Kveseladze in line for 50th cap - Georgia name team to play Portugal

Georgia head coach Levan Maisashvili has made eight changes to his starting XV from the team that lost 35-15 to Australia as he names his 23 players for the Pool C match against Portugal in Toulouse on Saturday.

1 Mikheil Nariashvili
2 Shalva Mamukashvili
3 Beka Gigashvili
4 Vladimer Chachanidze
5 Konstantine Mikautadze
6 Tornike Jalagonia
7 Beka Saginadze
8 Beka Gorgadze
9 Gela Aprasidze
10 Tedo Abzhandadze
11 Alexander Todua
12 Merab Sharikadze (c)
13 Giorgi Kveseladze
14 Akaki Tabutsadze
15 Davit Niniashvili

Replacements: 
16 Tengizi Zamtaradze
17 Guram Gogichashvili
18 Guram Papidze
19 Nodar Cheishvili
20 Giorgi Tsutskiridze
21 Vasil Lobzhanidze
22 Luka Matkava 
23 Demur Tapladze

• Head coach Levan Maisashvili has made four changes in the forward pack, with Mikheil Nariashvili and Beka Gigashvili coming into the front-row, Vladimer Chachanidze into the second-row, and Beka Saginadze into the back-row.

• There are four changes in the back-line with a new halves pairing of Gela Aprasidze and Tedo Abzhandadze, while Alexander Todua comes onto the wing, and Giorgi Kveseladze (pictured) into the midfield. 

• Sixteen players in the match-day 23 played against Portugal in the 2023 Rugby Europe Championship final, including four of their five try scorers that day in Akaki Tabutsadze, Demur Tapladze, Guram Papidze and Shalva Mamukashvili.

• Akaki Tabutsadze is the only Georgian player to have started in all nine tests this season. He is their leading try-scorer in 2023 with 10, including two doubles and a hat-trick.

• Gela Aprasidze starts alongside Tedo Abzhandadze in the halves for only the eighth time, and second this year after their 40-8 victory against the Netherlands in February.

• Two players will earn their 50th test cap, with Giorgi Kveseladze in the run-on team, and Nodar Cheishvili if used off the bench.