Why Ireland selectors got it wrong against Georgia
This is not the type of soft-serve, summer jaunt usually associated with summer development tours. Georgia are a grizzled outfit, packed with players hardened by exposure to the Top14 and ProD2 leagues in France.
In their last four outings, they beat Tonga at home, lost by three points to Italy away, pushed Australia all the way in Sydney and beat Japan away. Paul O'Connell. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady
They are a team built around the traditional brute force of their forwards but in recent years they have unearthed genuinely exciting young backs – including the highly regarded Davit Niniashvili, who has just joined Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle.
But perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the Georgian side that takes on Paul O'Connell's youthful Ireland outfit tomorrow is the sense of grievance they carry with them.
Their head coach Richard Cockerill has never been backwards about coming forward (going right back to his confrontation with All Black Norm Hewitt in 1997) and has been beating the drum loudly heading into this fixture. Davit Niniashvili is highly regarded. Pic: Alberto Gardin/EurasiaWhat Cockerill and Georgian rugby want is a seat at the top table and he believes they are being deliberately kept on the outside looking in because it does not suit the powers that be to allow these 'rough and ready' upstarts into the Six Nations at the expense of one of the established, and well heeled, existing residents.
Cockerill wants a play-off with the bottom side in the Six Nations and it is a fair call — the problem is the Six Nations blazers are not as keen and cannot appear to consider the prospect of travelling to Tbilisi instead of Rome, or of Wales dropping to the second tier.
The longer Georgia are excluded, the more they are at risk of losing their government's funding because winning the second tier Rugby Europe competition is not enough to keep the tap on. Cockerill will have his Georgians target Sam Prendergast. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
It gives Cockerill's side a hell of an incentive to beat a top-tier nation like Ireland and they are going to throw everything at it. On that basis, it is more than a little surprising that Sam Prendergast has been lobbed in to start. It has been a tumultuous season for the young Leinster man, some sublime attacking play counterbalanced by defensive howlers.
Cockerill will have his Georgians target Prendergast directly whereas Portugal will be far less physical next week.
Starting Jack Crowley at 10 against Georgia and protecting Prendergast would have been the more pragmatic move — unless the intention, two years out from the World Cup, is to try to improve his defence the hard way. Leinster flyer Tommy O'Brien will be desperate to make a statement after a strong season with his province. Pic:It is a bit of a gamble because if Prendergast gets run over by the Georgians, it will further dent his confidence.
Elsewhere, Ireland have named six debutants in their match-23 with Leinster flyer Tommy O'Brien desperate to make a statement after a strong season with his province.
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Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Skipper Craig Casey - real danger in Georgia as Ireland select six debutants
Ireland start two and have a further four new caps on the bench as they open their summer tour against Georgia in Tbilisi this O'Connell takes charge of the side in the absence of Andy Farrell and Simon Easterby while the relatively callow line-up reflects 16 players away on Lions duty and another two injured. Of the sextet Leinster's Tommy O'Brien, just turned 27, has positively starred at provincial level since returning from injury and is a powerhouse right-winger many feel will be both Leinster and Ireland's first-choice next Darragh Murray has just turned 24 and was a surprise selection for the squad in the first place. However, standing 6'7" and weighing in at 115kgs, the Connacht has particularly impressed Paul O'Connell in this are a further four potential news caps on the Michael Milne, 26, completed a Leinster-Munster move last April. A mobile loosehead prop, if the switch came with a promise first-team rugby would help him with international aspiration, it has worked Jack Aungier, 26, made a similar switch from Leinster to Connacht in 2020 and hasn't looked back since. Understudying Finlay Bealham at his province he has nonetheless made 21 appearances (eight starts, 13 sub) this season. Tom Ahern, 25, has been one of the breakthrough youngsters at Munster in recent times and has, notably, been working between second and back-row at his province. Survived a late hamstring scare to make the Ben Murphy, 24, is another to have benefitted from leaving Leinster and his landing at Connacht at the start of the season coincided with a burst of form and a number of Man of the Match Jacob Stockdale is a specifically interesting selection on the left-wing. He needs one more try to move him to Ireland's outright 6th leading all-time the Richard-Cockerill coached Georgia have nine players France-based in their starting line-up with another six playing for Black Lions, a composite side made up from players in Georgia and who have an EPCR invite to play European