Black Lion (rugby union)
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| Nickname(s) | Lomi (The Lions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 | ||
| Location | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||
| Coach(es) | Richard Cockerill | ||
| Captain(s) | Merab Sharikadze | ||
| Most appearances | Luka Ivanishvili (32 appearances) | ||
| Top scorer | Luka Matkava (204 points) | ||
| Most tries | Akaki Tabutsadze (28 tries) | ||
| League(s) | Rugby Europe Super Cup Currie Cup First Division 2022 EPCR Challenge Cup | ||
| 2021–22 SC 2022 SC 2022 CC | Champions Champions 1st Eastern Conference Semi-finalist 4th (league phase) | ||
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| Official website | |||
| facebook | |||
The Black Lion (Georgian: შავი ლომი Shavi Lomi) is a professional Georgian rugby union team based in Tbilisi that competes annually in the Rugby Europe Super Cup .[1]
They also competed in the Currie Cup First Division in South Africa in 2022.[2] Black Lion will compete in the European Challenge Cup, the second tier of European club rugby, during the 2023-24 season as an invited team along with Cheetahs.[3]
History[edit]
The franchise was created in 2021 to participate in the Rugby Europe Super Cup. It is owned by the Georgian Federation, which employs the players. All the players are without clubs or playing in the Georgia league (Didi 10). Players are made available to Didi 10 clubs when they have no obligations with their franchise, up to a limit of 4 per club. Georgian club joins into Currie Cup First Division since 2022.[4] In Spring 2023, Black Lion toured South America, playing against the professional sides featuring in Super Rugby Americas. They defeated the club sides they faced, but were narrowly defeated 28-24 by a South America XV squad in Montevideo.[5]
In June 2023, Black Lion applied to take part in the European Challenge Cup, the second tier of European club Rugby.[6] On July 6, 2023, it was announced that their application was successful and will participate in the Challenge Cup for the 2023-24 season as one of two invited teams.[7] Black Lion will be the first Georgian rugby team to ever play in the Challenge Cup tournament.[8] On 15 December 2023 Black Lion won their first match in the competition, defeating Welsh hosts Scarlets.[9]
Name[edit]
The name of the franchise has several inspirations. The players of the national team are sometimes nicknamed the lions, in reference to an (unofficial) anthem of the national team, which says: "freedom is the property of the lions". Also this is similar to the Georgian Rugby Union's slogan, "Freedom is a lion's destiny". The second inspiration comes from Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani, one of whose most famous works is the painting Black Lion.[10] The club logo is a reinterpretation of the lion's face in a style reminiscent of a fusion of the Georgian letters შ (shini) and ლ (lasi), the initials of the club's name, in the unique typeface of the Georgian alphabet.
Honors[edit]
Current squad[edit]
The Black Lions squad for 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup is:[11]
| Black Lion Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves |
Centres
Wings
Fullbacks
|
| (c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped. |
Coaches[edit]
Current coaching staff[edit]
The current coaching staff for the Black Lion team:
| Name | Nationality | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Vasil Abashidze |  GEO |
Manager |
| Lekso Iordanishvili | GEO |
Manager |
| Richard Cockerill |  ENG |
Head coach |
| Ilia Maisuradze | GEO |
Assistant coach |
| Lado Kilasonia | GEO |
Assistant coach |
| Irakli Chkonia | GEO |
Strength & Conditioning coach |
| Davit Nemsadze | GEO |
Strength & Conditioning coach |
| William Lavis | ENG |
Rehab coach |
| Absalom Abramishvili | GEO |
Physiotherapist |
| Ed Barry | ENG |
Physiotherapist |
| Davit Ramishvili | GEO |
Video-Analyst |
| Nika Pinaishvili | GEO |
GPS-Analyst |
See also[edit]
- Georgia national rugby union team
- Rugby union in Georgia
- Tbilisi Caucasians
- Category:Black Lion (rugby union) players
References[edit]
- ^ "Rugby Europe launch The Super Cup". Rugby Europe.
- ^ "Black Lions Currie Cup". News24.
- ^ "European Challenge Cup: Georgian side Black Lion invited into European competition". BBC Sport. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Tshwaku, Khanyiso (17 November 2021). "Georgia to play Currie Cup First Division rugby, South American matches on the cards". News24. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "South America Outlast Black Lion in Montevideo". Americas Rugby News. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Hardy, Matt (20 June 2023). "Georgia rugby bosses: We deserve place in Challenge Cup more than anyone". CityAM. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Georgia rugby bosses: EPCR-მა ქართულ რაგბის კარი გაუღო". rugby.ge (in Georgian). 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Georgian side Black Lion to play in European Challenge Cup". Rugby World. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "European Challenge Cup: Scarlets 7-23 Black Lion - Welsh region suffer humiliating loss". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Black Lion - Niko Pirosmani - WikiArt.org". www.wikiart.org.
- ^ "Black Lion - Squad". EPCR Challenge Cup. Retrieved 10 December 2023.