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Japan stole all the headlines on Sunday morning after their extraordinary win over South Africa. But the night before, Georgia had rugby fans talking after their first-up win against their more fancied opponents Tonga.
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There was one man who stood head and shoulders above the rest on the night, Georgian captain Mamuka Gorgodze.
The 31-year-old, nicknamed Gorgodzilla, is not a stranger to avid fans of European rugby. However there would have been many viewers who would have seen the big back-rower play for the first time on Saturday night.
The 196-centimetre giant has a reputation for bashing opponents with his 118-kilogram frame both in defence and with the ball in-hand. His hard hits and power running were on full display against Tonga.
Gorgodze scored the first try of the match as he barged his way over from about five metres while also carrying a defender to slam the ball down next to the posts.
However his biggest contribution was leading the Georgian defence line for the whole match. Georgia made four times more tackles than their opponents so their defence needed to be rock-solid.
The Georgian big man was often the first point of contact for the Tongan ball-runners. On more than a few occasions Gorgodze did more than simply make the tackle with some bone-crunching hits.
Gorgodze was the leading tackler in the match with 24 and his teammate Georgi Nemsadze was close behind on 23. He also managed the highest number of offloads with eight. When it came to announcing the man of the match it was already a forgone conclusion.
Speaking after receiving the man of the match award, Gorgodze was humble in victory and praised his team on a glorious day for Georgian rugby.
“Every Georgian player is man of the match today,” he said.
“This is the greatest day of my career, and the greatest days of every Georgian’s career.”
Gorgodze only made the switch to rugby at the age pf 17 having played basketball competitively. According to the Daily Mail he was looking for a sport that was more physical. It is easy to see why because the man is an absolute unit.
He has played in the French Top 14 for the past decade, spending several seasons with Montpellier before moving to his current club Toulon in 2013. Toulon are the current Top 14 and European champions, while their squad also includes Wallabies stars Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell.
A lot of rugby fans will be keen to see the minnows such as Georgia continue to compete strongly in the rest of the World Cup. I’m sure I won’t be the only one hoping Mamuka Gorgodze can put Kieran Read through hell when Georgia meets the All Blacks on October 3.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.