Challenge Cup rugby."We are expecting Georgia to be probably up the walls with physicality and bring their game to us," says Ireland skipper Craig Casey. "They've got some really big threats."I their no15 David Niniashvilli really is a high class player. To be fair, he's shown it in the Top 14, he showed in Europe out-half is at Castres in the Top 14, the scrum-half at Oyonnax in ProD2."You've got Luka Matkava at no10, who kind of runs the ship for them."Vasil Lobzhanidze at no9, I've seen an awful lot of him. He's played for Georgia since he's been quite young, and he's been at a few World Cups so he kind of runs the show very well, he's kind of their go-to man."I think their right winger, Akaki Tabutsadze, has scored 50 tries in 51 games so they are a high quality back line and, obviously, their forward set the platform for them."They've got a back-row that are going to contest probably every breakdown. They like to do a lot of work in the broken field from their back-three so there's a lot of threats there."We will need to be all over those. I think if we're on our breakdown, we'll have a good day but we'll have to do a lot of work there."So they'll bring their game, I imagine their fans are going to make it a special occasion for them and they'll be delighted to have Ireland over and try and knock us off."Casey is looking forward to captaining Ireland for the first time."It's a special honor, it's class to get that kind of recognition with those type of players so I'm delighted, it is a special day for my family and everyone that has put a lot of work into me."We have got six debutants, hopefully it's a good one opportunity for them in this game and I don't think we've changed anything for them."It's a special week for them and their families. I think it's unbelievable for them to make their first caps. It's a huge opportunity for all of us."It's a massive privilege for us to put on the Irish jersey at any stage. So it's a big week for them, and it's up to the rest of us now to lay down a marker and make it a special one for everyone."Georgia (v Ireland, Tbilisi, 5pm Irish, Virgin TV): 15 Davit Niniashvili; 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Giorgi Kveseladze, 11 Sandro Todua; 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze; 1 Giorgi Akhaladze, 2 Vano Karkadze, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 4 Mikheil Babunashvili,5 Lado Chachanidze, 6 Luka Ivanishvili, 7 Beka Saghinadze, 8 Tornike Jalagonia,Replacements: 16 Irakli Kvatadze, 17 Giorgi Tetrashvili, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Giorgi Javakhia, 20 Ilia Spanderashvili, 21 Mikheil Alania, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Tornike 15 Jimmy O'Brien; 14 Tommy O'Brien, 13 Jamie Osborne, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale; 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Craig Casey; 1 Jack Boyle, 2 Gus McCarthy, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 4 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Darragh Murray, 6 Ryan Baird, 7 Nick Timony, 8 Gavin CoombesReplacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Tom Ahern, 20 Cian Prendergast, 21 Ben Murphy, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Calvin Nash. IRELAND SUMMER TOUR SCHEDULESaturday, 5th July: Georgia v Ireland, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi (kick off 9pm local time, 6pm Irish time);Saturday, 12th July: Portugal v Ireland, Estádio Nacional do Jamor, Lisbon (kick off 7pm local, same Irish time)Ireland Men's Squad – Summer Tour 2025, departing for Tbilisi on Wednesday, 2nd July. Player/Club/Province/CapsBacks (14): Shayne Bolton (Connacht)*, Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)(captain)(18), Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(24), Nathan Doak (Banbridge/Ulster)*, Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(8), Hugh Gavin (Galwegians/Connacht)*, Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)(19), Ben Murphy (Clontarf/Connacht)*, Dermot Kilgallon (Munster)*, Jimmy O'Brien (Naas/Leinster)(8), Tommy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster)*, Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(7), Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(8), Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster)(38) Forwards (18): Tom Ahern (Shannon/Munster)*, Jack Aungier (Lansdowne/Connacht)*, Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(27), Jack Boyle (UCD/Leinster)(2), Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)(6), Gavin Coombes (Young Munster/Munster)(2), Max Deegan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(2), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(1), Alex Kendellen (UCC/Munster)*, Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(4), Paddy McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)*, Michael Milne (UCD/Munster)*, Darragh Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht)*, Tom O'Toole (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(16), Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(4), Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley/Leinster)*, Tom Stewart (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(2), Nick Timoney (Banbridge/Ulster)(3), Scott Wilson (Queens University/Ulster)* *denotes uncapped
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