The Welsh national team has formally responded to the open challenge put forth by Georgia for a match later in the year. Georgia, who recently secured the Rugby Europe Championship, dared Warren Gatland’s team to a match in Tbilisi in the autumn, presenting the bold move as the “must-see” match for rugby fans worldwide.
Following their victory against Portugal in Paris, Wales suffered a 24-21 defeat to Italy in the Six Nations, resulting in a winless tournament and the receipt of the wooden spoon. In response to Georgia’s challenge, Wales enigmatically posted “We’ll be in touch…” on social media, generating curiosity among fans about the possibility of a match taking place in 2024.
While not a formal relegation/promotion battle as suggested in recent years, Georgia’s challenge serves as a strong statement to the Six Nations organizers and the global rugby community.
Georgia also shared a video of their win over Wales at the Principality Stadium in the autumn of 2022, despite the two teams meeting again at the World Cup last year, where Warren Gatland’s team emerged as comfortable 43-19 victors. The 13-12 defeat to Georgia in 2022 marked the beginning of the end for former Wales coach Wayne Pivac, who was subsequently dismissed and replaced by Gatland.
Under increasing pressure due to Wales’ lacklustre performance in recent weeks, current Wales boss Gatland even admitted offering his resignation to Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney after the loss to Italy.
In Gatland’s own words, “I just said to Abi in the changing room, ‘If you want me to resign, I’m quite happy to do that’. She said, ‘Like hell, that’s the last thing I want, that’s what I’m really afraid of’. But I can promise you we’ll go away and review this really carefully. We’ve already done some review stuff and (we’ll) work on areas that need to improve.”
It remains to be seen whether Wales will accept Georgia’s challenge and if the match will transpire later this year. However, the potential showdown has undoubtedly captured the attention of rugby enthusiasts around the world.