That Gorgodze is a beast! Would love to have in Connacht colours but don't see it happening. Hopefully the sevens will give Georgia a more rounded team cause you guys have the muscle up front. It's good to see guys from the Tier 2 countries coming through and making names for themselves it promotes the game and shows with more support rugby can grow in these countries.

Georgia sevens team just qualified for RWC7 2013, thanks to 3 victories in pool, including a win over France.

But only 1 Georgian back is pro (winger Sandro Todua from Albi ProD2)

But there are 2 very promising centres born 1993 :
- Merab Sharikadze, 8 caps for Georgia. He plays for Hartpury College in British Universities championship. Last year he also played for Gloucester U19.
- Tamaz Mchedlidze. He plays for Stade Montois Academy but started 3 Amlin Cup games this season

I think they will be the pair of centres for RWC2015

Here the list of pros georgians :

Loosehead props :
Top14
Vasil Kakovin (Stade Toulousain)
Mikheil Nariashvili (Montpellier HRC)
Zurabi Zhvania (Stade Français)
ProD2
Karlen Asieshvili (Stade Aurillacois)
Davit Datunashvili (Tarbes PR)
Guram Kavtidze (Lyon OU)
Davit Khinchagishvili (CA Brive)
Goderzi Shvelidze (CA Brive)

Hookers :
Top14
Jaba Begvadze (Stade Toulousain) but injured since March
ProD2
Irakli Natriashvili (CA Brive)

Locks :
Top14
Konstantin Mikautadze (RC Toulon)
ProD2
Levan Datunashvili (Stade Aurillacois)
Giorgi Nemsadze (Tarbes PR)
Vakhtang Maisuadze (SC Albi)

Back Row :
RaboDirectPro12
Dimitri Basilaia (Edinburgh Rugby)
Top14
Mamuka Gorgodze (Montpellier HRC)
Vito Kolelishvili (ASM Clermont)
ProD2
Giorgi Chkhaidze (Tarbes PR)
Salva Sutiashvili (RC Massy)

Wings :
ProD2
Sandro Todua (SC Albi)

2 videos of Georgian superstar Mamuka Gorgodze (nicknamed Gorgodzilla)

How goes the sevens game in Georgia Croket? Hopefully that will bring through some backs for you. I always think teams like Georgia just need a good outhalf and maybe one great back to really break into the next level.

Yes, Georgia have a lot of good props, especially as tighthead.
Notable loosehead prop are Vasil Kakovin (23 years) from Toulouse, Mikhail Nariashvili (22) from Montpellier, Zurab Zhvania (21) from Stade Français, and Davit Khinchagishvili from Brive who will for Racing Métro next year. Also, Giorgi Tetrashvili (19) who plays for Albi Academy, played some ProD2 games this season, including 2 as starter, and Zaza Navrozashvili (20) just signed last week for Bordeaux.

Georgia have good forwards, like back row Mamuka Gorgodze but for the backs, the level is very low.

Russia and Romania have a level more equitable between forwards and backs

That's a pretty impressive list of TH props for such a small country and small rugby playing population. I remember the Georgian 3rd string props a few years ago in the Churchill Cup beat up every other pack in the competition. Will have to keep an eye on Meunargia and see how he does. Wouldn't be surprised to see some of those academy Georgian props playing for France in a few years either.

connachtexile wrote: What I'd like to see is the IRFU get two U20 Georgian lads who have massive potential sound them out for Ireland and give them a contract of three years to learn their trade here. It wouldn't have to be huge money say a scholarship and a small bursary as they learn english and play for a AIL side then after the 3 years if there good enough and now IQ sign them up to one of the provinces increasing the number of props we have.

young tighthead prop Saba Meunargia, Connacht U20 and Buccaners U21 player, Ireland U18 international, is from Georgia
www.connachtrugby.ie/2012011282728/conna...n-u18-friendly-clash

But there are a lot of great georgian tighthead props :
Top14
Giorgi Jgenti (Montpellier HRC)
Davit Kubriashvili (RC Toulon)
Anton Peikrishvili (Castres Olympique)
Davit Zirakashvili (ASM Clermont)

ProD2
Davit Ashvetia (RC Massy)
Kakhaber Koberidze (SC Albi)
Irakli Mirtskhulava (Tarbes PR)
Giorgi Natsarashvili (Stade Aurillacois)
Tariel Ratianidze (US Dax)
Beka Sheklashvilii (AS Béziers-Hérault)

Academy
Vakhtang Akhobadze (SC Albi U23)
Gagi Bazadze (Montpellier HRC U23)
Levan Chilachava (RC Toulon U23)
Val Rapava (Saracens A)
Giorgi Menabdishvili (FC Grenoble U23)
Saba Meunargia (Connacht U20)
Shako Odisharia (Stade Toulousain U19)
Giogi Sharashidze (ASM Clermont U21)
Toko Tedoradze (Leeds Carnegie U18)

Will have to give my Russian Cousins a shout. Time to sell up and move back to Siberia.

Creedence wrote:

sea_point wrote: It's true WB (Unfortunately :ohmy: ), In Ireland & UK we usually have wet weather but very mild temperatures because of the protection provided by the route of Gulf Stream which usually covers much of Ireland and the UK.

Sorry to go all nerdy, but the jet stream is different from the gulf stream.

The jet stream is a high altitude air current - which as you say has been doing some funky doublebacks in the recent past and drawing very cold air over Ireland. But it's effects more or less even out between hot and cold. Luck of the draw meant last year we had a very mild winter while a few hundred km east was turned into an icebox as far south as the med.

