Georgian stalwart ready for voyage of self-discovery

Rugby Union World Cup: Mtchedlishvili calls for the passion shown against Russia to be revived for match with England

Martin Johnson may not fully appreciate this, but in Zurab Mtchedlishvili's world, victory over the Russian ogre in the wastes of Siberia counts for rather more than any old win against the All Blacks in Auckland or Wellington. Following the break-up of the Soviet empire, Georgian rugby quickly asserted itself against the likes of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, and proved far too powerful for the Latvias and Moldovas of the region. None of the former Soviet republics could begin to live with the Caucasians. Only Russia remained, and in April 2001, they were finally dealt with, 25-23. "Turpa iversa," as the anthem says. Radiant Georgia.

And Mtchedlishvili was there in Krasnodar, in the thick of the forward battle. Five years previously, while the basketball-loving electrical engineer from Tbilisi was still on the fringes of the side, his predecessors had registered a first home victory over the Russians in a match always referred to by Georgians as "the epic". He had been in the side in 1998, when the same lightning struck in the same place: Georgia 12 Russia 6. But to cross the border and win on Russian soil... well, that was something else again.

Since then, Mtchedlishvili has played international rugby in Bucharest, Lisbon, Prague, even Dublin. He traded life as an amateur with the Gumari club, who play in Georgia's domestic competition, for a stint as a bottom-rung professional by moving to Stade Domontoise Val d'Oise, who currently lead the field in the Second Division of the French federal league.

He has captained his country on 11 occasions and might have retained the job for this World Cup - and for Sunday's ground-breaking match with England - but for a pelvic injury. One way or another, it has been a deeply satisfying few years.

"My grandfather played lelo [the spectacularly physical national game of the Caucasian communities] and my father, an engineer like me, was a footballer," Mtchedlishvili said yesterday as he waited for confirmation of the team to play the tournament favourites before a 20,000-plus crowd at Subiaco Oval this weekend.

"For some years, I, too, had no knowledge of rugby. I played basketball, which was my passion. But at university, in the Institute of Technology in Tbilisi, one guy came up to me and said: 'You should play this game.' That was it. The moment I saw rugby, it entered my spirit. It infected me like a virus."

So much so that he travelled to New Zealand - to Timaru, in the south island, to be precise - in order to learn his trade. "The New Zealanders gave me another vision of rugby," he said. "They taught me about discipline and organisation, about a form of fitness that went beyond pure natural strength. I hope I will show this against England. Now, at 31, I feel very good physically. I do not think the English will be more physical than us."

He has 32 caps now; of the current squad, only the outside-half, Padle Jimsheladze, and the flanker Grigol Labadze are more decorated. Renowned as one of Georgia's principal ball-carriers and a central plank of their defensive structure, Mtchedlishvili weighs the best part of 17st, and while he is by no means the biggest lock available to Claude Saurel and his fellow coaches - Vano Nadiradze is 17st 9lb, Victor Didebulidze a fairly serious 18st-plus - there is a glint in the eye that says: "If you really want trouble, you've got it."

All of which suggests that the mighty Johnson will relish Sunday's match. Mtchedlishvili has never seen the England captain in the flesh; when he first clapped eyes on the red rose army in Marseilles six weeks ago, Leicester's finest was nowhere in view. If he is aware of Johnson's immense standing in the world game, the kind of standing that repeatedly drives hardened southern hemisphere professionals into the cul-de-sacs of cod psychology and public name-calling, the Georgian gives no hint of it.

"Can we beat England? In life, there is always a chance," he said. "But is victory the only important thing about this match? I don't believe so. Personally, I am keen to discover my true level in rugby, so it will be a pleasure to play against one of the teams capable of winning the World Cup. What greater pleasure can there be than discovering something new about yourself?

"And for the Georgian people, who will be watching the match on television, it will be a case of seeing rugby with both eyes open. I think this is very important. There will be nothing false about this game, only truth. So I want my team to play with pride - the pride they always show in the games with Russia, which mean so much to us."