Preview: Scotland v Georgia

25 Aug 2023

Scotland host Georgia at Scottish Gas Murrayfield tomorrow (5.30pm kick off) in the final The Famous Grouse Nations Series match before heading to France for the Rugby World Cup 2023.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 24: Scotland team Huddle during a Scotland team run at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, on August 24, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

What they said

Head Coach Gregor Townsend: “Georgia have played a few games and they’ve built really good confidence. They know this is an opportunity for them to play a Guinness Six Nations team, they don’t get to do that very often. The last time they did that, they beat Wales. They’ll be a real threat for us.

“It’ll be our last game at home now for probably six months and the support we’ve had this season has been amazing and the players do get a lot of energy from it. The players are building towards that complete performance, we showed signs of it already this season so this is one more step along that journey.

Jack Dempsey, who starts at number 8: “We want to make sure we do our home fans proud because it’s our last game here.

“The support for me personally in the last 12 months just experiencing it, it’s got to be one of the best places to play rugby in the world.

“We want to make sure we leave on a good note, and then as we move on to France a lot of the fans will be following us from home, so we want to leave a good taste in their mouths.”

The team

The stats

  • Scotland have won each of their previous five Test matches against Georgia, including their most recent by a margin of 41 points (48-7 in October 2020), which was their heaviest ever win against the Lelos.
  • Scotland have won three of their last four Test matches and have scored 3+ tries in eight of their last nine outings.
  • Scotland have won five of their last six Test matches on home soil, including each of their last three – each of Scotland’s last two home wins have come despite trailing their opponents at half-time, including a comeback from 18 points down in their most recent home game (25-21 v France).
  • Scotland are the only Tier 1 nation with a tackle success rate of 90%+ in Test rugby in 2023 (90.3%).
  • Only New Zealand (30) have beaten more defenders per game than Scotland (27) among Tier1 nations in 2023.
  • Since the beginning of 2022, Duhan van der Merwe has averaged 5.1 defenders beaten per 80 minutes in Test rugby, the best rate of any Tier 1 player to feature for 1000+ minutes in that period.

Tickets?

Tickets for the game are still available HERE and will be right up until kick-off. Fans are encouraged to buy in advance online before travelling to the stadium. Tickets from £26.25 for adults and £13.13 for Under-18s (inc booking fees). Secure your seat now and enjoy the men’s final international game in the capital this summer!

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