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In their third and final test match of August, the USA Eagles take-on Georgia in Tbilisi on Saturday. The match is a noteworthy match for the Eagles; with 2022 wins over Italy and Wales, Georgia are a team going places.
Georgia are looking to build momentum for the World Cup. They are targeting a historic place in the Last Eight. The pathway to getting there will be winning no fewer than three out of the four matches in their Pool. The Lelos will compete in Pool C against Australia, Fiji, Portugal, and Wales.
Georgia are captained by veteran Merab Sharikadze. The 30-year-old will lead the Lelos from outside center. He is joined by a combination of established backs and some who are being given an opportunity.
Vasil Lobzhanidze will be partnered by Luka Matkava in the halves. The latter has a notable opportunity to impress. Veteran winger Alexander Todua has over 100 test caps and is chasing a spot in a fourth Rugby World Cup.
Fullback Davit Niniashvili is a threat. He has been an outstanding player for Lyon in the Top 14. The USA will have to mark him carefully.
Up front there is plenty of size. The front-row of Nika Abuladze, Shalva Mamukashvili, and Beka Gigashvilli are no strangers to bulldozing-back opposition scrums. Second-rowers Nodar Tchieshvili, and Konstantin Mikautadze are veterans both now aged 32.
The trio behind them are much younger. Included is 21-year-old Luka Ivanishvili who toured South America with Black Lion during the Super Rugby Americas 2023 season. He joins Gloucester’s Giorgi Tsutskiridze, and Biarritz’s Tornike Jalaghonia in the back-row.
Five starting players for the USA played at Rugby World Cup 2019. They are hooker Dylan Fawsitt, second-rower and captain Greg Peterson, flanker Cam Dolan, scrum-half Ruben de Haas, and winger Nate Augspuerger.
Replacement tight head Paul Mullen and second-rower Nate Brakeley also featured in Japan 2019. Mullen is notably not starting against Georgia. The scrum has not been a good area of play for the Eagles on this tour. The defection of Washington State native Titi Lamositele has left a presently unsolvable problem.
The Eagles go into combat with a new-look tight head. Colorado native Kaleb Geiger starts in place of Mullen. Previously a hooker, Geiger plays MLR for New York. He debuted last weekend against Portugal.
Rookie Sam Golla will earn his third cap alongside Peterson in the second-row. The most capped player on the roster, Cam Dolan, moves from second-row to flanker. Dolan will earn his 66th cap to go one short of Mike MacDonald who is the second most capped Eagle in history behind Todd Clever.
Ruben de Haas and Luke Carty will be the play-makers from scrum-half and fly half. The former has 30 caps and the latter 13. Italian import Tommaso Boni will earn his second cap in the mid-field alongside Californian Tavite Lopeti.
The starting formation will also feature Augspurger as vice-captain on the left wing. The Minnesotan will join New Yorker Chris Mattina and Californian Christian Dyer in the back-three.
Replacements Peter Malcolm, Paul Mullen, and Nate Brakeley will offer value experience. The bench also features uncapped 19-year-old Dominic Besag. The Saint Mary’s College center was a surprise inclusion for the tour.
Besag captained the USA u20’s last month at the World Rugby u20 Trophy in Kenya. He previously played for the Eagles u18s last summer in Amsterdam. If he debuts against Georgia Besag will become the second youngest ever Men’s Eagle narrowly behind Thretton Palamo who debuted in 2007.
Saturday’s match marks the 7th time overall that Georgia and the USA will have played each other. The first time was in 2009 with the Eagles flying high to win 31-13 in Colorado. In November 2010 Georgia won 19-17 at home but the USA won in 2012 and 2013, the latter of these being a 25-23 win in Rustavi.
The two other fixtures were both in 2017. Georgia won both matches, doing so on different continents. Georgia won 21-17 in Atlanta in June and 21-20 in Tbilisi in November. A lot has changed since 2017; Georgia has closed in on Tier 1 level while the USA failed to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023.
The winner of Saturday’s match in Tbilisi will officially have the superior win-loss record. The teams go in to the match with three wins each. This alone makes the fixture highly significant. In addition, the match ends an unnecessary wait; six years is too long of a gap of matches between the Lelos and Eagles.
GEORGIA
1 Nika Abuladze, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 3 Beka Gigashvilli, 4 Nodar Tchieshvili, 5 Konstantin Mikautadze, 6 Luka Ivanishvili, 7 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 8 Tornike Jalaghonia, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 10 Luka Matkava, 11 Alexander Todua, 12 Merab Sharikadze (capt.), 13 Giorgi Kveseladze, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 15 Davit Niniashvili
Replacements: 16 Tengiz Zamtaradze, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Guram Papidze, 19 Lado Chachanidze, 20 Otar Giorgadze, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Demur Tapladze, 23 Mirian Modebadze
USA
1 Jack Iscaro 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Kaleb Geiger, 4 Sam Golla, 5 Greg Peterson (capt.), 6 Cam Dolan, 7 Paddy Ryan, 8 Thomas Tu’avao, 9 Ruben de Haas, 10 Luke Carty, 11 Nate Augspurger, 12 Tommaso Boni, 13 Tavite Lopeti, 14 Christian Dyer, 15 Chris Mattina
Replacements: 16 Peter Malcolm, 17 Jake Turnbull, 18 Paul Mullen, 19 Nate Brakeley, 20 Luke White, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Dominic Besag, 23 Lauina Futi
Rugby World Cup 2023 – Warm-Up
Date: Saturday, August 19
Kick-Off: 7pm (Tbilisi); 11am (Eastern)
Venue: Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi (Georgia)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland); Luc Ramos (France)
TMO: Thomas Charabas (France)
vs
COMPLETE RESULTS
Nov 25, 2017 – Georgia 21-20 USA (Tbilisi, Georgia)
Jun 17, 2017 – USA 17-21 Georgia (Atlanta, GA, USA)
Nov 16, 2013 – Georgia 23-25 USA (Rustavi, Georgia)
Jun 17, 2012 – USA 36-20 Georgia (Denver, CO, USA)
Nov 27, 2009 – Georgia 19-17 USA (Tbilisi, Georgia)
Jun 21, 2009 – USA 31-13 Georgia (Denver, CO, USA)
Georgia Wins: 3
USA Wins: 3
