Davit Chitidze wins Georgia call up after great form for the A team

The star of the Georgia A tour to the UK, Davit Chitidze has won his first call up to the senior team for the series of matches in June against the Ukraine, USA and Canada.

The lock Chitidze was the find of the tour, scoring a hat trick in the first match against Esher, and then continued his form against the Principality Premiership XV, with his strong fend, he made numerous line breaks and his strong running caused constant problems for the Welsh defence. Thanks to his form, and also the unavailability of Levan Datunashvili and Giorgi Nemsadze, has meant that Chitidze will get his first opportunity with the full Georgian side.


The Georgia A team won three out of three matches against Esher, the Principality Premiership XV and RGC 1404 on their tour of the UK, and Chitidze is one of eight of the squad have received call ups to the senior squad for June.


(Video: Davit Chitidze's strong running performance playing for Georgia A against the Principality Premiership XV)

Georgia squad named for North American tour

Georgia coach Milton Haig has named a 32 man squad for the matches with Ukraine (9th June), USA (16th June) and Canada (23rd June).

The forwards are very much weakened with a number of players missing. In the front row the top three Georgian loosehead props Vasil Kakovin, Davit Khinchagishvili and Anton Peikrishvili all given time off to nurse some small injuries for the start of next season, the top two hookers Jaba Bregvadze who is still recovering from a neck injury and Irakli Natriashvili who is busy looking for a new club, whilst the top two scrummaging tightheads Giorgi Jgenti who's still at loggerheads with the GRU and Davit Kubriashvili hasn't been released by Toulon, are both missing.

So that means the Lelos are down to the fourth choice loosehead prop, the third choice hooker and have lost the two best scrummaging tighthead props. However one boost is that Clermont have released Davit Zirakashvili for the tour, he was the man of the match the last time Georgia played Canada, and has been on great form of late in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup with Clermont. Although the front row is severely depleted, it is still decent, the biggest losses are elsewhere in the pack.

The top lock Levan Datunashvili hasn't been released, he has been an ever present in the Aurillac lineup this season, and is a good lineout operator so he will be missed. Whilst another lock Giorgi Nemsadze who signed for Tarbes this week, is also unavailable. This  means that two new locks are called up in Davit Chitidze who is rewarded for great form on the Georgian A tour and Bachuki Gujaraidze also comes in.

Fly Half Lasha Khmaladze returns to
the Georgian squad after missing
the European Nations Cup with injury

In the back row talisman Mamuka Gorgodze hasn't been made available, and tough tackling Vito Kolelishvili  is given time to recover from a minor injury. These losses will hurt Georgia the most, as Gorgodze is Georgia's main attacking weapon, whilst Kolelishvili was needed to combat the strong Canadian and American back rows.

In the backs there is a notable recall for Lasha Khmaladze who after getting past Kvirikashvili for the last World Cup match against Argentina, got injured for the ENC. The backs other than the absence of injured full back Giorgi Shkinin are full strength.

Georgia squad for June Internationals
Loosehead Props: Irakli Mirtskhulava (Tarbes), Mikheil Nariashvili (Montpellier)
Hookers: Revaz Belkania (La Seyne), Akvsenti Giorgadze (Toulouse), Shalva Mamukashvili (Armia)
Tighthead Props: Levan Chilachava (Toulon), Beka Sheklashvili (Dax), Davit Zirakashvili (Clermont)
Locks: Beka Bitsadze (Brive), Davit Chitidze (Armia), Giorgi Chkhaidze (Saint-Junien), Bachuki Gujaraidze (Lokomotive), Vakhtang Maisuradze (Albi)
Flankers: Givi Berishvili (Lokomotive), Shalva Sutiashvili (Massy), Giorgi Tkhilaishvili (Armia)
Number 8's: Dimitri Basilaia (Edinburgh), Zviad Maisuradze (Lokomotive)
Scrum Halves: Irakli Abuseridze (Auxerre), Giorgi Begadze (Batumi), Bidzina Samkharadze (Armia)
Fly Halves: Lasha Khmaladze (Lelo), Merab Kvirikashvili (Saint-Junien), Lasha Malaghuradze (Rhone)
Centres: Davit Kacharava (Nice), Merab Sharikadze (Hartpury College), Beka Tsiklauri (Gdynia), Tedo Zibzibadze (Périgueux)
Wingers: Lekso Gugava (Lelo), Irakli Machkhaneli (Saint-Etienne), Sandro Todua (Albi)
Full Back: Irakli Kiasashvili (Lelo)

