Vasil Lobzhanidze will become the youngest player in Rugby World Cup history when he takes to the field for Georgia against Tonga on Saturday.
The scrum-half will be 18 years and 340 days old when he walks out at Kingsholm and says his selection by Milton Haig has prompted a butterfly or two.
“I am very happy to be the youngest player in the history of the World Cup. I am a little bit nervous,” he said. “My family knows and are very happy, they will be watching for me.”
Georgia’s squad is, conversely, the most experienced it has ever taken to a World Cup and Lobzhanidze’s achievement is all the more notable given his coach’s stated preference for more senior players.
“If we had a question mark about two guys and one was more experienced than the other, the experienced guy got the nod,” Haig said. “What we will bring is our forward power; we know that’s what we can bring. We’ll be looking to test Tonga out on those wider channels and create some opportunities for ourselves, because part of our game now is having the ability to use the ball with a bit of space and width.”
Georgia were defeated 23-9 by Tonga at home last year but will be aiming for a good start in Pool C, which also includes New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga, Georgia and Namibia.
