An Irish side missing a number of first strangers due to British and Irish Lions commitments will be looking to avoid a potential banana peel when they take on a Georgian outfit in Tbilisi this Saturday.
Georgia v Ireland | Saturday 5 July | Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
To Win (80 Mins)
Georgia | Draw | Ireland
Handicap
Georgia | Ireland
Georgia will be licking their lips at the prospect of tackling the Irish without a number of their first stringers, especially their front row forwards who will be looking to put the muscle on an inexperienced Irish tight five.
The two sides haven’t met much in recent years, only squaring off on three occasions since the 2007 World Cup in France. Ireland have won all three encounters running out 14-10 victors in 2007, 49-7 winners in 2014 and 23-10 victors in 2020.
The Georgians do come into this one in red-hot form, having won all of their European Rugby Championship fixtures on their way to retaining their title. They are currently on a six game winning streak and registered some solid results in 2024 losing by just three points to Italy and only 11 points to Australia.
Ireland still do have a couple big names back to call upon for this clash with both Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley with the squad while Craig Casey will skipper the side over July.
Verdict: Georgia +
The Irish Junior side managed a seven point win over Georgia in the IRB Under 20 Championship earlier this week and I’m expecting a similarly tight scoreline here. While my main play is on the Georgian plus line, I’ll also be having a small nibble on the home side winning it.
