It was mentioned many times that on Saturday Georgian national team has a very important match at „Mikheil Meskhi“. It was also mentioned that due to failures six years before in Osaka, now Georgian national team has to take revange (also, for beating national youth team twice too) and for taking back the lost place in world ranking.
Besides this, there is one interesting statistic thing. „The Lelos“ play home matches very well and with it they express respect towards spectators, they lost the last home match on June 4, 2006 against „The Barbarians“. In the same year, on October 28 tehy started unbeatable serie and they have already had not lost 21 matches. Nowadays according to this result Georgian national team is in the fourth place, but if we do not lose with Fiji and Japan we wil be in the second place and only Zealand will be ahead of it.
New Zealand has not lost 30 home matches.
Georgia and Japan held only one match before. In 2004 International Rugby Board settled continent cup for the third rank teams and Chile and Urugvay hosted Georgia. Next year these teams had to come in Georgia but Urugvay did not. Instead of it, IRB offered us Japanese tour and Georgia visisted Japan with a very weaken staff. The match ended in favor of Japan- 32:7. Georgia had such problems due to injures than that manager Vasil Abashidze was abliged to enter on the field after substitution. Japanese invested a lot of money in rugby and now they have the fifth-sixth rank championship in the world.
Japan ends European tour on November 21 against Bask national team, as for Georgia it plays against Fiji on November 24. The manager of Georgian national rugby team has named the following players:
November 17. Saturday. Test-Match
Tbilisi. “Mikheil Meskhi”. 15:00
Georgia - Japan
Georgia: 15. Irakli Kiasashvili (“Lelo”, Tbilisi, 9 Cups, 29 points), 14. Irakli Machkhaneli (“Armazi”, Tbilisi, 57, 110), 13. Davit Kacharava (“Rodez”, France, 54, 65), 12. Merab Sharikadze (“Heartpour”, England, 6, 15), 11. Aleksandre Todua (“Alby”, France, 34, 5), 10. Merab Kvirikashvili (“San-giunien”, France, 62, 341), 9. Irakli Abuseridze (“Oser”, France, 82, 35); 1. Davit Khinchagashvili (“Brive”, France, 39, 15), 2. Shalva Mamukashvili (“Armia”, Tbilisi, 7, 5), 3. Davit Zirakishvili (“Clermont”, France, 34, 35), 4. Giorgi Nemsadze (“Tarby”, France, 26, 30), 5. Levan Datunashvili (“Orijak”, France, 49, 15), 6. Shalva Sutiashvili (“Massy”, France, 26, 5), 7. Vito Kolelishvili (“Clermont”, France, 14, 5), 8. Mamuka Giorgadze („Montpellier“, France, 44, 105).  
Substitutions: 16. Irakli Natriashvili (“Brive”, France, 34, 20), 17. Mikheil Nariashvili (“Montpelie”, France, 6, 5), 18. Davit Kubriashvili (“Tuloun”, France, 23, 5), 19. Vakhtang Maisuradze (“Alby”, France, 15, 10), 20. Giorgi Begadze (“Batumi”, Batumi, 6, 0), 21. Giorgi Tkhilaishvili (“Armia”, Tbilisi, 3, 0), 22. Lasha Khmaladze (“Lelo”, Tbilisi, 14, 5), 23. Tedo Zibzibadze (“Perigo”, France, 63, 75).
Head coach: Milton Haig
Coaches: Ilia Maisuradze, Ilia Zedgenidze, Tana Umaga
Manager: Vasil Abashidze
Doctors:  Eric Dalos, Beso Abramishvili
Fitness coach: Tony Burjer

Zura Ksovreli