SPEND JUST a minute in the company of Beka Gorgadze and you would never guess the issue that plagued him following the last Rugby World Cup in 2019.
The Pau back-rower is an immediately likeable character and quick to crack a joke when we sit down together in Tbilisi ahead of this year’s showpiece.
Gorgadze is now a Top 14 captain and bona fide Georgian legend, but it was in Japan four years ago when the then 23-year-old nailed down his spot as the country’s first-choice No 8.
And although his performances did not give it away, he admits by the time the tournament started he was already running on empty.
“What did I learn from 2019? Eat many more carbs! That’s a joke but it’s the reality too,” he says.
“It was physically and mentally tough because the preparation was hell, it was so hard, so maybe we left all our energy in that.
“Going into that Wales game, the first one, when you should feel the most confident because of your preparation, personally I was empty. That was quite remarkable for me and made me feel quite anxious. ‘Why have I done all that hard work? What’s going on with me now?
Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Rugby World.
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Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Rugby World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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"I remember getting eating guidelines for Christmas Day!"
CHRISTMAS, the most wonderful time of the year? Not if you’re a professional rugby player it’s not.
Rugby firsts
FIRST RUGBY match you went to? I would have gone to RODNEY PARADE to watch a Newport game when I was about six years old, so around 1992 or 1993.
THE JOHN FISHER STATE SCHOOL RUGBY FESTIVAL
The inaugural John Fisher Rugby Festival hopes to Send state-school rugby players into the stratosphere.
The Making Of Robbie Henshaw
How this small-town boy went On to become a big-time player
RG SNYMAN
The giant Springbok is enjoying the best of both worlds since joining Leinster
BENHARD JANSE VAN RENSBURG
Bristol's South African centre has one eye on an England call-up in 2026
RUGBY RANT
Jessica Hayden, author of The Red Roses, says the women’s game can handle criticism
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO ...GO ON TOUR WITH EMERGING IRELAND
Munster's Ben O'Connor tells RW about the eye-opening trip to South Africa
"Welsh rugby treats players like pieces of meat, not assets"
THEY’VE BUILT the women’s game around the men’s game in Wales but it has to be its own thing.
"I don't believe in dinosaurs – the boys think it's nuts!"
The Exeter Chiefs hooker talks Tarmac, time travel and Tyson Fury
