SM
Real Madrid vs. Mallorca: 18 hrs 11 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
Rugby World Cup | Group Stage
Sep 23, 2023 at 1pm UK
 
Georgia
18-18
Portugal
FT
Storti (34', 57')

Preview: Georgia vs. Portugal - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Georgia vs. Portugal - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Rugby World Cup clash between Georgia and Portugal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

The first match of what should be an exhilarating weekend of Rugby World Cup action will see Georgia take on Portugal at Stadium de Toulouse on Saturday afternoon.

With the Wallabies set to fight for their lives against Wales later this weekend, Pool C is still wide open halfway through the group stages, and there are still plenty of twists to come that could determine which teams will reach the knockout stages.


Match preview

Georgia got their tournament started with a disappointing 35-15 loss to Australia at Stade de France last week, with Luka Ivanishvili and Beka Gigashvili each scoring a try in response to the Wallabies four.

Tedo Abzhandadze and Luka Matkava added a combined tally of five points off the boot, but the major positive for the Lelos was at scrum time, where they maintained a 100% success rate.

However, despite losing the match, it says a lot about the progress that Georgia have made and the quality they possess when neutrals are somewhat disappointed by their performance against an established tier-one nation.

Levan Maisashvili's side are known for their solid pack that are rarely overpowered, but they have found some quality at the back of late and look much more likely to cause upsets than in the past.

While their chances of progressing are still fairly slim, a solid win in this match could put them right on the shoulders of the group favourites and keep them in the running in a Pool that looks like it will go down to the wire.

Meanwhile, Portugal kicked off their World Cup with a 28-8 defeat to Wales, but like many of the matches last weekend, the score did not do justice to the performance that several of the lower-ranked teams delivered.

Nicolas Martins was the sole try-scorer for the Portuguese, and Samuel Marques knocked over a penalty while Vincent Pinto was sent off for a high boot on Josh Adams, which has somewhat controversially resulted in a three-match suspension.

When we take a look at the match stats, though, it starts to show how well Patrice Lagisquet's men did as the territory was shared 50% each across the 80 minutes, while Portugal outperformed Wales at the lineout with a 92% success rate compared to their opponents 69%.

Considering the fixtures to come, Os Lobos will likely treat this as their World Cup final, with the added incentive of getting revenge on the team that denied them the 2023 Rugby Europe Championship earlier this year.

Georgia Rugby World Cup form:

  • L

Georgia form (all competitions):

  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • L


Portugal Rugby World Cup form:

  • L

Portugal form (all competitions):

  • L
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • L



Team News

Maisashvili has announced as many as eight changes to the starting 15 that he put out against Australia last week, with four players coming into the pack and four in the backline.

Mikheil Nariashvili and Beka Gigashvili will be looking to add extra strength to the front line, with Vladimer Chachanidze and Beka Saginadze given the nod behind them.

Gela Aprasidze and Tedo Abzhandadze make up the new halves pairing for the Lelos, while Alexander Todua will start on the wing and Giorgi Kveseladze lines up in midfield.

As mentioned, Pinto will begin the first of his three-match ban in this one, though he could have that reduced to two games if he completes the Coaching Intervention Programme.

Raffaele Storti will replace Pinto on the right flank, with Pedro Bettencourt coming into the centre as the only change to the Portuguese backline.

Diogo Hasse Ferreira and Jose Madeira are the changes in the pack, with Martim Belo and Anthony Alves dropping to the bench.


Georgia starting lineup: 15. Davit Niniashvili, 14. Akaki Tabutsadze, 13. Giorgi Kveseladze, 12. Merab Sharikadze (c), 11. Alexander Todua, 10. Tedo Abzhandadze, 9. Gela Aprasidze; 8. Mikheil Nariashvili, 7. Shalva Mamukashvili, 6. Beka Gigashvili, 5. Vladimer Chachanidze, 4. Konstantine Mikautadze, 3. Tornike Jalagonia, 2. Beka Saginadze, 1. Beka Gorgadze

Replacements: 16. Tengizi Zamtaradze, 17. Guram Gogichashvili, 18. Guram Papidze, 19. Nodar Cheishvili, 20. Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 21. Vasil Lobzhanidze, 22. Luka Matkava, 23. Demur Tapladze


Portugal starting lineup: 15. Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14. Raffaele Storti, 13. Pedro Bettencourt, 12. Tomas Appleton (c), 11. Rodrigo Marta, 10. Jeronimo Portela, 9. Samuel Marques, 8. Rafael Simoes, 7. Nicolas Martins, 6. Joao Granate, 5. Steevy Cerqueira, 4. Jose Madeira, 3. Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2. Mike Tadjer, 1. Francisco Fernandes

Replacements: 16. David Costa, 17. Lionel Campergue, 18. Anthony Alves, 19. Martim Belo, 20. David Wallis, 21. Thibault de Freitas, 22. Pedro Lucas, 23. Manuel Cardoso Pinto


Head To Head

Familiar foes Georgia and Portugal will meet for the 25th time, although this will be the first meeting between the nations at a Rugby World Cup. Georgia have been the dominant team in this matchup, winning 18 times, while Portugal have won four and three matches ended level.


We say: Georgia 29-15 Portugal

The last time these sides met, the Lelos were the better team by some distance, especially in the second half. While we expect Portugal to put on a better performance in this one, we still feel that the Georgians will come through with the victory.



body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__524592 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-06-07 08:30:57:
html db last update - 2024-06-07 08:30:57 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
2023 Rugby World Cup preview: Team-by-team guides including form, squads and predictions
Cup controversy! Spurs strike late to sink Liverpool in semi-final first leg
Villa name Duran asking price amid Barcelona, PSG interest?
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .