The Georgian national rugby team will kick off their summer test series with a match against Ireland on July 5 at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 21:00.

Georgia have played Ireland five times in history but are yet to secure a victory.

Their first encounter took place in 1998 during a 1999 World Cup qualifying match in Dublin, where Ireland won decisively, 70–0. The two teams met again in 2002, also in Dublin and again in World Cup qualifiers, with Ireland winning 63–14.

Georgia’s best performance against Ireland came during the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where they narrowly lost 14–10, earning a valuable point in the standings.

Since then, Georgia has faced Ireland twice more in Dublin—falling 49–7 in a 2014 test match, and 23–10 in 2020.

Following the Ireland match, the Georgian team will travel to South Africa. On July 12, they will face the local franchise “Toyota Cheetahs,” followed by a major clash against the reigning world champions, South Africa, on July 19 at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

Head coach Richard Cockerill has announced the squad for the Ireland match:

Giorgi Akhaladze, Vano Karkadze, Irakli Aptsiauri, Mikheil Babunashvili, Vladimer Chachanidze, Luka Ivanishvili, Beka Saghinadze (captain), Tornike Jalagonia.
Vasil Lobzhanidze, Luka Matkava, Aleksandre Todua, Giorgi Kveseladze, Demur Tapladze, Akaki Tabutsadze, Davit Niniashvili.

Substitutes:
Irakli Kvatadze, Giorgi Tetrashvili, Beka Gigashvili, Giorgi Javakhia, Ilia Spanderashvili, Mikheil Alania, Tedo Abzhandadze, Tornike Kakhoidze.