Australia v Georgia preview: Wallabies to end losing streak with narrow victory over Lelos

David Skippers
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Wallabies scrum-half Tate McDermott and his Lelos counterpart Vasil Lobzhanidze.

Pool C’s action at this year’s highly anticipated Rugby World Cup gets underway at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday when Australia take on Georgia in what promises to be an entertaining encounter.

This match presents the Wallabies with an opportunity to notch their first victory of the year but that will not be an easy task as they are up against formidable opponents in the Lelos.

There was plenty of fanfare at the start of the year when former England boss Eddie Jones returned to replace Dave Rennie as the Wallabies’ head coach, after previously holding the position from 2001 to 2005.

However, things have not gone according to plan since he took over the coaching reins and they are yet to win a Test in his second stint in charge of the team.

Australia’s international campaign started with a big defeat against the Springboks in the Rugby Championship and they were also beaten in that competition by Argentina. They finished their Rugby Championship campaign on a low as they lost to New Zealand before also suffering another defeat to their trans-Tasman rivals in a second Bledisloe Cup encounter.

They then headed to France to take on the World Cup hosts but, once again, they came off second best as they suffered their fifth successive loss of the year.

That was far from ideal preparation for the global showpiece but despite the team’s poor track record, Jones has stayed positive and is optimistic about his team’s chances of ending their losing streak in their tournament opener.

That remains to be seen as Georgia have shown over the past decade that they are one of the most improved sides in the international arena.

The Lelos have won the past five second-tier Rugby Europe Championships and are currently ranked 11th in the world, only a couple of places below two-time world champions Australia.

Georgia cruised to victory in this year’s Rugby Europe Championships – winning all five their matches with ease in that tournament – and although they were beaten by Scotland in a World Cup warm-up match a couple of weeks go, it must not be forgotten that they claimed shock wins over Italy and Wales last year.

That sets the scene for an interesting battle with Australia and they will be going all out to push the Wallabies all the way.

Where the game will be won

This match pits two sides against each other who employ contrasting styles with Georgia relying heavily on their forwards to lay them an excellent platform with their set-piece dominance, especially in the scrums where their forwards have gained a reputation for delivering competitive performances in most of the matches which they play in.

By contrast, the Wallabies are renowned for their expansive style of play but one area which they showed considerable improvement is their scrummaging and they actually gained the upper hand in that facet of play against France in their last World Cup warm-up Test a fortnight ago. If the Wallabies can hold their own against their much vaunted opponents in the set-piece, it could set them up for the win. However, if they fail and the Lelos are dominant then this match should be a close affair and don’t be surprised if Georgia secure a victory.

Last time they met

What they said

Wallabies head coach Jones has named a youthful matchday squad for this encounter and is quietly confident of ending their losing run this weekend.

“It’s 20 years since Australia’s picked a young team like this, and it shows a changing of the guard,” he said after unveiling his matchday squad on Thursday. “This is a new team that wants to take Australian rugby forward. We want to play a game that enthuses people in Australia to want to follow the Wallabies again.

“We want to be a team that everyone in Australia admires and respects. And this group of young men have got the opportunity on Saturday to do that.”

Meanwhile, Georgia scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze believes his team will be competitive and have the ability to cause an early upset at the World Cup.

“We played against them in the World Cup in 2019,” he told reporters. “We lost but not by a big margin (27-8). Australia are not at their best because they don’t have Quade Cooper and (Michael) Hooper.

“To be honest, I believe there’s a big opportunity for us to win.”

Players to watch

For the Wallabies, the performance of their captain, Will Skelton, will be crucial if they want to secure that victory which has eluded them since the start of the year. The behemoth second-row is renowned for his physicality and will be expected to lead Australia’s forward onslaught with his explosive ball carrying ability. His big hits on defence will also be crucial to halt the Lelos’ momentum and once he gets that right, his team-mates are sure to follow his example.

One of the players who will be alongside Skelton at the coalface of the forward battle is tighthead prop Taniela Tupou. This fixture will be a special occasion for the 27-year-old as he is set to make his 50th appearance for the Wallabies. Tupou struggled with injuries earlier this year but showed against France that he is back to his best with ball in hand while also delivering a solid scrummaging performance. He will have to build on that showing against Georgia.

Amongst the backs, Australia have received a timely boost after star centre Samu Kerevi was ruled fit for this match after sustaining a hand injury in the narrow Bledisloe Cup loss in Dunedin last month. At his best, Kerevi is one of the best attackers in the game and he will have to hit the ground running in that department. Apart from keeping defenders busy with his excellent ball carrying ability, Kerevi is also an excellent distributor and he will be keen to create try-scoring opportunities for his team-mates.

For the Lelos, keep an eye on exciting full-back Davit Niniashvili, who is one of the rising stars of Georgian rugby. The 21-year-old is a regular with French club Lyon where he has been for the past three years and caught the eye with his vast array of skills. A brilliant attacker, Niniashvili can unlock the tightest defences and will keep the Wallabies on their toes.

Another player who will be keen to impress is exciting winger Aka Tabutsadze, who has made a name for himself in the international arena with his excellent try-scoring record. The 26-year-old comes into the World Cup in a rich vein of form as he has scored a whopping 24 tries in 16 games in the Rugby Europe Championships since making his debut in that tournament in 2020.

Amongst the forwards, experienced number eight Beka Gorgadze will be keen to impress after missing the Lelos’ last Rugby World Cup warm-up match through injury. A hard running back-row, who possesses great physicality, the 27-year-old, who currently plies his trade with Pau in the Top 14, will be crucial as a ball carrier and if he gains momentum he will be difficult to stop.

Main head-to-head

There are several mouth-watering battles lined up across the park but the duel between the two scrum-halves, Tate McDermott of Australia and Vasil Lobzhanidze of Georgia, should be one of the highlights of this encounter. Like most number nines, both players bring plenty of energy to the party and will be expected to be the perfect link between their forwards and backs in Paris.

McDermott was initially on the periphery of the Wallabies selection as Jones left him out of his squad for a training camp earlier in April. The Reds number nine did not take that lying down and bounced back with some outstanding performances for his club in Super Rugby Pacific.

That impressive form could not be ignored and he soon returned to the Wallabies set-up for the Rugby Championship campaign and he has also been rewarded with the side’s vice-captaincy.

Meanwhile, Lobzhanidze has established himself at Pro D2 outfit Brive and is firmly established as Georgia’s first choice number nine. The 26-year-old hit the headlines at the 2015 Rugby World Cup when he became the youngest player ever to make an appearance at the global showpiece. Since then, he has gone to represent his country with distinction and he is set to play in his third World Cup. An excellent playmaker, he will be keen to shine against McDermott.

Prediction

The Wallabies come into this encounter off the back of some wretched results and although they can expect a tough challenge from the Lelos, Jones’ troops should end their losing streak. Australia to win by seven points.

Previous result

2019: Australia won 27-8 in Shizuoka (RWC)

The teams

Australia: 15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Will Skelton (c), 4 Richie Arnold, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements: 16 Matt Faessler, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Rob Leota, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Nic White, 22 Lalakai Foketi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Georgia: 15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 11 Miriani Modebadze, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Beka Gorgadze, 7 Luka Ivanishvili, 6 Tornike Jalagonia, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Nodar Cheishvili, 3 Guram Papidze, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Nika Abuladze
Replacements: 16 Tengizi Zamtaradze, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Lasha Jaiani, 20 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Giorgi Kveseladze

Date: Saturday, September 9
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees: James Doleman (New Zealand), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

READ MORE: Milestone for Taniela Tupou as Eddie Jones names youthful Wallabies team for World Cup opener

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