VIDEO: Georgians' DNA is physical says coach Cockerill
VIDEO: Georgia must roll up their sleeves, stick in their gumshields and front up physically against the Springboks on Saturday.
That is the only thing their coach, Richard Cockerill, expects of the Lelos.
As an exceptionally talented former international hooker, Cockerill had his fair share of physicality. Now he is regarded as a highly successful coach.
In recent years, he’s held coaching positions with Leicester Tigers, Toulon, Edinburgh, and England.
The 53-year-old former England hooker is currently in a joint role as head coach of the Georgian national team and club side Black Lion, who beat both Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors ‘A’ sides in May this year.
He formerly led Leicester Tigers to three Premiership titles in eight years.
The Lelos have risen to 11th in World Rugby’s rankings and have won 17 second-tier titles.
Cockerill is now looking for better opposition, and he couldn’t have asked for much better than the Springboks.
“We can’t be timid here. I am a former international. I played against James Dalton many a time. There were no backward steps in those confrontations.
“The only way for us to compete is to roll our sleeves up, stick our gumshields in, and get in the middle of it.
“What else could we do? We are a physical team, we are a physical nation, we like the physical parts of the game.
“The next level of physicality and mentality is South Africa.
“And we want to see where we sit in that,” he says without flinching.
*Article continues below…
It is very evident that he expects a hard onslaught from the Boks, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
One might think it is madness to arrange a game against the best team in the world, but there is madness in Cockerill’s plans.
Georgia is a young country in rugby terms. While they have started playing rugby in schools, traditionally, they haven’t been rugby nation.
“We are a country of fighters and wrestlers and weightlifters. We don’t grow up holding a rugby ball from the minute we can walk.
“We are not a private school system type country. Rugby in schools is getting better, but it is not widespread.
“We have two domestic leagues that are OK.
“When you take your best players out of the country every year, it’s really very hard to build.”
But Cockerill knows a thing or two about this nation, and they won’t give up without a fight.
*Article continues below…
🇬🇪🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🇬🇪
Time to get the @GeorgianRugby party started! @WorldRugby | #REC25 pic.twitter.com/OOjyIU2NMh
— Rugby Europe (@rugby_europe) March 16, 2025
“Georgian DNA is physical – they will tackle anything that moves,” he promises.
For this tenacious coach, it is vitally important for his young, inexperienced players to feel what it is like to face a top team.
“There’s only one way to play any team, but especially South Africa. You have to take them head-on to see if we are good enough to compete and to stay with them.
“I know Boan Venter very well, because I signed him at Edinburgh from the Cheetahs.
“They picked a strong pack. But the only way to go there is full noise.
“I am not going to make any promises that we are going to smash the Boks. But we are going to compete, see where we are at and make life uncomfortable for them, and stay in the fight.
“And not sit there and try to keep the score down. Actually, go at them and see how good we are. We may fall short, that’s okay.
“But we respect them because they are an amazing rugby nation. Once we get on the field, we have to front up physically and mentally.
“If we don’t, we are going to find ourselves in a deep hole.
“I just want the boys to enjoy the occasion – the world’s best team, great stadium, full crowd, atmosphere, and the razzmatazz that comes with it.
“I would not want to be anywhere else on Saturday at five. I want to be in the stadium with the players taking on the best team in the world.
“Who wouldn’t want to be doing that?
“We want to leave with our pride intact and with everyone to go, cheez, these Georgian boys don’t go away.”