Unavailable players
Vasil Kakovin - injured
Davit Khinchagishvili - injured, looking for new club
Anton Peikrishvili - injured
Jaba Bregvadze - injured
Irakli Natriashvili - looking for new club
Levan Datunashvili - rested
Giorgi Nemsadze - rested
Mamuka Gorgodze - rested
Giorgi Shkinin - injured

Player Profile: Vasil Kakovin

Name: Vasil Kakovin (ვასილ კაკოვინი)

Date of Birth: 01.12.1989 (22 years old)

Position: Loosehead / Tighthead prop
Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)

Weight: 108 kg (17 st 0 lb)

Current Club:  Toulouse

Domestic Career

2010 - 12 Brive (38)

2012 – Toulouse

International Career

Debut: 2008 (vs Scotland A)

Caps: 18

Tries: 0

Vasil Kakovin (pronounced Kakovini with and e sound at the end) has risen quickly over the past year to become one of the best props in the Top 14, he is Georgian first choice loosehead prop currently, and after a great 2011/2012 season with Brive he has been signed by the most successful team in European rugby history in Toulouse.

He is one of the lightest modern international props weighing under 110kg and is ultra effective in loose play, and despite not being the heaviest prop he is also a good scrummager.

Aged still only 22, Kakovin has the potential to become one of the best props in the world and will play a key part in Georgia's future in the long term.

Early Career

Kakovin started his career with Georgia as back rower, as a 17 year old he played either flanker or number 8 in the Under 19 World Cup for Georgia.

A year later in 2008, he played in the inaugural Junior World Rugby Trophy (an Under 20’s World Cup for tier 2 nations) as a versatile front rower, starting at either hooker or prop.

Youngest ever capped Georgian prop

Kakovin with the Georgia
Under 20's in 2008

Soon after Junior World Rugby Trophy, Kakovin won his first Georgia cap before his 19th birthday against Scotland A in November 2008, and holds the record for youngest ever Georgian prop on debut, and is one of just seven other front rowers to be capped as 18 year olds.

Although he was only called up due to a very large amount of players being unavailable for selection due to French clubs not releasing players, which due to the large amount of front rowers in France meant that his positions were especially effected. The side was so weak it was referred to as Georgia A by Georgia themselves but caps were still awarded and Kakovin made his debut in a heavy loss to the Scots.

He featured again in another weakened Georgian side in the 2009 Churchill Cup that lost all it’s matches, however the scrum was one impressive area and the 19 year old Kakovin playing at prop impressed and came out of the series well. The youngster continued to be part of the Georgian squad when the plethora of props playing in the French top divisions were unavailable, after the 2010 IRB Nations Cup he signed with Top 14 side Brive, it was as this point where he stopped playing hooker and focused on being a specialist prop.

Rise through the ranks

As he was still very young for a prop just aged 20, Kakovin was expected just to play mainly with the Espoirs (the academy/reserve side) in his first season at Brive, but he managed to play 20 matches throughout his first season, mainly as an impact sub from the bench, just starting four of those matches.

Despite missing out on selection for Georgia’s matches in November 2010 as they had managed for a rare occasion a more full strength team, he returned to the side in June 2011 in an experimental side in preparation for the World Cup, and managed to rise above Goderzi Shvelidze and Anton Peikrishvili to become second choice Georgian loosehead prop behind his teammate at Brive Davit Khinchagishvili, and managed selection for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

Kakovin on the rampage
in the 2011 World Cup

He didn’t feature in the first two matches, but after a great cameo from the bench against Romania where he added some real dynamic ball carrying for Georgia towards the end of the match, for the Georgia’s last match of the tournament against Argentina he replaced Davit Khinchagishvili who had a sub par match against the Romanians, and became Georgia’s number one loosehead.

Breakthrough season

He carried his good form into the Top 14, and in his first match back from the World Cup, he notably destroyed the most capped French prop of all time Sylvain Marconnet, as Brive routed Biarritz 32-7 at home. Marconnet who was subbed at half time due to the Georgian's dominance over him called Kakovin “a phenomenon” after the match.

Kakovin playing for Brive
against Biarritz in 2011

As well as with Georgia, Kakovin went past Khinchagishvili as Brive’s first choice prop, and later he was named in the Midi Olympique team of the first half of the season, the newspaper described him as a “little bull” who was “very mobile, dynamic with ball in hand, and also excels at the scrum area”.

His success meant that several much bigger teams than Brive were hunting his signature, in the end the four times European Champions Toulouse beat off competition from Clermont, Toulon and Racing-Métro, and signed him to replace the retiring South African international Daan Human at the club.