Georgia coach Haig makes 10 changes for RWC match vs Namibia

Georgia earned back to back Rugby World Cup victories for the first time in their history when they held on to beat Namibia 16-17 at at Sandy Park in Exeter.

Georgia can automatically qualify for the first time for 2019 by finishing third in Pool C, and will do so as long as New Zealand beats Tonga on Friday.

Wednesday’s contest was hardly a classic and credit must go to Namibia for how they performed.

They are going home, knocked out at the pool stage, but it is a case of mission accomplished for Georgian rugby.

The prize was big for Georgia as they looked to back up their win over Tonga with their second of the tournament, which would all but secure their place in the 2019 tournament.

Kotze scored all of his side’s points, having landed three penalties, while fullback Merab Kvirikashvili converted both of Georgia’s tries and added a late, decisive penalty.

Namibia and Georgia will be keen to rise above their minnow tags when they clash in Exeter this morning. Burger and winger Bryan Habana played for the Springboks in that game.

“That second-half performance has been as polished as I have been involved in with a Bok team”, he told reporters. And sure enough it came from Gorgodze on 50 minutes before Kvirikashvili’s extras moved the Georgians 7-6 in front. “Someone said Henry the Eighth but I don’t think he’s ever been here” – Fitness coach Paul Stridgeon gets into the spirit of talk of ghostly goings-on at Wales’ Oatlands Park Hotel training base in Surrey.

Randstad Wellington general manager Blair Cashin said that suggested employers and employees needed to strike a balance between work and personal time and recognise workers’ efforts to prevent employee resentment, especially during the Rugby World Cup.

Things wouldn’t improve for Georgia when hooker Jaba Bregvadze was yellow carded for leading with the elbow on Heinrich Smit on 35 minutes, but in an extended half due to stoppages – from start to finish it was 68 minutes – it would be Georgia who went in with a man advantage when props Raoul Larson and Johannes Coetzee were also marched to the sin-bin by Irish referee George Clancy for a cynical and scrum offence respectively.

The fly-half then had a chance to double their lead after five minutes but a drop-goal missed the posts.

There was further disappointment for Georgia when Sharikadze’s try-giving pass was harshly deemed to have gone forward with the line beckoning.

It was however their first ever World Cup point and is something to build on ahead of their final game at this tournament against Argentina on Sunday.

Georgia, who were denied two tries in a first half which took over an hour to complete, made the breakthrough through their own talisman Mamuka Gorgodze. Reserves: Shalva Mamukashvili, Karlen Asieshvili, Anton Peikrishvili, Levan Datunashvili, Lasha Lomidze, Giorgi Begadze, Giorgi Aptsiauri, Beka Tsiklauri.