Georgia have plenty on their mind - including Ireland's scalp

Ireland head coach Paul O'Connell with Cormac Izuchukwu and Craig Casey during the captain's run at Mikheil Meshki Stadium in Tbilisi on Friday. Picture: Ben Brady/Inpho

Georgia head coach Richard Cockerill accepts his side may "get their asses handed to them" in Tbilisi on Saturday evening — but given where they are and what they are targeting in terms of the next World Cup, it will be some surprise if Paul O'Connell's Ireland aren't put to the pin of their collar at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium (kick-off 6pm Irish time).

O'Connell's side features only two debutants — Tommy O'Brien and Darragh Murray — and the Ireland party will be braced for the tougher of their two summer Tests,  in Lisbon against Portugal next Saturday.

The Georgians are ranked 11th in the world and a targeting a quarter-final in Australia in 2027. Ireland's defence coach Denis Leamy understands they won't be short of motivation hosting Ireland at Test level for the first time.

"You'd imagine that Georgia would have loads of reasons to be inspired to play a huge game against us, so we're expecting a really tough, tough game against opponents that are really well put together by their coaches," he said. 

"There's obviously Richard (Cockerill), but also Conor McPhillips who's worked in the Irish system as well and who's been with Bristol as well. He's a really experienced attack coach. So, you can see in their game that they're well put together. They're physical. They've got a great platform around their scrum, their maul, their lineout. It is a big test. We're out of our comfort zone and it's exactly the sort of test that we're looking forward to."

Georgia head coach Richard Cockerill accepts his side may "get their asses handed to them" in Tbilisi on Saturday evening. Picture: Ben Brady/Inpho

Leamy, like everyone in the travelling group, can see the Georgians building all the time — and asking the right sort of questions of Tier One opponents. The days of a one-dimensional threat up front are long gone.

"I think it's very clear that they're well put together off their launch players, their scrums, their lineouts. They have really good three-phase, four-phase plays and they run them really well. Their big threat is Davit Niniashvili (who has joined Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle). He's obviously an excellent player, but they're very well put together at 10 by Tedo Abzhandadze. He runs the thing very well. They have the ability to play around you. They have the ability to take you on confrontationally, and they're a very, very well coached team. You can see that they're top-level rugby players and they're well used to playing in a big league like France."

It's no bad thing, therefore, that Ireland are being piloted by a man whose attention to detail virtually ensures there are no nasty surprises in the pipeline.

“Paulie has already carved out a hugely successful coaching career so to come in and work with him, he’s been very good to us. He’s given us clear guidelines in terms of what he wants from us as coaches coming in from the provinces and playing the Irish way and implementing that gameplan," said Leamy.

“Paul’s a natural leader, he’s a brilliant leader. His presence alone is a great starting point. Look, he understand the game inside out, he has great knowledge and he’s way of imparting that knowledge with the players is hugely impressive.” 

Denis Leamy: 'You'd imagine that Georgia would have loads of reasons to be inspired to play a huge game against us, so we're expecting a really tough, tough game.' Picture: Leah Scholes/Inpho

It's a phrase Leamy uses too regarding sports psychologist Caroline Currid who, as Examiner Sport revealed last week, is part of O'Connell's wider strategy group.

Said Leamy: "She’s hugely impressive. She's worked with so many great teams like Dublin and Tipperary, and she won a few All-Irelands with Limerick as well over the last couple of years; so her record speaks for herself. She's got a great take on things. She's really gifted in getting her point across to players and the players are loving having her around. She's a real character."

The former Munster stalwart has also noted with interest the different group dynamic these days, compared to his time with Ireland.

I think in my generation, there was huge rivalry and I think there is still rivalry but it took us a few weeks for the frostiness to wear off. 

"The boys just seem to get on so well these days. They're straight in, they're best mates, they're constantly over and back on WhatsApp and all the different platforms.

"A lot of the boys I've worked with are either Leinster or at Irish U20s level, so I know the vast majority of them. It's lovely to see them develop as players, how they've grown into men and how they've developed their own perspective on the game, their own opinions. It's excellent to be back in around them. We just find it like, when it's a national set-up, that the unity kind of straight away, that they all mix."

GEORGIA: D Niniashvili, A Tabutsadze, D Tapladze, G Kveseladze, S Todua, L Matkava, V Lobzhanidze; (8-1) T Jalagonia, B Saghinadze, L Ivanishvili, L Chachanidze, M Babunashvili, I Aptsiauri, V Karkadze, G Akhaladze.

Replacements: I Kvatadze, G Tetrashvili, B Gigashvili, G Javakhia, I Spanderashvili, M Alania, T Abzhandadze, T Kakhoidze.

IRELAND: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, J Osborne, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; S Prendergast, C Casey (capt); J Boyle, G McCarthy, T Clarkson; C Izuchukwu, D Murray; R Baird, N Timoney, G Coombes.

Replacements: T Stewart, M Milne, J Aungier, T Ahern, C Prendergast, B Murphy, J Crowley, C Nash.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)