Coming to a screen near you: the Georgian Godzilla!
WHO ARE YA?
Meet Mamuka Gorgodze. He’s 27 years old, 6ft 5in and 18st 10lb. Known by his Montpellier team-mates as Gorgodzilla, a nickname inspired by the movie monster. He played basketball competitively in his teens but turned to rugby at 17 because he wanted something more physical.
Gorgodzilla: Montpellier's Georgian beast, Mamuka Gorgodze
THE NICKNAMES
Gorgodzilla is just one. In Georgia he is known as Gulliver, because he stands head and shoulders above the rest, or as the Georgian Animal because of his attitude on the pitch. He won’t hide from a scrap and was sent to the sin-bin twice last season for throwing punches.
THE PHILOSOPHY
‘Rugby is a very physical game and it is this that I like the best.’ It doesn’t get much clearer than that. In one game against Spain he ripped the ball out of a maul so aggressively that a Spanish shirt came with it. He went on a charge carrying both.
FRENCH CONNECTION
L’Equipe voted him best foreign player in the French league last season as he helped Montpellier to their first Top 14 final. Made the third most carries in the league and the most offloads at his club.
THE DESTROYER
Gorgodze is a devastating runner — deceptively fast with a mace-like hand-off. Players, even big ones, seem to bounce off him. When Montpellier played Toulon last season Jonny Wilkinson made the mistake of trying to stop him and was bounced off like a pinball. You can check out his best-of on YouTube.
Monster: Godzilla
THE TRY SCORER
He made his Test debut at 18 in 2003 and already holds the national record for number of tries, with 18. A try every other game is a fantastic ratio for a loose forward. And like Courtney Lawes, he can offload to set up team-mates as well as search and destroy.
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