Wales' selection gamble offers Georgia the chance to show they belong on the Test stage
Warren Gatland's 14 changes to his starting line-up could pave the way for Georgia's first victory over a tier one nation
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Your support makes all the difference.Warren Gatland rolled the dice on Thursday when he made 14 changes to the Wales side which lost to Australia in a move which has the potential to backfire spectacularly against lowly Georgia.
In what will be only their sixth outing against tier one opponents since head coach Milton Haig took over in 2011, the ambitious former Soviet Republic have their sights firmly set on shocking the rugby world at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Whisper it, but it not beyond the realms of possibility.
Wales wing Hallam Amos, a try-scoring replacement as Gatland’s men lost their opening Under Armour series clash with Australia last weekend, spoke of this game being Georgia’s ‘World Cup’ earlier this week.
And it is clear their opponents, who thumped Canada 54-22 in Tiblisi last Saturday when full back Soso Matiashvili chalked up 34 points including a miraculous individual try, have every intention of embarrassing their hosts.
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“At some stage we have to make a statement,” said New Zealander Haig, whose Georgia side won six European Nations Cups in succession until this year and are desperate to be welcomed into an expanded Six Nations competition.
“We can talk as much as we want but we have to knock somebody over to make that argument credible. It’s as simple as that. That’s what we’re focusing on.
“Playing Wales in Cardiff is a massive, massive opportunity and we have to be thankful to the Welsh Rugby Union for allowing us to do that.”
Georgia will be even more thankful if Gatland’s decision to replace almost his entire first-choice team creates a window of opportunity in the same Principality Stadium they received a standing ovation the last time they played there, when they lost 43-10 to the All Blacks in the 2015 World Cup.
Any assumption by Wales’ players their visitors will be intimidated by the occasion could be misplaced.
With a crowd of just over 50,000 expected in Cardiff, Georgia will be playing in front of a similar sized audience to one they now regularly play in front of in Tiblisi.
“We played in the Millennium Stadium against New Zealand when the stadium was packed. That was a good experience and hopefully that will help us against Wales,” said Merab Sharikadze.
“I reckon we could have done even better. We did a great job in the first 70 minutes but then let them score three or four tries in the last 10 minutes. It flattered the All Blacks a bit in the end. But it was our fault, nobody else’s.
“We understand playing Wales is a big responsibility and it’s our chance to prove ourselves. We hope we are ready for it.
“I’ve never said we should or should not be playing in the Six Nations. What I would say is that at some stage we deserve a chance to look at us to see if we are good enough or not.”
With a pack built around the hulking Montpellier loose head prop Mikheil Nariashvili - one of more than 50 Georgian props registered in the top two French professional leagues – the visitor’s set-piece power is well known around the world.
But with the jet-heeled Matiashvili leading an attacking revolution, Georgia intend to show more than just brute power and set-piece excellence in Cardiff on Saturday.
“Just because we have such a good front row everybody thinks we only have front row,” said their impressive 24-year-old captain.
“It’s not true. Go through our whole team and pick any position, we have good players. I want to prove to the whole world that Georgian rugby is not just about props.
“When we play against Wales it will show our real ability and show if we are ready to play in the Six Nations or not.”
With some bookmakers still offering 66 to one against Georgia winning, even after the unveiling of Wales’ second-string team, the odds are still heavily stacked against Haig’s men.
But with a Test against Italy scheduled for next autumn, Georgia are finally being granted the sort of tier one exposure which could see them make an irrefutable case for promotion to European rugby’s top table.
“I know there are still positive conversations going on around us through the existing Six Nations partners,” Haig added.
“Secondly we have some really good backing from some of the partners who are thinking about expansion, promotion and relegation.
“We’ve got a game against Wales and Italy in 2018 and everybody will be watching these games closely. It’s important we give credible performances so we enhance the argument that we should be included in the Six Nations.
“The more credible performance we give, we can keep that conversation going about including Georgia in an expanded Six Nations as a viable option. How important is it to us? It’s absolutely vital.”
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