Georgia makes 2 changes to face Australia

Georgia coach Milton Haig has announced his team for the Pool D match against Australia in Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa on Friday, 11 October.

The team sees two changes to the starting XV which played against Fiji with scrum-half Gela Aprasidze replacing Vasil Lobzhanidze and Beka Saginadze coming in for Giorgi Tkhilaishvili in the back row. Both Lobzhanidze and Tkhilaishvili drop to the bench.

Twenty-one of the 23 who were named against Fiji return, with only prop Giorgi Melikidze and utility back Tamaz Mchedlidze coming in for Levan Chilachava and Miriani Modebadze on the replacements bench.

Sharikadze's centre partner David Kacharava will win his 119th cap, extending his record.

Mamuka Gorgodze will play his 15th Rugby World Cup match for Georgia, equalling the Georgian record held by Merab Kvirikashvili.

Gorgodze will start for the 14th time at a Rugby World Cup which is a record for a Georgian player, one ahead of Kacharava who starts for the 13th time in the competition.