Birth name | Davit Niniashvili | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 14 July 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 90 kg (14 st 2 lb; 198 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Davit Niniashvili (born 14 July 2002) is a Georgian rugby union player. He plays as a winger for Lyon OU; in the Top 14, in France. Niniashvili also plays full-back for the Georgian National Team [1] He participated in the 2019 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship organised in Kaliningrad. He started in the final, which was won by Georgia. Although only evolving in the regional league, being 18 years old and having no high-level experience, he was selected by Levan Maisashvili to participate in the Autumn Nations Cup. His coach presents him as "a promising player with good skills". He wants to "increase the depth [at the rear post]".
Davit Niniashvili was named in the starting line-up for the first time at 2020 Rugby Europe Championship against Russia. He scored his first international try against Russia at 2021 Rugby Europe Championship
In 2021, he signed a three-year contract with Lyon. He made his debut in the Top 14 on September 18, 2021 against Perpignan. Niniashvili played a crucial role in Lyon's success, helping the team win the Challenge Cup, their first European title in history. His impressive performances caught the attention of the rugby world, and he was included in the Barbarians squad to face England in June 2022, despite having only 11 test caps at the time. With his talent and potential, Niniashvili is expected to have a bright future in both club and international rugby.
Winner of the European Rugby Championship for Under 18s in 2019
Winner of the European Rugby Championship in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
Winner of the 2021–22 EPCR Challenge Cup with Lyon OU
Personal
The Georgia national rugby union team, nicknamed The Lelos, represents Georgia in men's international rugby union. The team is administered by the Georgian Rugby Union and takes part in the annual Rugby Europe Championship and the Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years.
The Top 14 is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the France National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism of LNR. There is promotion and relegation between the Top 14 and the next level down, the Rugby Pro D2. The fourteen best rugby teams in France participate in the competition, hence the name Top 14. The competition was previously known as the Top 16.
Section Paloise, often referred to simply as Section or Pau, is a professional rugby union club based in Pau, France. They are participants in the Top 14, France's premier rugby division, and also compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
The Coupe de France Lord Derby, or just Coupe Lord Derby, is the premier knockout competition for the sport of rugby league football in France, as well as the name of its championship trophy. The tournament was first contested in 1934–35, which also marked the inaugural season of the French Rugby League Championship.
Rugby Club Toulonnais, also referred to as Rugby Club Toulon or simply Toulon, is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon and competing in the Top 14. Located on the French Riviera, in the Provence region, the club plays its home games at the 17,500-capacity Stade Mayol.
Rugby league has been played in France since 1934. As with rugby union, rugby league was introduced by the English and the heartland of the game is in the south of France.
Lyon Olympique Universitaire Rugby or LOU is a French professional rugby union team based in Lyon that currently competes in the Top 14, the highest level of the country's professional league system, having been most recently promoted for the 2016–17 season after winning the 2015–16 title of the second-level Pro D2. The club has bounced between the top two levels in recent years, having also been promoted in 2011 and 2014 and relegated in 2012 and 2015.
Alexandru Manta is a Romanian former rugby union footballer.
Paul Alo-Emile is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Top 14 club Stade Français. Born in New Zealand, he represents Samoa at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.
Vasil Kakovin is a Georgian rugby union player. His position is prop, and he currently plays for Stade Français in the Top 14. He began his career in France with CA Brive before moving to Stade Toulousain in 2012. He played for Georgia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Davit Kubriashvili is a former Georgian rugby union player. His position is prop. He played for Georgia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The 2013–14 Rugby Pro D2 is the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2013–14 season. It ran alongside the 2013–14 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).
Davit Kacharava is a Georgian rugby union player who plays as a centre.
Uini Atonio is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Top 14 club La Rochelle. Born in New Zealand, he represents France at international level after qualifying on residency grounds.
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception in 1996 to 2014, it was known as the European Challenge Cup and governed by European Rugby Cup (ERC). Following disagreements in the structure of the tournament's format and division of revenue, the English and French leagues withdrew to form the EPCR, which organized the Challenge Cup and the Champions Cup since the 2014–15 season.
Midi Olympique is a French bi-weekly newspaper specializing in rugby and belonging to La Dépêche du Midi group. Its headquarters are based in Toulouse while some offices are located in Paris. The first edition was published on 2 September 1929, meaning it is one of the oldest French weekly still in existence.
Beka Saghinadze is a Georgian rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Aurillac in the French Pro D2. He was called up to the Georgia under-20 squad for 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.
Beka Gigashvili is a Georgian rugby union player. His position is prop, and he currently plays for RC Toulonnais in the Top 14 and the Georgia national team.
Ethan Dumortier is a French professional rugby union player who plays as a wing for Top 14 club Lyon and the France national team.