The gulf stream is an ocean current that comes from the gulf (of Mexico) and diagonally up the atlantic past Portugal, Ireland, Scotland and Norway. It is what keeps Lisbon nice and warm through the winter while New York, on the same latitude on the other side of the ocean , gets bitterly cold winters, and keeps everything on this side ice free up as far as the top of Norway. If this conveyor belt of warm water slows to a stop - which is a possibility by some models, then we are in for a serious icy shock. (But there are other models that suggest that we are the most favourably positioned conty in Europe for climate change, with only a slight marginal increase in average temperature here, with pluses and minuses more or less cancelling each other out.)

So no need for undersoil heating in the Sportsground anytime soon.

Yeah.... what he said.... :oops: ...........:whistle:

sea_point wrote: It's true WB (Unfortunately :ohmy: ), In Ireland & UK we usually have wet weather but very mild temperatures because of the protection provided by the route of Gulf Stream which usually covers much of Ireland and the UK.

Sorry to go all nerdy, but the jet stream is different from the gulf stream.

The jet stream is a high altitude air current - which as you say has been doing some funky doublebacks in the recent past and drawing very cold air over Ireland. But it's effects more or less even out between hot and cold. Luck of the draw meant last year we had a very mild winter while a few hundred km east was turned into an icebox as far south as the med.

The gulf stream is an ocean current that comes from the gulf (of Mexico) and diagonally up the atlantic past Portugal, Ireland, Scotland and Norway. It is what keeps Lisbon nice and warm through the winter while New York, on the same latitude on the other side of the ocean , gets bitterly cold winters, and keeps everything on this side ice free up as far as the top of Norway. If this conveyor belt of warm water slows to a stop - which is a possibility by some models, then we are in for a serious icy shock. (But there are other models that suggest that we are the most favourably positioned conty in Europe for climate change, with only a slight marginal increase in average temperature here, with pluses and minuses more or less cancelling each other out.)

So no need for undersoil heating in the Sportsground anytime soon.

That and the GAA jersey.

white bear wrote: sea_point
In Russia, on the contrary is a gradual warming. If trends continue, Europe will be colder than we have and will come pre-glacial period (then in Siberia was a temperate climate, and in Europe there was a glacier). And the white people will probably go back to Russia, where our ancestors lived in Hyperborea, later in Siberia, and then dispersed across Eurasia and divided into Slavs, Aryans, Celts, Germanic ...

There does seem to be a cyclical nature to the environment alright, not sure the us pasty white Irish boys & girls :blush: are quite ready for a tropical climate just yet or for a return to Siberia (you'll have to convince us all the Gulags are shut first )....


Have to say that in Mediterranean resorts, Russian & Irish people are by far the easiest nationalities to spot by far (from the Glowing Whiteness)...

Nothing like a good conversation about the weather!

sea_point
In Russia, on the contrary is a gradual warming. If trends continue, Europe will be colder than we have and will come pre-glacial period (then in Siberia was a temperate climate, and in Europe there was a glacier). And the white people will probably go back to Russia, where our ancestors lived in Hyperborea, later in Siberia, and then dispersed across Eurasia and divided into Slavs, Aryans, Celts, Germanic ...

white bear wrote: sea_point
We have different climate problems I read that the Gulf Stream and gradually cools down in a few years in Western Europe will be like in Siberia. Is this true?

It's true WB (Unfortunately :ohmy: ), In Ireland & UK we usually have wet weather but very mild temperatures because of the protection provided by the route of Gulf Stream which usually covers much of Ireland and the UK.

It has shifted slightly in recent years (further south),in the past it has protected us from Arctic cold weather Air Currents but this shift has lead to some extreme weather in winter and summer recently.

The winter before last was the coldest for over 100 years with weather and snow in Ireland like I hadn't seen in my lifetime (45 years), usually snow only stays on the ground for a day or two but the weather was so cold it lasted for 6-8 weeks.

This summer (2012) has been the wettest on record history in UK & Ireland, I have never seen so much rain in the South East UK in June and July ever, it was ridiculous...

BBC Weather wrote: www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulhudson/2012/08/s...d-wettest-on-r.shtml

Last night was the coldest August night on record at Leeming (1.1C, records to 1945) and Bradford Lister Park (2.8C, records to 1908).

Summer at Leeming was the fourth wettest, and the dullest on record.

At Sheffield Weston Park it was also the fourth wettest summer in records which date back to 1882, with 2007, 1912 and 1956 all wetter than this summer.

ENDS

The Met Office have said that summer 2012 will be the second wettest (summer is June, July and August combined for statistical purposes) on record across England and the UK as a whole, using rainfall data back to 1910.

So far 367mm of rain has fallen, compared with 384mm which was recorded in 1912.

It's also been the dullest summer since 1980, and cool, with mean temperatures 0.4C below average,

It adds to a depressing sequence of summers across the country, with the last 6 years all being wetter than average.

Moreover 2 of the 3 wettest summers on record have happened in that time - 2007 and 2012.

The reason for our poor summers is the jet stream.

It's been consistently too far south over the last few years, and is the reason why we've experienced some cold winters recently, too.

The big question is why is the jet stream behaving in this way?

There are two current theories, which I detailed in my earlier blog which you can read here.

One is linked to melting Arctic ice, which fell to a satellite record low on Monday.

The other theory suggests it's down to the protracted low solar activity over the last few years, as happened in the early 1800's.

And if the early 1800's are anything to go by, poor summers and cold winters may be something we need to get used to in the next few years :S

I thought the guy in Blackrock would never jump

sea_point wrote: Makes sense WB given the temperatures, all we have to deal with is Wind & Rain (serious amounts of it....) straight off the Atlantic...

Pure lunacy swimming in Blackrock in those conditions. Whatever about the risk of getting into trouble while out in the open water, one slip on the way out with a bang to the head and he'd have been history. Gob$hite.