Georgia star Tedo Abzhandadze to swap French clubs after early release

It is a done deal. Tedo Abzhandadze will move to Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne, joining his fellow Georgian teammates Luka Nioradze, Lasha Mchelidze, Mikheil Alania, and a few others, by signing a contract with the Pro D2 team for the next two seasons.

The fly-half had his first spell abroad in 2017 when he played for Terenure College RFC U20s in Ireland, returning to his home club of Aia Kutaisi before signing with CA Brive in the summer of 2019, where he achieved JIFF status.

While at Brive, Abzhandadze's first game was against Stade Français in the EPCR Challenge Cup, but would only be called up for 26 games over the course of three seasons, exiting in the summer of 2022, taking a step back and signing with the historical US Montauban.

His contract was set to expire in 2025, but the club have allowed Abzhandadze to leave one year earlier, after only playing a mere 18 games out of 60.

He made his international debut in November of 2018, racking up ten points to help the Lelos beat Tonga in Tbilisi.

He has already played in two Rugby World Cups and has added 52 caps to his name, scoring 339 points in his tenure for the Lelos setup, helping his country to memorable victories over Italy and Wales.

Aurillac have been scouting a new fly-half with Antoine Aucagne’s departure at the end of the season, as the prolific kicker will join the Top 14’s USA Perpignan, and Abzhandadze was the one chosen to take up the mantle.

The 24-year-old will prolong his stay in France, hoping to regain his starting spot in the Lelos setup before the next Rugby World Cup, as he faces intense competition from wonderkid Luka Matkava, who might also be heading to the Pro D2.