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.
Lano
Roar Guru
South Africa? I think you mean a money traitor?
paul andersen
Guest
no, ours is run by a sellout ex money trader ....
Markus
Guest
Georgia greatest country in the world. All other countries are run by little girls.
Mike Julz
Guest
Georgia upsetting the All Blacks will eclipse that of Japans upsetting the Boks as the greatest upset of all time. But lets not get over ourselves do we. This ABs team is a class above the current Boks team. Georgia will bring a fight no doubt about that, but the All Blacks will prevail at halftime.
Nick
Roar Rookie
There used to be a Georgian guy who had a website called Lelostream ,that would stream a lot of videos of Georgian Rugby matches ads well as other European rugby. I used to watch it quite a bit and was impressed by the physicality in most of the games. Unfortunately he had to take the content offline due to copyright issues and we've been starved of Georgian style rugby until their appearance this world cup.
Norm
Roar Pro
Good to see world class players being produced by the 2nd tier nations
dropkick
Guest
Real team these guys .its not about the money like most these days
DJM
Guest
Thanks Hosea . Yes , what a warrior & outstanding captains knock. The elation from Georgia post game and the manner the troops flocked to their captain on the field shows the stature of the man. A great highlight for the WC & Rugby in general . -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Campbell Watts
Guest
Niiiice! ;)
paul andersen
Guest
think the forward exchanges between these two will cause earthquakes, the georgians would have to be the toughest players around.
nickoldschool
Guest
Completely agree TBS. Georgia is to front and back rowers what SA is for locks. The day they have this quality in all lines big teams will start shaking in their boots (or jandals for some...) Depending on how Romania does in this rwc, am starting to think we have enough depth for a proper euro championship or revamped 6N although I don't see how we could fit a 8N in the current calendar. I though Georgia would be competitive and would beat Tonga but didn't think they would be that dominant. Team of old school warriors. Great article Hosea, thanks for that mate! So good to talk about these guys we don't hear much about in this part of the world.
Tigranes
Guest
Win over Tonga for make benefit Glorious nation of Georgia
Bunratty c
Roar Rookie
Agree, what a match! Mamuka comes across as a real gentleman, too.
Hosea
Roar Pro
Here's hoping, and the All Blacks as well ;)
Hosea
Roar Pro
He has a massive engine as well, never stops hitting and running hard.
The Battered Slav
Guest
World class player. They sure breed them tough there. If some of the Wallabies of recent years had played with his heart and attitude, I suspect a fair few results would have been different. What a monster.
SamSport
Guest
He was pretty impressive in the lineout as well.
Harry Jones
Expert
In my pre-RWC list of Five Pool Games to Watch on Brett's Big Questions, I had Georgia v Argentina and I still like that pick. And Georgia played with the passion that belongs in rugby.
Dave
Guest
He's a massive weapon. I still think Georgia can upset the Pumas