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Georgia's 'Gorgodzilla' retires from International Rugby
By Fred Culazzo
Georgia's backrow beast, Mamuka Gorgodze, has announced his retirement from international Rugby. Having made his debut in 2003, and amassed 71 caps & 130 points for his country, he's decided to call it a day.
Renowned for his big hits, aggressive nature and throwing the odd punch, the big Georgian has been the standout player for his country over the past decade, most notably putting in a man of the match performance in the Georgia's game against New Zealand in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Here he is reacting to the news with his teammates:
In a statement on the Georgia Rugby Union website, Gorgodze said: “I was repeatedly offered to train exclusively for the World Cup, to join the team only for the key games, but this is not acceptable. The captain must always be with his team, to feel it and live with it, otherwise one is not a captain"
Here he is helping Georgia to their best ever World Cup performance, finishing third in their group after wins against Tonga & Namibia:
"We have the best fans in the world and I want to thank them for the love and support which they gave me during my career," Gorgodze said on Twitter. He will be sorely missed by the Lelos, but probably less so by opposition players.
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To be fair, the teams he's had to put out are reminiscent of those available to Gatland during his horrible run at the Chiefs in late 2020. Anyway, he's only got a two year contract and Wellingtonian Tamati Ellison will be ready by then, as will a lot of talented youngsters (like the Chiefs Gatland blooded). The Crusaders are planning for the long term.
Go to commentsGreat to see more community spending leading to higher participation in the community. It's a long road but that's a good first step.
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