of stupid mistakes from poor kicks to knock ons beggars belief

We are legitimising the Georgian case for inclusion  instead of crushing it.

Ali Price!!!