Georgian Rugby captain Merab Sharikadze has been a key member in his country's rugby revolution in recent years.
The 30-year-old centre has featured at three Rugby World Cups for the Lelos since making his debut as an 18-year-old against Spain in 2012.
Since then, Sharikadze has taken Georgian Rugby to heights that were previously unimaginable, with the key highlight being a 13 - 12 win over Wales at the Principality Stadium in November 2022.
This result, coupled with several other key performances, saw the Georgians travel to the 2023 Rugby World Cup with a real sense of optimism. Unfortunately for Sharikadze and his teammates, their performances at the tournament did not meet their expectations as they managed just a lone draw with Portugal as they finished 5th in Pool C albeit they did push quarterfinalist Fiji to their max.
Since then, Sharikadze has guided his team to an unbeaten start in this year's Rugby Europe Championship (which you can watch for free on their website by signing up here).
Defeating Germany in round one on the road before seeing off a spirited Dutch team this morning, the Georgians are in the driver's seat when it comes to winning another title in 2024.
For Sharikadze, today's fixture saw him deservedly being celebrated in front of his home support for becoming a test centurion for the Lelos. Although today's fixture was his 101st test, having ran out last week in Germany for his 100th, it was only right that the Georgian Rugby icon would be celebrated.
In what was a lovely moment, the powerhouse centre was bestowed with what was undoubtedly the coolest 100th test cap we have ever seen!
Unlike other nations who quite literally hand out a cap, Georgian Rugby went a step forward and gave Sharikadze a Roman Centurion-style helmet!
Undoubtedly this is the best presentation we have seen for a test centurion, and it got us thinking about what your nation should give to a test centurion to mark the occasion. Let us know in the comments below or on social media!
0 Comments