Georgia have another audition for a part that has yet to be created. The Six Nations is in sight but out of reach, like a diamond behind toughened glass. They will take the field in Cardiff on Saturday in what has become their annual fixture against a tier one nation, and remain trapped between where they have come from and where they want to go.
It is Georgia’s fourth match since being given exposure to leading countries in between World Cups, but next year’s may hold more for them. They will face Italy, a country whose footprint on the Six Nations remains faint after 17 years, but without a say in their own destiny, the Lelos travel in hope, pleading their case to the rugby-watching public.
Their matches in Ireland in 2014 and Scotland last year ended in heavy defeats, although they only trailed at the interval by nine points in Dublin before losing 49-7, and recovered in Kilmarnock to hold the Scots to 12-5 in the second half. They face a Wales side that contains only one player who started against Australia last week – and Liam Williams has moved from the wing to full-back – but what provides more succour is Wales’s modest record against tier two teams in Cardiff in the last 10 years.
In seven non-World Cup matches under Warren Gatland, Wales have lost to Samoa and drawn to Fiji and their average winning margin of five points is bolstered by the 34-13 success against Canada in 2008. They defeated Japan last year only with a last-minute drop goal and in the previous two matches, against Fiji and Tonga, they failed to score in the second half.
Wales’s pack contains 93 caps, but 60 of them belong to the captain Dan Lydiate. They at least have more experience behind the scrum, with four players closing in on 50 caps and Rhys Webb returning at scrum-half after injury. “Everyone is aware of our history in this [tier two] fixture and by highlighting it, we will be ready,” said the Wales forwards coach, Robin McBryde.
Wales will continue to play the high octane game that earned them plaudits, if not enough points, last week against Australia. Gone are the days, however, when the slower a game is, the more comfortable Georgia are with a big pack, kicking half-backs and five spectators outside them.
They are keeping the ball in hand more and last week, full-back Soso Matiashvili scored a thrilling breakaway try in the 54-22 victory over Canada. What Georgia are not used to is the intensity of the leading teams and the sustained pace they play at. While 12 of the Georgian squad play for leading clubs in France and England, none of their outside backs do.
“Coaching is key to making the players better,” said their head coach, Milton Haig, who is in his sixth year in charge. “We are making strides every year, but we have reached the point where we have outgrown our competition. We’re the big boys in junior school with no one to play with; the Six Nations is the only way up. Globalisation of the game comes through action, not words. Fresh air does not hurt anybody.”
