Matkava returns at fly-half - Georgia announce team to play Fiji

Georgia head coach Levan Maisashviki has named his match-day 23 to play Fiji on Saturday, 30 September and he has made seven changes to his starting 15, including the half-back pairing with scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze and fly-half Luka Matkava in for Gela Aprasidze and Tedo Abzhandadze respectively.

1 Mikheil Nariashvili (c) 
2 Tengizi Zamtaradze 
3 Beka Gigashvili 
4 Lasha Jaiani 
5 Konstantine Mikautadze 
6 Mikheil Gachechiladze 
7 Beka Saginadze 
8 Tornike Jalagonia 
9 Vasil Lobzhanidze 
10 Luka Matkava 
11 Davit Niniashvili 
12 Giorgi Kveseladze 
13 Demur Tapladze 
14 Akaki Tabutsadze 
15 Miriani Modebadze

Replacements:
16 Luka Nioradze 
17 Nika Abuladze 
18 Irakli Aptsiauri 
19 Nodar Cheishvili 
20 Luka Ivanishvili 
21 Gela Aprasidze 
22 Tedo Abzhandadze 
23 Tornike Kakhoidze

• There are eight survivors in the match-day team from their RWC 2019 pool match against Fiji: Giorgi Kveseladze, Vasil Lobzhanidze, Mikheil Nariashvili, Beka Gigashvili, Konstantine Mikautadze, Beka Saginadze, Gela Aprasidze, and Miriani Modebadze. 
• Two players will make their Rugby World Cup debut, Mikheil Gachechiladze in the run-on team, and Tornike Kakhoidze if used off the bench. 
• Georgia have four different try-scorers so far at RWC 2023 in Beka Gigashvili, Tengizi Zamtaradze, Luka Ivanishvili and Akaki Tabutsadze. No Georgian has ever scored more than two tries at a single Rugby World Cup tournament. 
• Akaki Tabutsadze is the only Georgian player to have started in all 10 tests this season. He scored all 15 points against Fiji in their last meeting in 2021 from five penalty goals kicked. He is yet to miss a kick at goal at RWC 2023, converting all four attempts. 
• Tornike Jalagonia has not missed a tackle at RWC 2023, completing all 29 attempts.  
• Davit Niniashvili has been responsible for much of Georgia’s attack making the second-most carries (33) and third-most metres (315) and defenders beaten (16) of any player after three rounds.