Georgia captain Mamuka Gorgodze scored the only try of the first half to give his side a 10-3 lead over Tonga in their Rugby World Cup opener at Kingsholm this afternoon.
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The two nations had combined for just eight World Cup victories between them going into this match, but with the might of New Zealand and the ever-dangerous Argentina also in Pool C, their opening contest carried the air of a must-win game.
A stop-start opening 15 minutes saw both sides punished by referee Nigel Owens on a number of occasions, but a Kurt Morath penalty provided the only impact on the scoreboard.
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Georgia were failing to make the most of Tonga's indiscipline, with Merab Kvirikashvili missing a very kickable penalty before Tamaz Mchedlidze was unable to collect a crossfield kick with the tryline gaping.
However, Milton Haig's side did finally register on the scoreboard when Kvirikashvili levelled things up after Tonga had been penalised for pulling down a Georgian maul.
The Europeans continued to impose themselves on their opponents, with Gorgodze leading the charge for his side, and it was the skipper who registered the first try of the game when he burrowed over from close range.
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It was the number eight's 24th international try, and Kvirikashvili added the extras to hand his side a seven-point lead after half an hour.
The Tongans improved towards the latter stages of the half and they thought they had got themselves back into it when Vili Ma'afu burst over from a lineout move, but the referee pulled things back for a forward pass in the build-up.
The resulting scrum saw Georgia win another penalty as their stern defence held firm once again, allowing them to go into the break with the one-score lead.
Barney Corkhill
